Evening star., 1923-08-09
The North Window
BY LEILA MECHLIN

In the estimation of those present.
was the outstanding American artist
OF the day. Two said George Bellows.
one John Sargent, others ventured
the names Of Cecilia Beaux, Benson
and others. but none seemed to think
of the man who internationally is
better known than any of these
Joseph Pennell possibly because
though he has comparatively lately
taken up water colors he is thought
of as an. etcher and photographer
rather than as a painter. and art.
even to the initiated, so often means
painting and sculpture.
But without question Mr.. Pennell
is not only the most striking person
ality in the American art world today
but has to his credit greater amount
of work of high standard than any
of his cotemporaries. For thirty
years he gave his time to illustrative
work. etching or drawing architect
ural monuments. cathedrals chateaux.
etc, in Europe on commission from
publishers in the United States. Some
times he wrote the text that ac-
Pennell did the writing, now and
then they did 1t together. And how
charming these collaborative works
are-delightful tales of travel. rec
ords Of appreciation of great works
OF art, sufficiently personal to give
/, the reader an Impression that they
were meant just for him, and eX-
quisitely illustrated by one whose
hand was guided by genius and
whose perception was that of the
keen and sympathetic observer Be
cause so many of these drawings and
etchingS came out first in the maga-
zines and then In books they have
passed from notice, but they are
none the less works of art. worthy
of pursuit and preservation.
X 4 r
The writer's earliest acquaintance
with the Pencils was through the me-
dunn of an illustration in the Century
Magazine. in the late eighties. which
! pictured them tricycling through Italy.
Tho picture made a profound impress
! having such good time and also on
account of the fact that they were artist
and author--wonderful people. Mrs.
! Pennell speaks of this tricycle. adventure
| in her delightful book Nights" in
which she describes their European play
times in the great cities of Europe,
| Rome Venice, London and Paris. She
! says. "As 7 look back to those remote
| days ! see J. and myself on an absurd.
! old ia shioned. long superannuated
Rotary tandem tricycle. riding along
winding roads and lanes, passing through
/ great towns, halting for months under the
! shadow of some old castle or cathedral
! that had been appointed one of our
! stations on the way" II was on a more
up-to-date Humber" that they went
to Italy and on it they pushed up long
white Zigzags TO grim hill-towns TO rush
! down into radiant valleys of fruit and
I flowers. winding between vineyards
where the vines were festooned from
| tree to tree and fields where huge, wide
horned oxen pulled the plow, bump
! ing over the stones of old Roman
roads finally parting with the wonder
! full tandem only for the long stay in
wonderful Rome and wonderful Venice"
! How like an ideal holiday this sounds.
and vet all along it was work. Mrs.
Pennell describes il as "one long vista
Of work" but "a beautiful vista" made
more meaningful. more lovely by the
work. which required close observation
and study. which gave purpose and i'm
| portance to that which otherwise
would have been merely idle play. The
| world is TO apt think that the artists
! life is all play, but perhaps the hardest
work In the world Is that which for
its quality is somewhat dependent upon
inspiration. the flash of genius which
! cannot always be summoned on the
! instant. An admiring patron once 81 i'd
to very brilliant portrait painter.
What a JOY ii must be to paint such
pictures" "Joy?" was the instant re-
Spouse; lit is agony" And the greater
height one attainS, the greater is the
! fear of falling
Reading Mrs Pennelrs Nights"
l. and her book entitled "Our Phila-
delphia" Cboth of which have been pub
lished within the last ten years>, one
| is impressed by the ideal comrade-
| ship of the writer and her artist
. husband and of the quality of the
pleasure they found together all
along their roadway of work - a
different from the mad rush which
is called by the name of amusement
! today. The nights were all Conse-
Grated TO play. which consisted. how
ever. "in nothing more riotous than
NEE ting and talking with friends" But
such friends and in such environment!
/ Duveneck and Henley. Vedder. Har
|
ler-to name only a few. One gets
! from the story of these playtimes a
I true idea of artists life at its best
and also an explanation of why as
| rule artists are inclined to flock
together. Their sources OF enjoy
ment are in themselves and their
greatest pleasure discussing things
seen of beauty and significance.
Though never let il be supposed that
! they are regardless of the so-called
g. 1,
life. None could. on this score, be
| less Bohemian than the Pennells.
| Mr.. Pennell has more than once eX-
pressed his disapprobation of the
| modern cafeteria, which undoubtedly
is more practical than romantic. max
! ing eating a business rather than an
adjunct of sociability.
! X X X X
| Mr.. Pennell, it must be confessed,
I is something of an iconoclast, and
when he lays hold Of the big stick"
| he usually swings it widely. But
often it is in a good cause and al
most always it is for the good OF
art or with patriotic intent AS for
example. his attack on the billboards
which are disfiguring SO much of the
country. 1t is no secret that to si-
Hence him one of the largest billboard
advertising companies tried to induce
him to design a poster, offering sew
eral thousand dollars in payment
But it wasn't enough, as Mr.. Pennell
said.
! During the war, Joseph Pennell did
do a poster for the government and
it was a very good one. He was a
member of the committee in New
York that rendered excellent service
in the production of pictorial pub
licity. Besides which Mr.. Pennell