Evening star., 1923-01-18
The North Window
BY LEILA NTECHLIN.

when painters. sculptors, writers
and musicians get together they gem
orally talk about art, for to them it
Is OF all the most interesting and alb
sorbing subject. Such a group. meet
ing, we will say. behind a north win
dow, lately fell to discussing ex-
pressionism, which, as all know, is
supposedly the essence of the So
called modern art. Who propounded
the question as to what expression
ism in art really is doesn't matter,
but the answer was given by an ex-
ponent of modernism in the drama,
distinguished Russian producer of
plays. What he said in substance was
this: Expressionism in art is not an
effort to reproduce nature, but to
present in visible form what the art
list himself thinks about nature; in
other words, personal reaction. To
illustrate his meaning he told q story
about Van Cough, who, he said, one
time painted a portrait of friend
who had dark hair. dark eyes and a
rather sallow complexion, but who
was to him a radiant personality"
When the painting was completed IL
showed the subject with golden hair,
blue eyes and high coloring. Having
his attention called to this apparent
discrepancy, Van Cough said: "Of
course, of course; did not paint him
as he is; 1 painted him as he ap-
pears to me; 1 have expressed my
personal reaction"
Likewise, according to this same
theory. when an artist who is an ex-
pressionist paints a group of objects
bowl, some flowers, a bit of textile
he does not attempt to paint them
as they appear, but as he himself
thinks of them, showing the inside
as well as the outside of the bowl,
the side that is visible and the side
that Is not. Also when the producer
who Is an expressionist puts play
on the stage he does not feel bound
TO present it as the author wrote it;
his endeavor is to present the emo
tions that it produces in himself.
To the layman listener this all
sounded like arrant nonsense, but 1t
explained modernistic art with great
clarity. writer present. boldly
speaking up. asked where the author
came in? And If inanimate things
could have spoken they probably
would have cried out to know what
part they played in the general
scheme. Curtously enough. not sin
gle person seemed to have. for one
moment. considered, first, whether the
thing expressed was worth express
ing, and, second, whether the express
sionist himself had emotions which
were sufficiently important to deserve
handing on. Not once was the word
beauty mentioned.
Now, of course, to an extent the
eXpressionists are right. What they
overlook is the fact that every artist
who has achieved distinction, from
the earliest day to this. is in reality
an expressionist. Put six artists
TO painting the same composition,
whether it be still life or landscape
or figures. and there will be six alb
solutely different pictures. because
each will have his own personal view
point and individual vision. The
greatest characters that have been
created in fiction are those about
whom il is possible to have a diff
ference of opinion. Walter Hamp-
den's Hamlet differs widely from
that of Booth. David Warfields Shy
because each is personal express
sion or Interpretation. made great by
as near an approach as possible TO
perfection In art. GutzoIi BorgIum
once said that it was quite unnecessary
for artists to try to be original IL
they would simply be content to be
themselves they would have to be
original, for no two people are alike.
= x x i -.
L., tba -NnTarco, S,nII,.i ~
York. ihe so-called New. Society Of
Artists" is holding its fourth annual
exhibition. and because of much
trumpeting, the patronage of social
leaders. tea, etc, is attracting wide
attention. There are paintings.
sculpture and work in black and
white. some by artists who have at
tanned great distinction, but in the
entire exhibition there is scarcely
a single work in which the element
of beauty is evident. and there are
many of pronounced ugliness and
showing extraordinary Crudity of
XpressiOn-fgures i'll drawn. mis-
Shapen, gross and repulSive: land
their absurdity and distortion were
they not pathetic-colors which clash
and jangle-an aggregation of hid
eouness. produced not by those of
feeble ability cropping for expression.
but those well equipped. who have
found ugliness more alluring than
beauty. 1T is startling. an astound-
ing display. and evidences what eS-
pressionism may lead to il il is not
sanely interpreted.
x i: = x
James NJ. Barrie has said in. his
Margaret Ogilvie" that the chief end
and aim of all art is to open the
eyes of those who will look to beau
tiful thoughts and beautiful things.
1t is because the so-called express
sionists do not open our eyes to beau
tiful thoughts and beautiful things
that we quarrel with them. The
trouble is. they have nothing to saw
that is worth the saying. But, luckily
their name is not, as yet, legion.
Let them express what they please.
for well we know that unless their
work possess the element of beauty
they will not survive beyond their
day.
:: = i !:
Not many blocks distant from the
building in which the New Society is
exhibiting is a little exhibition room