Evening star., 1923-02-15
The North Window
ny LEILA MICHLyN.


In the Library Of Congress. on the
landing Of the stairs leading from the
second floor to the gallery of the ro-
tunda, 10 q large mosaic of Minerva,
Goddess OF Wisdom, the work Of Eiihu
Vedder, one OF the great figures in
American art Of the latter half OF the
nineteenth century. who lately passed
from this world at his home in Rome.
Vedder was big man in more ways
than one-physicalIy and artistically
he lowered above his fellows. One
thinks OF him as 4 man Of great size
and strength. force and individuality.
Yet, like almost all great artists, he
had q simple nature and the heart of
child; indeed. for those who knew
him, Vedder typifed the successful
accomplished artist at his best. He
was born in 1895 in an old house on
Varick street, New York city, and his
FAMILY came from upstate. He often
1ocosely claimed kinship with Nicho-
las Vedder. the innkeeper in the well
known tale of rip Van Winkle." His
commonplace: when he was just
twenty years of age he went to Paris,
and from then on gave his entire time
to the profession of art. He was only
In Paris a few months. from April to
July, moving on very shortly to Italy,
where he eventually made his home.
From 81 to '65 he was back in New
York. but In 's7 he returned to Rome,
where he really became a fixture.
samuel isham says of him that his
visits to America were numerous and
long enough to keep him still a good
american" Vedder himself explains
his long residence in the Eternal city,
not by any deliberate intent. but
through force of circumstance. tell
Ing, In his delightful autobiography
The Digressions of w." published in
1910, how for many years the furni-
with screws, so that it could be taken
apart when the time came for going
home. but finally cit had to be glued
together" Then 1t was that Rome
became his home.
In a lecture on Emerson, given at
the Central High School last Thurs
day evening by Prof. Bliss Perry,
present-day habit, as head OF the de-
partment of English literature at
Harvard University, to make yearly
pilgrimages with his students to the
Old Manse in Concord. Such q pill
grimage was made by Elihu Vedder and
William Morris Hunt while Emerson
was still! living. not as to shrine.
nor to do homage to the sage. but
to confute his remark and to answer
his inquiry to the effect that Mature
being the same on the banks of the
kennebec as on the banks Of the
Tiber-why go to Europe?" Both ar
lists were riled and they intended
TO have il out with Emerson. Vedder
was the spokesman, and what he said
was this: Mr.. Emerson. / think there
is a great difference between the
literary man and the artist in regard
to Europe. Nature is the same every
where. but literature and art are
nature seen through other eyes. and
d literary man in Patagonia without
books TO consult would be at a great
disadvantage. Here he has all that is
essential in the way of books; but
10 the artist. whose books are pictures,
this land is Patagonia" (And SO 1t
was at that time.) Take from your
shelves your Bible, Plato. Shake
speare, Dante, Bacon, Montague, etc..
and make it SO that you could not
consult them without going to Eu-
rope, and think it would soon be-
Ho. for Europe!" Emerson agreed that
this was IAN aspect of the question
which should be taken into consider
alton" That was back in the sixties,
and what a change has come over
America since then. But still it ex-
plains most graphically the allure
ment of Europe for the artists of
those days and these. However.
Emerson must have made an i'm
cause after registering his own con-
victions on the subject, he journeyed
to Kennebec to see for himself how
it compared with the Tiber. and in his
confessions he admits that he pre-
ferred the latter. His conclusion was
-.Isiye me the TiberW
Vedders biography is chronicle
Of friendships and exemplifies that
strong characteristics, that gift of
friendliness which is almost in
up. He tells how amazingly kind
William Morris Hunt was TO him,
who, having seen some of his work,
wrote him in appreciation and
arranged an exhibition in Boston for
him. Later. when Hunt went to Italy,
they became great friends. Charles
Caryl Coleman, who is still painting
and exhibiting. still living in his lit
tie villa at Capri, was a close com
panion, and when they sketched to-
gether they had an agreement that
each should set up claim to first right
in any newly discovered theme, ac-
cording to priority of discovery. They
We're both young men in those days
bald Marshalrs "Pippin" discovered
on the roadway-'old enough to
paint pretty good pictures, but young
enough not to care much whether he
sold them or not" The fact is that
artists as a rule are not commercial.
Their art means so much more TO
them than money; they have so eX-
cellent a sense of real values. We'd
der tells of coming in company with
other artists from some social enter
tainment in Rome, turning down a
dark street, at the end Of which was
seen the moon in all it's glorious ra-
dance, and being almost shamed by
it's simple beauty" When he was
said to him. How interesting it will
be to hear about the eminent persons
YOU have met The fact is, how
ever, that not a large number of the
so-called great" seem to have i'm
pressed themselves upon his recollec-
tion, in explanation OF which one re-
calls his statement that he would
rather spend an evening in the Cen
tury Club, New York, than in the
most brilliant court in Europe" To
and talk Of art Is never shop" 1t is
the favorite topic discussed behind
north windows
The Minerva in the Library Of Con-
sress and the five wall panels by the
same artist In this building were
executed in 1896 and 1897. OF the lat
ter in his notebook he jotted down.
81 made them to go with the architec-
ture, to look as if made for the place
they occupy" and this they do. OF the
former he said, with his customary
note of humcr: mot the greatest
thing in the world and not the worst.
1t might have been a fluffy -ruffies'
posing as Minerva. About half the
price went in expenses" In 1884. We'd
der Illustrated the "Rubaiyat of Omar
Khayyam." A friend had brought him
the poem and read it to him at Peru
gia. and it had left a tremendous i'm
preston on his mind. Never before,
% a ON IL, ntin1e AT ISharn Mhad q hook