San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-11-08

THE old, old question, "What Is
Art?" has been raised in the Los
Angeles courts-and, as always,
there has been no answer. The judge
side-stepped the problem and settled the
case without deciding the question.
Students of the brush are declaring
that pictures of horned-headed and goat
tailed men wooing dangerous, undraped
maidens, present study of the beautiful
in mythology and Nature. The spectacle
of centaur wildly pursuing an undressed
nymph is in itself not vulgar, while a
laughing pig sitting on its launches, back
to back with an inebriated elephant and
drinking pop, is no indication of lack of
artistic conception.
ut takes genius to present such
things" they say.
"The person who paints pictures like
that ought to be in jail" roars Assistant
City Prosecutor Leroy Reames. "Six
months behind the bars is not too much"
"The pictures are original, spontaneous
and possess merit because of their sim
plicity and spicy EXPRESSION says Fran
cisco Cornejo, widely known artist and
decorator.
They're not the kind of pictures a
smutty-minded boy draws on the outside
of buildings" snaps Edgar Cline. former
supervisor of architecture in the Los An
geles school system.
"They are the work of master hand"
says Catherine Heilburn, professional dec
orator.
"Why should any one object to draw
ings of naked men and women. skull-like
spiders, earnest-looking wild boars and
views of rabbits running away, pleasure
bent hogs, dancing girls and grotesque
elephants? ~ some ask
What is there beautiful in gossipng
monkeys and satyrs and unicorns?" others
reply.
"It's art"' shrieks one faction.
at isn't!' retorts the other.
Some modern students of art pretend
to see strange merit in futuristic sketches.
They point out that bizarre pictures date
back to early periods of ancient Greece.
and that the figures of unclothed women
always have been looked upon as worthy
of the artists brush. The unicorn and
the centaur were glorifed in mythology
before the Christian era dawned. and the
frisky Pan, god Of pastures, forest, flocks
and herds merely symbolizes the life
principle Of the world. Figures of ami
mails were carved in the stone age and Il
was not thought shocking to distinguish
between the sexes in their delincatiou.
why" the artists ask. Sin this en-
lghtened period Of the world, should thcrc
be objection to portraying them as The
ancients portrayed them? Some people.
it seems, just can't grasp the idea Of
art
The controversy was all started over
the arrest Of Miss Catherine Heilburn.
twenty-five. and Miss Charlotte Danzig
twenty-six, young women who had rented
bungalow from Mrs. Victoria Lemon. At
1890 De LOngpre avenue lodgc-likc
cottage with rather a rustic interior Mis-
Heilburn is an interior decorator and
Miss Danzig d clerk. They both had
ideas on the subject. Modern Means and
Methods of Bril- htening the Home" And
their ideas were unique And original.
They believed in color-in many colors,
in a riot Of colors.
They decided, after mature delibcra-
ton, that the entire inside Of their little
rented lodge should be done over. IN
their way Of thinking il was lifolcss.
Proper advantage had not been taken or
the possibilities afforded for distinctive
mural adOrnments. The rooms looked
just like millions Of other ordinary rooms.
And the wallboard panels were Just darl-
ing places for the paintings. 50 they
started in to liven up the drab appear
ance.
They painted the photograph green.
They painted the dresser and mantcl
black
Snap! There was bales Of it. Chic,
Most extraordinary. Color. 1t was vivid.
But that was only the beginning. Miss
Heilburn had friend, Bohemian artist.
Yarroslav Liske, who knew all about
futuristic and impressionistic sketching.
He was called in.
Certainly, ! make the beeg art!'