Evening star., 1925-08-02
Europe's Most Famous Painters
Will Exhibit in America This Year
Germany Exhibition
alon of the Worlds Ar ito Be Presene

zollern days." says DR.. Schlichting,
they wanted war pictures; SO that a
German painter, to be successful, had
to paint war subjects. Today, since
the revolution, they want radical art.
The only official art is radical, so that
your Germans are forced to paint radi-
cal pictures.
Radical pictures break through the
normal growth of art and jump away
ahead Of it-whence, they are called
advanced. So, today says the Herr
Doctor, a German artist must paint
advanced pictures to livei'
Now, there are extremely few mod
ern pictures sold in Germany today"
goes on Saint-Gaudens. 80, the Ger
man painter. who is bitterly poor, in
a nation that has been out of the
worlds general life for 10 years, has
lost what we think is the main idea in
ptcture-which is to decorate "A
space.
Instead, the German artist, in his
picture, seeks to express his revolt
against the state of society as it is at
present. Now, that is a literary func-
ton. and not painting function. II
is like trying to paint an essay-in-
genious, intellectual. remarkable, but
hardly the thing, at bottom. In his
seeking, he recalls Liebermanns not
finding
1T is misfire; but it is very large
and strong in Germany at present.
They are trying to paint essays on
the terrific state of society The
trouble is that you can read an essay
once or twice Tor If it be MacauIays.
four or five times); but, pretty soon.
you have finished with 1t. Whereas,
you hang a picture on the wall with
the idea of looking at it 365 days in Il
year for the rest of your life: but you
Will not read an essay 10 times
A MERICANS will see this remark
able German development at the
American world salon.
German art will have it's chance, as
it exists. Such. in fact. is Saint-Gau-
dens' leading idea in exhibiting
THE leaders of academic art in
Germany-Liebermaa Slevogt, Hub
ner-are exhibiting with u.s." he says
SO, too, the elderly, but mildly ad-
vanced school, led by Corinth All the
rest are the moderniZed and official
painters, led by Kokosohka, Kirchner.
Hofer."
1t is Germany's art Carnegie pre-.
sents 1t, as found. Ought Carnegie Sc
lect what Carnegie likes best-and call
| that German art?
We went to see DR.. Posse, head
OF the Dresden National Gallery"
| says Saint-Gaudens. He said: For our
international show next year we
want an American section. Do you
know man named Maurice Stern?'
Maurice Stern is an important
man in his group answered. What
| DO you want-to present a general
idea of American art today, in all its
leading aspects, or do you want
American art as shown by people of
the same point of view as Maurice
Stern?'
well says he. Maurice Stern
strikes us as being very important
| in America. We want a Rroun of
Stern
Now, what he was doing, what so
many exhibitions do. is TO mako up
their minds beforehand what is go
ing 10 be good art in another country
winch they have not seen. Then they
go TO that country and select pic
lures in the direction which they
themselves had settled on. They bring
them back. They study them care
fully and judge them as good or bad
| art. And they say that art in that
country is good or bad-accordinK TO
| that selection.
| AhOiS lS d ldliaCy InGrS, saws
| Saint-Gaudens. ''Old Henry Adams
said that art is holding mirror up to
mankind. in which mankind sees its
reflection
Now, the reflection of a German
in German mirror is different from
American or English. They are all
art. But in organizing a big show
! II is not right for me to come TO
France and say Redf1eld. Bellows,
Howthorne, Rockwell Kent-these are
art in my country. So I must find
what is their art to these other coun-
tries today and bring it back to
| America.
"IF a country like England thinks
that Augustus John and Orpen
or Paul Nash of Colin Gill are pro
| ducing beautiful pictures (all different
| from anything we have, except Orpen)
then that is what we must take
If you go to Germany and find
Liebernann, Corinth and Slevogt, or
| kokoschka. kirschner, etc, regarded
by Germans as presenting the most
important German sentiments of art.
you have nothing to do but take them
along as German art,
| Then sums up Saint-Gaudens.
| you will have in the halls of your
! exhibition a true reflection of the
dTuSuC SITUATION IN the various cOun-
| tries.
1T means seeking out the lines of
important sentiment in each country
| and taking the painters who lead
| them. without injecting your personal
taste into it-bounded a little by what
would shock your own country. AS
papers say all the news that's ft
to print, so we say all the pictures
that are fit to hang!' Be eclectic!
But how is our public to find its
| way in such an exhibition? Let them
choose for themselves. Do not try
to teach art to the public verbally.
| My notion is to say. Look! Here is
| what Italy is doing. Tito-old. Ca
rona-new. Choose for yourself
You cannot learn to walk except
by using your legs. You cannot get
| art except with your eyes. Your own
eyes! II we can show the American
public what other publics and groups
| of publics think about art-show
them, show them! don't tell them-
we shall soon have a public that will
| have its own opinion. 1t will not be
opinion foisted on 1t by art critics.