Evening star., 1925-12-03
THE NORTH WINDOW
BY Leila Mechlin.

Real genius is gift bestowed, per
haps, at birth. Some use 1t well;
others waste it. The man or woman
possessing this gift and having AT
the same time an infinite capacity
for taking pains is pretty sure TO
win success.
The necessity for taking pains
when one has genius is often over
looked not merely by the fortunate
possessor but the world at large.
Particularly Is this true with regard
to a popular conception of artists.
The mar of business, considering the
painter. is apt to regard him as
lucky dog" who doesn't have TO work,
one who gets his living. heaven knows
how, through the chid's play OF paint
ing pictures. 1t looks so easy; but
it is not. and those who are really
endowed with exceptional talent are
willing TO cheerfully spend endless
energy and effort ip pursuit Of an
ideal. the attainment of desired end.
x* **
This thought was engendered bv
converse tfon with an American artist
with Italian name-Ercole Cartotto,
who recently gave a talk for the
members Of the Washington Study
on Silver Point Drawing" exhibiting
,
medium at the same time. Mr.. Car.
toto has been In this country 18
wears and his study OF art has been
entirely under American masters, but
he has the extremely un-American
Willingness to take infinite pains, and
he has given years of study and re.
search, not merely to the technique
OF art, but to secure perfection in
the matter of medium
Z
silver point rawlings had a quality.
outside OF their art. which none TO-
day possesses, he began experimenting
In paper making. and after wears of
, scientific investigation. repeated fail.
ureS and almost at the peril Of his
life. he finally succeeded in obtaining
surface, texture. which to all
appea RANGES actually reproduces that
which the great master used.
Why. some will exclaim. did he DO
this-who would know the difference?
Very few. but he himself and some
of his brother artists did know. there
fore he was unwilling to accept any.
thing less than perfection. His sue.
cess represents 10 him victory: il gives
10 him the means of achieving that
which he could not otherwise have
art from the restrictions OF medium:
II leaves him free to soar TO such
heights as his genius may attain. He
Is now giving a similar study 10 the
preparation OF canvas in order that
II. TOO. shall be permanent. that it,.
too, will allow the artist the utmost
liberty in the perfection of his art
When Mr.. Cartotto tells of what he
has done and shows his work one can
not help but be impressed by his
Singleness OF purpose. his great devo-
tion TO his work, his sincere reverence
for his art. And in this he does not
stand alone. Art is not child's play:
IT is not a thing of instant blossom
ing. 1t is relentless taskma ster
Those who are willing TO endure the
drudGery and pay the price. having
the genius. win not merely momen-
tary, but lasting renown. We know
this by the chronicles of the lives Of
the great masters. we know II from
the artists with whom we meet and
associate today. many of whom are
as devoted in their attitude toward
art in their efforts TO ma ster its mys-
teries as this painter of portraits and
maker of silver point dra wings TO
whom reference has just been made.
IhlS lnhnite ca ap1cltN for taking
pains is not solely limited to painters
and sculptors. 1t is shared in COM
mon by all those who tread the path
Of art. witnessing TO this fact is An
article by William Dana Orcutt in the
current number of the Altar ntic Month
ly. which tells of the quest which he
himself made for the perfect book
Mr.. Orcutt Is an artist, a designer
Of type and maker Of the perfect book
which IL. indeed, work Of art Few
people today realize how much art
there is in good printine-the same
kind of art that goes into architecture
painting. sculpture. the designing of
| furniture, the making of silver. car
pets and rugs. To the average indi-
Vidual printing just happens, but to
those who know. every printed page.
every advertisement, every announce
ment. invitation and program has to
be designed by some one.
The Metropolitan Museum Of Art
has won special distinction by it's fine
printing. This Is largely due not only
to the talent in this direction. but TO
the infinite capacity for taking pains
Of the museums secretary, Henry W.
Kent, an amateur, who is ranked high
however, by the great printers. TIE
catalogues. the announcements of ex-
hibitions. the general notices got out
by the Metropolitan Museum are used
as models by other museums all over
the country. They are in many in
stances really beautiful. This is the
result not only Of a choice of good
type, but OF skillful composition. q
nice adjustment of type TO space and
of black TO white.
William Dana Orcutt. who has
| been the moving spirit of the Uni
~
Plimpton Press Of Norwood for near
ly 30 years, was recently decorated by
the Italian government with the
Cross of the Crown Of Italy for dis.
tinSuished services in interpreting
Italy to America in the sister arts
Of literature and typography. His
quest of the perfect book took him to
Italy. where he spent many months
| in profound study Of the great col
| lections of fine books. He made a
special study of the early fonts of
type and Of the earliest forms of hand
lettering. He followed in the footsteps
of William Morris, but with perhaps
greater singleness of purpose. The
result was a font (or type face) based
on the best of the old hand lettering
and ma gnificent edition of Petrach g
| "Triumphs," suitably illustrated by
| old drawings attributed to Fra Lippo
| Lippi. To accomplish the desired end
1t was necessary to secure just the
/ right kind Of ink, just the right kind
IF parchment-more wanderings. more
| experimentation. 1t was great sue.
| cess, and yet Mr.. Orcutt refers to his
| achievement modestly as follows: My
| part was simply seizing the develop
ment of period apparently overlook
cd and undertaking the laborious
task of translating a beautiful thing
from one medium to another" There
1t is--not the quest of the perfect
book, but the quest of the thing of
beauty. That is what invariab bly, leads
the artist and what makes the neces-