Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1925-05-07
THE NORTH WINDOW
BY LEILA MECHLIN.

l.
One hundred years ago a group of
artists, chiefly painters and engravers
| In New York, came together and form
| ed professional art organization,
| which they styled the National Acad-
| envy of the Arts of Design. The title,
historians tell US, was carefully Sc
lected on the ground that the arts Of
design were painting. sculpture, archi-
lecture and engraving, while the fine
arts also include poetry, music, land
scape gardening and the histrionic arts.
Another reason for the choice of the
name undoubtedly was that there ex-
| listed in New York at that time an or
] ganization, of which Trumbull was
| president styled the American Acad-
| envy OF the Fine Arts. The National
! Academy of the Arts Of Design was
formed by the younger men headed by
| Morse as a protest against the ultra
| conservatism Of the old academicianS,
and we are told that strong feeling
| arose against them, fostered by the
eminently respectable, conservative
gentlemen connected with the rival
| institution"
| History repeats itself, and by 1877
| another younger set came forward,
| and deeming the taste In art of the
| academicians though honest and in.
| evitable, yet too narrow for the time,
| formed the Society of American Art
| lists" Half of the members of this
! society at least were academicians and
continued to exhibit with both bodies.
| There was nothing violently radical in
the exhibitions which the Society of
| American Artists annually set forth
and as the years went by the differ.
ence in point of view grew less and
less until finally, in 1906, it having
been discovered that the one organiza-
ton was duplicating the other, the
offshoot went back to the parent stem.
" y x
| Again there is revolution and out
cry. The National Academy of De-
| sign has lately announced its CEN
tennial exhibition, to open next Octo'
Der here at the Nations Capital in
the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and to
include representative examples of the
work of its members during the past
| 100 years. 1t has also announced a
program of expansion. AS a result,
the lawless outsiders are up in arms.
| Acting as spokesman for this group.
| Mr.. Forbes Watson, in the May num-
Der of The Arts, which he edits, a
magazine published in New York
largely as an exponent Of the mod
ernist movement. berates the Corcoran
Gallery of Art for Hospitality shelter
| ing this great retrospective exhibition,
and would make the public believe
that for this reason washington, in
its encouragement of cotemporary
art, Is probably the most backward
Capital in any country of Importance
| Furthermore, he makes out the Ma
tionai Academy of Design to be a
| fearsome monster, controlling, through
intimidation, the destinies of art. Elk
actly why" he says, Mr.. c. Powell
Minnigerode and his board of directors
should be frightened by private in
stitution posing as a national institu-
ton. why the gallery does not dare to
present an unbiased exhibition of CO.
temporary American art. is a little
difficult to understand" And SO 1T is.
What is there in the National Acad-
envy of Design to frighten any one?
| How absurd to suggest that the Cor
coran Gallery of Art would not dare
to do as Il pleases under any circum-
stances in the matter of its exhibit
tions, What would happen II II did or
did not? Mr.. Watson suggests that
|" unless the Cercoran Gallery of Art
does something drastic TO prove that
1t Is not affiliated with a private or
eanfzation of reactionary artists, Its
position among the serious museums
of the country will be severely threat
ened" Z:
Extending these complimentary
| comments. Mr.. Watson said: THE
| timid and conventional exhibitions
taking place periodically at the Cor
coran Art Gallery give only the
faintest gliInmering of what the ar
! lists are doing today in America.
| Only few of those painters who do
not play the game according to the
rules laid down by the National AcGd-
envy are represented in these exhibit
tons" How absurd The rules
which the Corcorap Gallery have OBJ
served In assembling its exhibitions
are merely those which have governed
the best art in all countries and all
times--the same standard of merit
which generations have agreed TO ac-
cept. Mr.. Watson suggests that the
National Academy of Design exercises
a system of censorship over the Cor.
coran iGaliery's exhibitions. Could
anything be more. ridiculous? He
claims that of the younger painters
less than half a dozen are represented
| in the Corcoran shows. 1t is inter
esting to note, however, that Mr.. Wat
son does not name the excellent paint
ers whose works should have been in
cluded and who have been left out.
1.-THE inventive and adventurous
artists Of the day" he terms them,
but ne does not say who they are.
The Corcoran Gallery is admonished
to "step forward like a man and de-
clare it's freedom from the domination
of the National Academy of Design"
that hydra headed beast, before
which those of hardest courage are
supposed to shrink and tremble.
X n X
Who are these fearsome monsters
I controlling the art interests of Amer
lea? The president of the National
Academy of Design today is Edwin
Rowland Blashfield, one of the most
4 America has produced, one of the
most gallant and courtly gentlemen.
He in his turn succeeded Herbert
| Adams, the sculptor of the MacMil-
Ian Fountain in this city and other
| notable works The late John w.
Alexander at one time held this posi-
ton. John S. Sargent--who, by the
way, Mr.. Forbes Watson designates
as one who devoted his later years to
"glittering worldly success" one who
| gave up association with serious
artists and went after the duchesses,"
one whose Extraordinary domination
| over the world of fashionable portrait
painting" was a detriment to his fell
low artists-was a member of the Ma
tional Academy of Design. So also
were Edwin A. Abbey, George Bel
lows, Robert Blum. William NJ. Chase,
Kenyon Cox; Frank Duveneck.
George Inness, John La Fargo
Francis Mirlet Rembrandt peale