Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-28
THE NORTH WINDOW
By Leila MechIin.

| "Are all these pictures painted from
nRture?" said the old-fashioned lady in
the old-fashioned skirt while visiting
the combined exhibition Of the New
York and American Water Color So
cieties, according to the secretary OF
| the former. When told they were, her
comment was: well, I'm not sur
prised; they are not nearly az clear as
If they were copied from prints Paus-
ing before a picture of roses. she said:
Il suppose these are meant for roses.
but I would hardly know they were
| flowers. When / was n girl did bet
ter ones from prints. but fashions
have changed. Now my daughter goes
| out Sketching with a real artist, and
my goodness gracious! l can't make
head or tail Of her pictures-blobs Of
color. splashes-and you have no idea
what rough water color paper she
uses! Daughter says / should try and
see broad, and she says cubisn is the
highest form of art. Maybe that's why
most skyscrapers are square, for she
says the skyscraper is Americas most
original contribution to art" Finally,
| having got the point OF View, this ficti-
tious old lady decided that the roses
| did look well at distance and would
| look we'll on her parlor walls, therefore
| she purchased them. did you say the
I -
roses being so high-priced these days;
but the picture is one of the dearest
| here, SO l reckon you think 1t the
best-Ill take 1t, like the crackle on
the jar
Thus the New York Water Color
| Society has its little dig at the public
and the prevalent disposition Of ex-
hibition visitors to judge works OF art
first subjectively and second by the
price list.
Now the initiated know that a great
artist can make any subject interest
ing, beautiful, and that the joy OF a
| work of art rests much less In its sub
jcct than its treatment, but the masses
have always and probably viii always
find chief interest in subject. Mentally
their attitude toward n work of art Is
What is it all about" rather than
how well or how skillfully has the
artist rendered his theme? Perhaps
this is one reason why artists delight
| in setting forth ugly subjects. because
they are tempted to try their ability to
interest in spite of subject, or per
chance it may be bravado or exaspera-
ton.
The clever director Of the print
department Of the New York Public
| Library, recognizing the common tend
ency to be interested in subject, uses
| it as n means of drawing the public to
his exhibitions of prints. You simply
! cannot get away" he says, entirely
| and absolutely from the element of
| subject, even when natural facts have
been reduced to forms exemplifying
| pure design. The mind ever recurs
| 10 these facts. though rendered
| through the prism of the emotions
or passed through the alembic Of
org. ,yNt.l 49, z,,,Nf
or whichever Of the many definitions
one may find most expressive. Senti-
| ment inevitably turns TO those aspects
of life and experience which strike
| responsive chord to refurbish a
phrase worn smooth by use. Thus. a
portrait by Rembrandt. a Venetian
| scene by Whistler. a Paris building by
| Meryon, landscape by Ruysdael or
| Haden. a genre piece by Ostade. a
| child subject by Cassatt. even though
| we have never seen the person or
! scene depicted. in the life. will arouse
| in us emotions and interests in ad-
| dition to the primary delight in the
| disclosure of the artists personality
and viewpoint expressed in tech
nique."
With this fact in mind the print
division Of the New York Public
Library has lately arranged in the
print gallery an exhibition of subject
prints AS Mr.. Weitenkampf shrewdly
| remarks: ITO a few collectors and
| amateurs there may be something
bit disqueting in the announcement
| certainly fear that such an exhibi-
| ton may have an effect rather spotty
! as of motley array" But the fact
Is. this exhibition is literally "a mix
| ture Of good things" Every print
| shown was chosen primarily because
| of its artistic quality. The greatest
etchers are represented in the exhi.
bftion, and those who are drawn to
1t because of an interest in the sub
| 1ect are bound to go away with a
higher standard established through
acquaintance with the works of master
| artists. For instance. Rerbra ndt
| Whistler. Nanteui, Legros and Hol-
bein rub shoulders in the section Of
| portraiture: Bennington. Cameron.
Meryon. Pennell and Whistler are
among those who illustrate the city
and architecture; Barge. Benson,
Bracauemond, Delacroix, Jac1ue and
Stelnlen are among the delineators of
i four-footed animals and of birds 1t is
an excellent plan and one which is
| bound to create interest and to serve
j educationally at the same time.
= = =
| some TIME ago / showed my own
picture gallery to my German barber"
said Air. Robert de Forest, president
OF the metropolitan Museum OF Art.
in a radio talk on art In Everyday
Life broadcast 10 days ago from
! New York in a series conducted under
the auspices of the American Fedora
ton OF Arts. "He said as he came in,
and, indeed. before he had looked
around. What picture. Mr.. De Forest,
cost You most?'" Here was the price
list standard. And how did Mr.. De
Forest reply? Thus: What picture
pleases you most; what picture would
you most like to live WITH" Il am
fortunate" he continued, "in being
able to have some costly pictures /
have also some that cost little. have
on my walls photographs and color
prints from which find the same en-
joyment as from my most costly
paintings. and to which / give equal
honor. The test of good art for you
in your own home is not cost. It is
enjoyment. 1t may be that you do
not now enjoy what art critics have
pronounced as the highest art Get
for yourself what you do enjoy and
after a time you may come to enjoy
most that to which the art critics give
highest acclaim"
This is sound and good advice, and
it would be well II those who can
spend largely, as well as those Of re-
stricted means, would take it to heart
X X X =
Perhaps some would like to know
what are the inexpensive works of art
which Mr.. De Forest has in his own
home and enjoys. Before he com.
| pleted his radio talk he told tina lie.