Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-02-11
THE NORTH WINDOW
By Leila Mechiin.

| WdS&1ne tnumDs at pictures ana et-
changing gIances. you may know
they are communicating ideas with
out using words. and composition Is
being studied and criticized" so "a
| Prof. Leigh Hunt OF the College Of
the City OF New York in radio talk
| given recently. His sIbject was.
"HOw to Get the Best Out OF Pic
lures" and his exposition was one Of
the most enlightening that the writer
has heard. He holds that fear pre-
vents 20 per cent OF the people from
getting enjoyment ont of pictures
fear Of being wrong. fear Of another's
opinion. fear Of ridicule; and his ad-
monition Is Courage.
The three most important elements
in a picture to look for, he stated,
are color. subject and composition. To
these he adds truth to nature, not
literal truth but semblance Of truth.
| Wisely he recalled for his hearers
|Corot's saying, Sit before my picture
until the mist rises: when it rises you
| will be pleased" And, above all, he
counseled those who wish to get en-.
Il Joyment out OF pictures not to analyzh
them too carefully. "A picture" he
said. lis to charm YOU. often to charm
YOU unawares, and II its color. com
position, dra wing or subject should
not be perfection, its charm for you
VIII HOW Wise tflS Is
{ A great many poor pictures have
given much pleasure. not because Of
what they are. but on account OF
VIVA they suggest.
There are some who are OF the
opinion that those who know most
find least pleasure in art, because
only the best to them makes appeal;
but they are wrong. The most know
ing are. as rule, the sentlest crit
les. 1t is the ignorant who condemn
wholesale and unspa rnglN.
Il
one of the best tests Of the merit Of
a work OF art IL whether or not IL
retains its charm upon acquaintance:
whather or not il makes d good com
ga MON in ones home. Herein. to a
great extent, lies the difference be-
tween an original painting and re-
production. The painting if it il
really good. Is an endless source Of
pleasure: the print. while II may
charm at first. Is apt To grow wea ri
some. Just why this is II Is hard TO
explain. In some mysterious way the
artist seems TO put part of himself
into his original work. In every new
hight. under varying conditions. aspect
changes. A great work of art is an
ineXhaustible source of pleasure
| 1t was this that William NJ. Chase
undoubtedly had in mind when he said
| hat If he could he would place over
the door OF every art museum the
words, For your enjoyment. not your
criticism. He himself knew what this
| m2a nt-none better. His first piir-
chase. ne always loved TO tell. was q
chrome. bought with q few hard
earned dollars. When this was out
grown he began buying ori~ine Is He
was one Of the comparativeIv few
4 re- hxS cd Ii 1tlo
works. and in the successful achieve
ment or younger painter he took
untold delight. He had great love
Tor art. He was a born teacher. and
more than many today realize Ameri
can art owes debt TO his teaching
William NJ. Chase vas no friend of
the modernists. Visiting on. OF 1ha
a. "liest exhibitions Of post.impr.ssion.
istic art held in the National Arts
Club. New York. wears ago. he was
heard 10 eXclaim How awful /,
wouid ne II W" old fellows from Rem
brandt down. have been all wrong and
. these youngsters are really right
The interesting thing about tn.
, WORKS or some Of the adventurous
youngsters is that apparently they
are beginning to turn back TO tradi.
ton. After a period OF decidedly in.
artlcuiate expression they are becom.
ing almost traditional in the matter
or dennition OF form. This Is striL.
ingiN Illustrated in the exhibition OF
contemporary Italian painting brought
10 this country recently by the Italy.
America Society and given first
showing In the Grand Central Gal
ieries. New York. In this collection
one finds some of the most extrem.
cnbists and futurists using still sim.
pinned expression, but drawins wi,h
the accuracy and the positivepess of a
Hoihein or DUrer
Why worry about art? For more
than 2.0OG years 1t has gone it's wa
q changing now and then in ASPECT. bu,
, retaining always certain character
: istics. rejecting invaria bly the civil
cation, the ideals OF the time in which
1t was created. going to nature for its
. source. interpreting beauty We have
the art or Egypt. of Syria of Greece
: OF Rome. OF the far East OF the Mid
die Ages and the Renaissa mccall
based on the same fundamental prin
"lpies. ALI adding beauty TO the world
NhN sho,iid we fear that it will moi
continue
And. what In more we are produc
ing great art today. Only last week
tour superb mural mosa les by a co.
temporary artist. Edwin H. Blssh
HELD president of the National Acad
envy of Design. We're completed in ST
Matthew'S Church in this city. works
esse nt1ally in the spirit OF our dav and
Yet comparing favorablv with the
great moSaics produced in Italy cen
turtles ago. the glorious possession OF
the great cathedrals. Despite the fact
as some one has said 'all the world
today is on wheels. art not only lives
but thrives, and. what Is more the
Old World is today turning hopeful
eyes to this country in the belief that
here renaissa nee Of art has already
begun.
Obviously renaissance of art is
brought about through the medium of
the artists, and whatever progress is
made is attributable. as a rule to the
influence of few who naturally as
sumo leadership. In reviewing the de.
velopment of architecture during the
past 30 years. Regal Cortissoz lately
called attention to the part that per.
sonality plays in this record OF prog.
ress. When White designed the
Goeiet house at Newport" he saws.
, he set pace that little by little be-
came canonicai in the United States.
Under the new regime instituted BY
Mckim. Meade & White. America n
! architecture got a point Of view" He
; mentions others-Richardson. Hunt,
Burnham. Lloyd Warren. lCass Gilbert
Henry Bacon, Goodhue. He enumerates
number OF striking examples where.
in individual genius found satisfactory
play. Among these he mentions
Bacon's Lincoln Memorial and John
Russell Pope's Scottish Rite Temple.
both in this city. When 1t comes to
the matter Of American style, he ex-
| claims, American fiddlesticks"' and
. quotes Whistler. Art is art: mathe
9 mstics is mathematics; architecture is