New Britain herald., 1929-12-09
VAN COTTS CRITICISM OF MODERN" ART

New Britain Institute, the Herald was fortunate in having been able to present the views Of Dewey Van Cott, the distinguished art di- rector Of the New Britain pubic schools Where hundreds saw the art exhibit, thousands read MT, Van Cotts evaluation of the shortcom- ings Of the particular school Of painting which predominated in the exhibits.
 MT. Van Cott believes one should view such exhibits with sense of humor otherwise the mental de- presson may be such as to drive one 10 drink. Ridicule, he ayers, is the only hcen-cdge weapon that will prevent the production of such so- called paintings in the future. II" provided a goodly morsel of ridi- cule in his write-up and we. are duly thankful.
 All art nowadays mclincs too much to the bizarre and the ridicu- lous. 1t is idle for the career-mcn in modernistic buffoonery to claim that to appreciate their style Of vapid slapstiek comedy one must be educated up to it. The education re- quired is downwards. not upwards. Tn the wild scramble to be "orisinar' and to mistreat their canvasses in way never done before, large school of light headed near-and- far artists splotch hideous monstros- ities and call it something absolute ly new. It may be new, but it's no good. Art that doesn't strike the emotions has no purpose except 10 l be Of academical interest.
 1 The same thing holds good Of contemporary music, which also suffers from somewhat similar plague. Ii modern picture painting verges upon or has arrived at d point where to look is to laugh, q good deal of modern music evil dences that the cult of ultra origin ality is ensnared in a clichc of eNer- lasting cacophony and has no place | to roost
 Both arts-all arts-haVe their | limitations. It is folly to claim
 there can be intending and infinite
 development in the principles under
 lying art. Art cannot escape its
 foundations without topping over
 into mire. There may be nany
 avenues of originality still uneIplor-
 cd in all the arts, but VIC must not mistake license and the common de-
 sire to shock our sensibilities for
 originality. And when we become
 accustomed to the shocks and begin
 to laugh heartily at additional and futile attempts to shock Us, nothing is forgotten quicker than the alleged originality that was supposed to ac-
 company the shocking process
 Great art doesn't shock; it takes
 possession of one and purges the
 soul, puts a meaning into existence
 and clears the mind of life's trivial
 ities. It does even more-it lives. The
 real test of art is how often do yoL
 care to look at it or listen to it ol
 read it. Is it just flair of the mo-
 ment or a permanent addition tt life's finer experiences? Obviously
 all art cannot be great but all ar
 can and must be interesting to b'
 included as such. If all that th' product of an alleged artist does i to raise guffaw and tap the tount : of ridicule among genuine crafts
 men it is in the same ephemera
 class as a few moments Of custar(
 pie throwing in a vaudeville act an' perhaps not as important. SucI ! "art" is no more the genuine artiCl than a comic strip in the newspa ' pers. which does not make artist
 claims but merely provides enter tainment.
 7 For twenty years cubists, futurist Il and their illl have been sedulousl ' propagandizing the world, trying | II induce a yaWning public to thin Il they have something new and or
 eiral. The net result is no particula . progress in art but many exhibition B. and the inclusion of many horribi > examples on musical pogram Il Nine-tenths of the public remain LII Is convinced because their emotio1 ~' are not stirred and despite the a U fronts to the eye and the din of u '' music they retain the power '' think rationally. If the proponen 'e of sanity in art matters put forwai u a quarter of the efforts wasted '' the enemies of tradition and sem 'e they would be able to laugh the a
 clowns off the stage in temp '' vivace. Mr Van Cott made a goo '0 beginning.
 PEOPLE THINK GOD "BELLBON !" Cambridge, Mass. Dec. 9. UP)-