Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1935-06-02
Bv Leila MechHn.

should be taught and the measure OF
its merit, in solemn conclave, first at
the Mayfower under the auspices OF
the American Federation of Arts ana
then at the Willard by representatives
of the College Art Society and the
American Association of Museums,
tellers were sorting and counting the
10000 or more votes cast by VlsltorS
to the recent Greater Washington IN
dependent Exhibition held in 10 down.
town centers for the picture in each
group that made the greatest indlvlo-
ual appeal. BY this referendum oell'
mite indication was given OF pubic
taste and, also, of the attitude OF the
average layman toward the art OF
painting, an attitude which is as OLD
as time and in all probability as I'M
changeable.
That not one of the paintings to
which prizes were awarded received
either first or second place in TINS
popular voting contest is extremely
significant. These prizes were given
nv or on. the recommendation OF ART
lists and presumably for technical
achievement; the public. on the other
hand. adjudged merit by result, as II
ALWAYS has and always will. This varl-
pnce of viewpoint is logical-to the by
stander those who take the hurdles,
representing technical difficulties, sue
cessfully. seem to do it with such ease
that it becomes matter OF course, put
that is no reason why the layman S
viewpoint should be despised or de-
cried. In the first place this decep-
tive appearance of ease in execution
is the very illusion which the artist
most desires to create. And then. too,
1t should be noted that the qualities
upon which the public apparently puts
chef emphasis, clarity of expression
and elemental beauty of content. are
not foreign to the works of art which
artists and laymen alike through the
ages have acclaimed great. To be
sure beauty is more than skin deep
and sentimentality is often mistaken
for sentiment. but it is real beauty
and true sentiment that the public
Graves and it is this craving which,
after all. We must admit differentiates
man from the beasts.
One of the lessons learned by Bar
rett H. Clark in the Army camps dur
ing the World War was: What inter-
ests any crowd Is what 1t knows. on
the one hand. and what it dreams of
on the other" This is the lesson
which popular voting contests in ex-
hibitions of paintings perpetually re-
iterate and teach. The objective comes
first-"How true it isl" and then
How beautiful" Distortion may serve
the purpose of emphasis, but if 1t is
to get by with the public it must be so
subtly employed that it is not obvious.
The same is true of ugliness. A great
master can exalt his subject no mat
ter how commonplace or mundane 1t
may be, but there are more little mas
tiers than great and the average in
dividual on pleasurable pursuit wants
relief from the commonplace. Even
the great modernists have recognized
this fact. Why was it that Renoir
was called "the flower in the button
hole of the st-impressionists" if not
because of his gentle insistent on the
element Of beauty?
Obviously, artists must experiment
and will be carried away by the cur
rents of the time temporarily, but
strangely enough, the attitude of the
public to art does not differ greatly
despite the revolutionary changes in
life as the centuries pass. Early in
the season, now drawing to close,
professional jury voted first prize in
the Carnegie Institutes international
Exhibition to painting entitled
South of Scranton" sur-realistic
picture of the impression produced
on the painters subconscious mind
by an automobile trip which, with
out verbal explanation. was unin-
telligible to the average observer.
But this decision was reversed by the
vote of visito-; to this notable exhi-
bition whereby a painting of the sea
by Frederick J. Waugh was declared
most popular. Art" said sage of
our own day, SIS some ones dream
come true" Yes, dreams, and not
Nightmares.
The popular award in the Corcoran
Gallery of Arts recent Biennial Exhi-
bition went, contrary to custom. to
nude by Boston painter, William M.
Paxton. which was essentially realis-
tic work painted with consummatete tech
nical ski,l-such skill that it amazed
and dumfounded the observer, as
of Bouguereau and, for that matter,
of Alma Tadema. Here was some
thing that the public could under
stand-the human figure beautifully
drawn and painted-comparable, no
doubt, in the mind of the voters to
the works of the great masters of
painting and sculpture which they
had been taught were exemplary. The
difference between art and imitation
is so subtle a thing that the unin-
structed layman seldom comprehends,
and herein is found the reason for
scorn so frequently voiced by the pro-
fessional.
But II the layman does sometimes
put overemphasis on realism and OBJ
tectivety-the things he understands
Or on beauty which he Graves, it is
not reasonable or negligible. Not
only has he the right to his opinion.
but his opinion must have weight. be-
cause, after all, it is for him in large
measure that art is produced-to
show him something and to tell him
mething-to share something with
him-and without his interest. his
sympathy and his support we should
have no art that is really worth while
In every instance these popular
voting contests are not entirely sat-
isfactory. Even the artists receiving
the awards are not as f1attered as
they should be. But they do serve
to keep the balance between art for
arts sake" and art for the sake of
man." and they induce thought and
a nice adjustment of values on the
part of the lay public. In the pres
ent day welter of divergent opinions
and jealous exploitation. of confusion
in ideals and standards. this is par
ticularly valuable service, for, as
Robert Louis Stevenson said, ITO
know what you prefer instead of
humbly saying Amen to what the
world tells you you ought to prefer, is
10 have kept your soul alive"
The results of the popular voting
In the independent exhibition as an