Evening star., 1937-10-14
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
BY MARGARET CERMOND.
THE ARTS. BY Hendrix Willem Van
Ma. u

I1E AHIS. BY Hendrix Willem Van
Loon. New York: Simon & Schuster.
There is only one way" says the re-
markably gifted author of this fascinat-
ing book, Ito improve the taste of a ma
tion. 1t cannot be done In hurry and it
cannot be done by force. It can only be
accomplished by exposing the people
patiently and systematic and con-
tinually to that which is truly good
to that which Is truly noble in the
sense that it deserves to be known
Not that. in the matter of taste, we
can expect everybody to like something
merely because We say so. That is i'm
possible and. furthermore. it Is not neces-
sary. On the other hand, a decent re-
spect' very often leads to a lasting
affection and that, on the whole, is
what / think we should do-try and
persuade our children to make the good
choice for themselves by exposing them
just as much AS possible to that which
is true product of divine inspiration
and honest craftsmanship"
Well Van Loon himself in 1.-The Arts"
Is Just about as fine teacher As this
country has produced upon whom to
rely for the expansion of knowledge and
Tor the basic institution of a desire
to improve the taste of nation"
One reading of The Arts means many
readings. for there seems to be nothing
concerning creative art that he does
not know and very few items in the
whole category of works of divine in
spiration and honest craftsma nship"
that he has overlooked-or rather left
out-in these pages. A million words
originally. he has finally reduced the
volume to less than seven hundred pages
Thirty years of study and ten years
OF writing have gone into the making
OF his mastery Interpretation of the
creations through which artisans of
the human family have for nearly thirty
thousand years endeavored to express
beauty In some tangible form. And
during twenty OF those thirty years of
preparation courage faltered before the
task of writing because the very es-
sential matter of fixed point" from
which to write it refused to take material
form. Oddly enough he finally grasped
that persistently elusive fixed point
from the rear platform of train on
oay not conducive to any sort OF
inspiration.
'CAsuS OitCutlIIlcS receives Ills IN
spiration from homely sources. vet it
Is not easy to mention offhand any
one except DR.. Van Loon who would
recognize in nothing more startling
tnan an ugly pair OF badly knitted red
mlttens the "fxed point" from which
10 launch history covering three hun
dreo centuries OF human achievement
IN creative art. Such a book as he had
L.
professional students of art. nor for
tne oenent OF artists. Neither did he
intend to write it for those who love
art lor the sake OF its moral and up
lifting influence" nor for those esne
cialiy exasperating specimens of the
race who confess that they do not know
anything ABOUT art, but that they know
what they like. The ugly red mittens,
mstcneo with mufflers and caps. worn
py two forlorn youngsters trudeing
tnrough the rain and slush in one of
tne dreareSt expanses of desolate farm
lands in the country. solved DR.. Van
Looms problem. The girl carried
port1ollo that very likely contained
cravings and the boy carried shiny
piacK nddle case. For these two and
others OF their kind the book should
oh" "Ouiu Uc WIllten.
Let 1t not be thought. however. that
The Arts is a text book or volume
penned for the purpose OF interpreting
srt Tor tne layman. 1t Is a humanized
history OF culture. new revelation of
tne progress OF civilization as recorded
oy man in architecture, painting. music
ana sculpture and in such utilitarian
objects as pots and pans and other small
objects falling into the category of
the minor arts. And. like all of Dr.. Van
Looms books, it is profusely illustrated
with his own pen and ink drawings
and water colors
Beginning with the handiwork of pre-
historic man. whose artistic secrets are
today almost as mysterious as the deem
dark caves which housed them. to the art
of today the history traces pattern
made rich and colorful through the
particularly facile style of expression
and gift for extreme comparison that
distinguishes all of this authors writings
For instance: The Tai Mahal is un-
doubtedly one OF the most beautiful
buildings ever devised by the genius
OF man-but when you approach Brook
lyn Bridge without any prejudice It
Is quite as beautiful and even more
imposing than the Tai Mahal." And in
another instance: I'VE admire the first
steam engine of James Watt for it's
logical simplicity-but No l of Bach's
Well-Tempered Clavichord is beautiful
Tor exactly the same reason"
And on this journey of exploration
that begins in the caves of the dark
ages the reader visits ancient Egypt.
sees and understands the architectural
marveis OF Babylon and Chaldea, Persia
and the Athens Of Pericles, and the
gorgeous temples and palaces OF Greece
and Rome. India, China and Japan.
Russia and Islam. There are excursions
into the arts of the Etruscans and the
Copts the Jews and the early Christians.
and the Byzantines. Heinrich Schlie-
mann. Saint Francis of Assist. Niccolo
Machiavelli Paolo Ucello. the Van
Eycks. Goya, Albrecht Durer, Rem
brandt. Hans Holbein. King Louis XIV
OF France. Johann Joachim Winckel-
mann. Gotthold Ephraim Lessine and
numerous others who figured in various
roles In the cultural development of
their eras share honors with the famous
fiddle makers Of Cremona. with Bach.
Berlioz, Mozart Chopin. Liszt. Beethoven
Wagner, Paganini, Johann Strauss
Brahms, Debussy and other great COM
posars and musicians whose masterpieces
are immortal. The stage the opera, the
birth OF the orchestra and dancing are in
ciuded. Mosaics, glass. pottery, jewelry
and everything imaginable that man
mas wrought into thing of beauty