The times-news. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1927-current, 1938-01-12
Sheldon Cheney's
New Art History
Epochal Volume
Pays Wife Tribute, Former
Hendersonville Girl,
for Assistance

Sheldon Cheney, outstanding
dramatic critic, whose wide learn
ing and appreciation of art in
general is the source of a grow
ing list of comprehensive volumes,
has written another book, "a
World History of Art" a tome
of almost a thousand pages which
deals with art in its most print
tive beginnings and treating the
subject to the present time in a
mode which has not heretofore
been attempted.
Asiatic art, the art of Greece
and Rome, and the succeeding pc
RODS of development are dealt
with in complete discussion of
their growths and relationships in
an intensely human and interest
ing manner.
cart is joyous, if one can get
at it," says Mr.. Cheney in his
introduction. But he points out
that there is mistrust abroad and
declares that the ways into that
joy are obscured by the common
tators, and particularly the his
torians.
The history is in itself a great
work, and he himself regards it as
IAN introduction to the experience
of art" To paraphrase the Toll
stoyan concept of art, as work IN
which the love of the artist for
his labor spreads contagion in
the beholder, Mr.. Cheney has in
his history produced a work Of
art in that it departs from the
coldly analytical approach to the
subject, and stimulates desire to
experience the grandeur of art. "
Giving the volume local inter-
est is the fact that in his preface
he acknowledges his indebtedness
to his wife, Martha Chandler
Cheney, whose assistance Is de-
scribed as both Intangible and IN
direct collaboration" Mrs. Cheney
is the former Miss Martha Smath-
ers of this city, who has been en-
gagged in literary and magazine
work in New York for number
of years.
She is a sister of Mrs. P. F. Pat
ton.
Mr.. Cheney measures his own
'progressivism" in the ranks of
the critics by championing FL Gre
co in these words: 81 foresee that
in future histories he is certain
to demand more space than PHI
dias or Gainsborough or Velaz-
ouez-more even than Raphael,
supreme divinity of the Victorian
hierarchy" and refers to his can.
vases as characterized richly II
not supremely by the determining
formal and mystical values" .
Nowadays one hears much OF
"the American scene" but in look
ing in this direction, Mr.. Cheney,
although granting the larger
sentimental and intellectual APP
peal of the works of vigorous re-
gionalists," finds them lacking IN
that universal art-value that
might lift localism to world I'M
portance. John Stuart Curry he
finds elevated somewhat above the
other painters that would contrib
ute in. this line, and to the stud
les of Reginald Marsh are attrlb-
uted larger significance" but
he ascribes a mastery hand" to
German born George Grosz, now
an American resident, but whose
formative years were spent under
the Influence of the European eX-
pressionists, whom he mentions
among the Socially conscious"
painters of America.
In his closing chapter he states
that the conclusion is now arrived
at that there are no final rules
for either the creation of formal
art OF for it's judgment, and that
the world of art seems today to
be on the first courses of "new
creative slope"
H. A.