Evening star., 1938-09-18

fLOGO w ~
love prints nothing is more pleasure
giving. but to those who are pri-
marily interested in the subjective
they are apt to be closed book.
THERE has been an attempt In
recent years to popularize prints
by issuing them in large editions,
signed and unsigned, at a very trifling
price-that IS. from $3.50 to IS each.
The idea is excellent. but 1t has not
proved completely workable, first, be-
cause the subjects have not been we'll
chosen. and, second, on account of
the fact that we cannot rid ourselves
of the conviction that what is cheap
must. in some way. be inferior. Also
the desire to possess that which is
rare is widespread human frailty.
OF course. had art lovers increased
not signify; but they have not There
are comparatively few as astute and
sincere lovers of prints as the late
Mr. Garfinckel.
In this connection comment made
by j. B.. Priestly in his recently pub
lished book. Midnight on the Desert"
is interesting The people 1 met
at our ranch and other ranches Tin
Arisona)," he says. had more money
than the average citizen-although
many of them we're far from rich
l knew they came from cities
with magnificent Libraries and art GAL
leries and symphony orchestras and
conservatories. Yet / never heard
these people talk about literature.
about pictures and sculpture and
music. These things were never men,
toned, though 10000 other things
were discussed Not since I was a.
boy at school had 1 spent a winter
hearing less talk about the arts, It
was as if they had ceased to exist.
But he continues: Although We.
heard so little talk Of it. We did not
60 entirely without art ourselves.
Thus, We. found in Phoenix some
work by an excellent etcher, an Amer
ican who is well represented in the
British Museum print department,
who had spent many years drawing
these deserts and mountains. We
bought, his prints there for less than
We should have had to pay for them
in London, in spite of the fact that
everything is far more expensive in
the West. There was no demand
for them; none of our fellow guests,
capable, intelligent. elaborately edu-
Gated persons, apparently cared a fig
for the arts of drawing, painting,
sculptures. They were further re-
moved from them than the ordinary
Hopi Indian. They had been civilized
out of the arts and not yet civilized
into them again.
Il cannot help feeling that ordinary
American men miss a great
deal OF fun. to put it no higher than
that, by accepting the tradition that
there is something fancy. feminine,
sissy about the arts. It is not
matter OF uplift, culture, the higher
things: the argument can be kept
NV VA oAnhy INV lCNCl. Lille UluS
art is burned sight more than life
without art" To which he adds:
The day that five out OF ten Ameri-
can citizens suddenly realize that
picture or print can be as exciting
as a new automobile or set of golf
clubs. something will happen in all
the galleries and studios in the world,
thousands of good craftsmen will think
the golden age has dawned again,
and perhaps another renaissance will
arrive as shattering as an earthquake
and as good as Christmas present"
I UNDOUBTEDLY the Federal Gov
ernment has in recent years
been endeavoring to bring about such
a dawn for thousands of good crafts
men," but it has not yet succeeded in
making a print more exciting than
a new automobile, and that day is,
we fear, far distant. However, our
capable printmakers and our inter-
ested public may, perchance, be more
numerous than Mr.. Priestly knows,
" ASS 90 "iC AiAo uttC1 dllOCS, dIlU u uc
his deductions. We have still a long
way to go-but. barring the tendency
to democratize art by putting q
premium on mediocrity, we seem to
be moving in the right direction.
The etcher referred to is one of
the best this country has produced
George Ebert Burr-whu holds so
high reputation abroad, as we'll as
in this country, that he has a standing
order from the British Museum
through its print department in the
Victoria and Albert Museum-for a
copy OF every plate he publishes. -.
None has interpreted the scenery
of the great Southwest better or more
sympathetically than he. Burr was
originally an illustrator in New York
and among his early works were
the illustrations for the Catalogue
of Jades" +, comprised in the Bishop
collection, monumental publication.
Later he was obliged to go West on
account Of his health. which has liter
ally held him prisoner in Arizona
Then it was that he turned to
etching and found therein an ade-
quate outlet for his creative ability.
His works have brought delight to
countless print lovers, and in the
making b has himself found Joy.
There are few who command their
medium more completely and with
greater apparent ease than he
To enumerate the excellent etchers,
lthographers and block printers in
this country would require more space