Year: 1877

ARTISTS AND ART-CRTTICS


We publish i'm another column a letter from
an artist of this city, which revives an ancient
grievance of certain of his brethren with even
more than the old measure of irritation. We
shall not inquire whether or to what extent,
lie includes TIE TRIBUNE in his passionate
protest. The space-necessarily limited-which
we allOt to artists and their works has not
been characterized by Indifference, much less
hostility to the true interests OF Art In the
United States. In the present stage OF aesthetic
development which the lovers and the buyers
of pictures in this country have reached, those
interests can only be furthered by criticism
so candid and intelligent that it is able to re-
sst the influence of personal associations.
Such a criticism cannot recognize the reputa-
tons which have been skillfully built up by
the devices of the artists themselves and their
agents, or which are due to some transitory
phase of public taste. But, while it may be
called upon to ignore or condemn the latter
it must be- equally ready to detect unacknowl-
edged genius, and bring neglected good work
into prominence Thus it cannot fail to give
twofold offense: its denial is ascribed to ma
licnity on the one hand, and its appreciation
to favoritism Oh the other.


1t is only natural that artists should be
very sensitive class. They have been forced
at least in this country, up to the present time
to depend for encouragement and material
support upon comparatively small number OF
persons, many of whom purchase according to
rather crude individual likings, and may be
more or less influenced by the criticisms they
read. Thus an adverse opinion, especially IL
several critics coincide, may cause an artist
to lose the remuneration for One-fOurth or
one-half of his years work. An author is not
exposed to the same vicissitudes of fortune;
for his returns are in most cases much less in
proportion to the amount OF labor, he counts
his patrons by thousands, and he is not seri-
ously affected by the loss of few hundreds.
This immediate dependence on popular favor
is the artists misfortune and his chief danger;
vet, while the critic may admit the validity of
some of the pleas which are drawn from it,
he cannot, without being false to the highest
interests of Art, allow it to modify his inde-
pendent estimate of the artists performance.


Our correspondents claim that an art critic
should first be able to pass technical examl-
nation in Art,-that, for example, he should
attend the life school before he is competent
to write about figure panting,-need only be
mentioned as an illustration of entire igno-
rance of the nature of critical talent No man
need be an architect in order to comprehend
every detail in the perfect symmetry of the
ParthenOn no man need have written line
of poetry, to understand the genius of Shake
speare. AS well say that one cannot know
anything of ceramic art until he has worked
in pottery. The education of the eye and
BRAIN in Art, may be thorough, though the
hand be never used. The true artist knows
this, as well as the true critic, and nothing is
more common than for tho former to ask
counsel of the latter, when his own eye grows
Il little uncertain from prolonged work. There
is hardly q successful artist in the world VINO
is not glad to accept hints from men of art
istlc culture, who have never drawn an object.
A critic educated at an Academy would in all
probability prove to be most incompetent
and unsatisfactory umpre-except to those of
his own school.


We admit the disadvantages under which
American Art labors. While we consider the
importation of the best specimens of modern
European Art very valuable, as an element OF
contrast and consequent education OF taste,
cOnccue the damage done tO Che Interests
of our own artists by the quantity of third
and fourtl-rate foreign pictures thrown upon
the market We agree with the writer as to
kindly criticism, in it's application to honest.
painstaking work, especially of young artists;
but kindness is a wrong when bestowed upon
carelessness or prctentiousness And here we
may as well state simple truth taken as
body, no artists in the world are less labOrious
and devoted to their art for the sake of Art,
than the Americans. 1t is easy to pick out
those who are thus labOrious and devoted, and
whose work improves from year to year. But
the adherence to Il manner which has once
found some popularity, without even the effort
to rise within the manners limits, is so COM
mon that it is unnecessary to mention in
stances As people, we have yet to learn, in
every department of Art and Literature, the
n eccsslty of never-ending self-develOpment.
The Artist requires the patience of the in
vent0r, the devotion to nature of the man of
science, and the self-sacriiice of the saint.
Those who perceive this truth, even dimly,
will not waste their time in protests against
critics who are not technically educated, nor
"sicken" and lose heart because of single
uniavorable Judgment


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