Year: 1876

| some or JHe rune 4rtS.


MesSrs. Editors ALLOW, if you please, space
| in your columns for q few remarks on some of
| those wide famed and celebrated works of art


1t is net the intention of the writer to attem pit
to point out excellences or defects in the exc
cuton OF any OF those works, as he has not at
| tanned to that proficiency in the knowledge
requisite for the task. Nor will he be so fool
ish as to say aught against the encouragement
OF either the production or exhibition of such
| OF them as have an elevating, refining and i'm
proving effect on the public taste or morals
They are inv Iluable to all classes, and such art
| exhibitions as have already been publicly wit
messed in our city have afforded so much plea
surablc enjoyment to SO large a portion of the
public, that an increased number are now look
| ing forward with pleasing anticipation of again
and again beholding their like.


There are indeed so many beautiful objects
among the fine arts, adding themselves to the
joys of life, that one while attempting to write
on the subject, reluctantly refers to any of an
opposite character; fearing thereby that the
| pleasurable sensations, SO naturally excited by
the many beauties, may be somewhat marred


But while 1T may be proper for notice to be
taken of the Objectionable works, few in num-
| ber though they be, such notice may serve to
| impart additional value and interest by contfGSt
to the many that are more highly and Justly
| priced. And to be more brief, those of the
| lesser number may all be included in nude
SCulpIeToJ paintings anu pElutSJ Iuo pl9llc cA
hibtion of which, in general sense, according
to the writer's limited judgment, Will ever be
| attended by an influence more corruptng than


improving the moral sense of the uneduca
| ted and youthful-always large class in large
cities.


Nothing new is advanced or made known by
saying that seeing, hearing aud reading are the
primary sources of education. And none will
deny that from the sense of sight the NEST vivid
and durable impressions are made on the IL ind.
! Seeing as English author has well said,
sis mghtier than hearing" and he might have
| added or reading. While many of the works
of art sources of pleasure and profit for the
contemplation of the cultivated and appreca-
| tive mind, the public exhibition of some of
| them directly serves to engender gross i'm puri-
! ty of thought and becomes of corrupting inJla-
ence with the class of persons whose want of ed
ucaton and whose uncultvated taste unfit
them for appreciative understanding of
| such true copies OF the human form.


When our ancestors parted company with
our old Anglo Saxon mother country and in
stituted another form OF government it was
natural in some respect for pride and indepen-
dence of feeling to lead them to other countries
for other guides and examples, and while te-
naciously holding on to much that was valua-
be for cur welfare, as taught US, it was equally
natural, as new naticn, TO copy and follow
after some of the examples of other countries
and especially so when the tine arts had long,
greatly and successfully hourished, and to
which we are now largely indebted for many
examples of superior sculpture and paintings
that have proved laudable incentives for the i'm
provement of many of our artists. But per-
fection in purity of conception and design in
works of art is scarcely claimed for the work
manship OF any country; and as time, talents
and money have already been lavished beyond
measure in the execution and purchase of nude
statuary, paintings and prints, should it not
III 4 Of fba
world, suffice, as all true lovers of the Gne arts
are presumed to be ready to acknowledge, that
so far as the human form has been copied, the
skill and workmanship of the artists have been
complete; and as none care to see, or ever will
see, a more perfect likeness of nature than ma
ture's self, may we not hope that the demand
will soon cease for all such works whose public
or private exhibition are at best of doubtful
tendency? We as people have attained to a
comparatively high moral standard among ma
tions, and should we not encourage our artists,
whose works may live for ages after they them
selves are forgotten, to aid their country by
their aoorkS to maintain or surpass that stand
ard. Our artisans are justly celebrated for an
inventive genius, if notunequaled, not surpass-
ed by any others of their craft and from the
high order of the moral and intellectual at
tainments of many, gratuitOus hints are not
needed as reminders for their observance, still
prefering as many do to reside IN countries



Piles from ancient artists of UariouS shades of
character are convenient, may it not be prqba
BILE that some of the less experienced, while |
surrounded by and living among those works, |
should copy after them, almost if not quite for
getting tha many of the works of past centuries,
and even of the present day, are now not fitted
for the requirements of the American people.
We know that strong inducements are offered
for their residence abroad. The varied tints,
parti-colered and fine texture of many of the
foreign marbles are superior to those yet found
in the States, and tor the finer works of statu-
ary may be continued to be preferred, while
many of ours possess properties that adapt
them for architectural and other works of or
namentaton, and their more general use would
surely lead to discoveries of still better quality
of material with US. And here the sentiment
read in an editorial of the american some time
ago may properly be stated, viz: That although
the task might be difficult to excel in beauty
and fitness some of the existing orders of archi
lecture may it not be worth the trial for lead
ing architects to place before their minds the bet
ter patterns of the ancient orders, and blending
them with Others of their own fancy, bring forth
a creation of their o,on genius for work of still
greater excellence to be known as the american
order of architecture. And the writer would
ask, might not few other workers in marble
instead of making nude copies of the heathen
deitieS of fabulous existence, find profitable en-
ployment by extending the scope of their la
Dor. Flora's gayest treasures bud, blossom and
bloom in the open fields and cultivated grounds,
and while they are destined according to their
nature, to early decay, their beauties are rep
resented for our pleasure in various materials.
The workers in wax and the painters skill are
availed of to purpetuate their fading beauties,
and why should they not be made still more
durable by the work of the chisel Might not
the attractions of pGrlOr pleasures be greatly
increased by having proper selections of flow
i,,f hoo 81 1nF,, rhl
for the mantle fronts, columns and easements
of door and window frames, to be sculptured
in as bold relief as the fraglity of the flowers
selected for adernment will permit. These
marble decorations are too generally overlook
ed in house building and their places are but
sparingly supplied with modern ornamentation.
1t is not to be presumed, nor is 1T desirable,
that the leading few of our master sculptors
and ether profcents so highly distinguished
by their skill, and whose works Of art will
serve models for future generations to profit
by, should cease ministering by their labor to
the refined taste and pleasure of their fellow
man for no workmanship of our artists that
greets our vision can be more pleasurable and
beneficial than properly sculptured or paint
ed likeness of great and good man, who hav-
ing made his exchange between time and eter
nifty, his deeds still live, and whose bodily ap
pearance is thus renewed in memory.


For the painters art new field has compar
dIlVely Vi IdIe Oeeu OpeHou. by following HIS
old custom too closely he no longer finds such
profit as in days gone by; but yielding to the
favor of genius, inherent to master minds, he
is found in the path of progress improving and
developing the heretofore hidden mysteries of
photography; and by increasing and varying
his productions and well-chosen objects, he
may be still more instrumental in promoting
the education and improvement of the public
taste and morals, and they are too essential for
our well being to be neglected, as important re-


suits often flow from seemingly trihing matters.
While reading the history of other countries
and tracing results back to causes, may we not
be reminded of the importance of giving
| right direction to the moral education of the un
cultured portion Of the people, who with Re-
| publican government for their support, will
ever be found ready to exercise all their powers
| in aid CT the perpetuation of institutions
and for the development of the still more glori-
Gus future of our country.


| word more about statuary. If findeed the
| power of speech were given to statuaTy, might
| not for example that noted work Of the master
artist, though but Grecian SIaUe, yet by the
artists consummate skill made to show wo-
mans pride and sense of shame, be heard to
| say, while placed in store window, "Thou
master artist, why, why hast thou made me to
expose my nakedness to the public gaze? My
! attitude, the sense of shame that thou hast so
focibly made apparent? While they show forth
the super-excelence of thy skill, all, all give
evidence of the shock you cause to modesty and
the wrong you do by leading the vulgar to be-
| lieve we in our native homes passed our days


in nudity. Vain and abortive be thy endeavor
to gain our approbative expression from our
sex for this indignity, publicly offered to wo-
mans worth and pride, though inflicted Oh but
| the meanest of our sex by the exhibition OF
/ a -, o.lr of - hafo thaa liz