International studio (61.1917)

Is there Hope for the Philistine?

mean much less to an undeveloped art taste.
The beginner’s need is not for artist biography,
description and eulogy, but for art told in terms
of human experience. You will say that I am
demanding art expressed in the terms of litera-
ture. I answer that until the groper can know
art in its own terms he must have it explained to
him in terms he can understand. He must be
primed with words before he can draw deeply
from the well of art. Ignorance of the willing is
not unworthy of the ministry of the greatest
critic. What I demand of the art critic is that
he teach the philistine the alphabet of pictorial
expression so that he may distinguish it from an
inadequate method of expressing a literary idea,
and that he lead him to the knowledge that the
artist can express in paint, that which is incap-
able of expression in words. I demand of the
artist not that he adapt himself down to the
philistine, but that he lift the philistine up to
comprehension. Any one who has seen Helen
Keller cannot despair of an achievement so sim-
ple.
I am often asked whether I believe the “ordi-
nary person” can learn to appreciate art. I am
not sure of my acquaintance with this mythical
being, but I answer: “Yes—with ordinary care.”
My second class of philistines have no real liter-
ary, dramatic or musical perception and doubt-
less they cannot learn to appreciate art. But
resorting again to the argument ad hominem, I
am an example of the “ordinary person” who
has learned some appreciation of art. The artist
and the critic can never know as much of the
ignorance of art as I know, but I have a suscep-
tibility to the finer things of life that takes me
out of the hopeless class of philistines. My
mother knew little of art, but that came from 'a
pioneer lack of opportunity. She knew literature
and I inherited from her an appreciation and
understanding of the subtleties of nature which
may have been the foundation of my love of
pictures. If a great artist could have said to
her: “Madam, I have seen something that deeply
impressed me; I cannot express it in words, not
even in verse; but I will take this piece of canvas
and a bit of paint and tell you about it.” And
if he could have delivered a great message to her
and, after pondering upon it, she could have gone
back to his canvas, and said: “Sir, since receiving
your suggestion I have seen even more than you
told me,” her soul would have gained an-

other treasure. I believe that whoever wants to>
understand art can appreciate it. Desire, which
is indicative of capacity, opportunity and appli-
cation are the requisites. A general realization
that art is a big, vital force in society worthy of
the consideration of rugged, sturdy men and not
a toy for the idle and effeminate, a comprehen-
sion that ignorance of its meaning is something
to be as much ashamed of as is any other ignor-
ance, and a conviction that a bigger soul can
make a braver fight in the every-day business of'
life would diminish my first class of philistines.
almost to the vanishing point. This condition
can more nearly be brought about by teaching.,
than by scolding.


FAUN AND
NYMPH

BY LAURA GARDINf
FRASER

LI