International studio (80.1925)

mceRHACioriAL

Cosmic—One of those little words with which the
feminine soul strives to evoke the infinite.

-Consciousness—The ability to hear the

heartbeats of the millions, often combined with
a singular deafness if the number is decreased.
Recommended for use in spiritucl drawing
rooms. See also under Fourth Dimension.

Cosmetic. The other side of the penny.

Cubist—Natural child of Pablo Picasso, aban-
doned on Albert Gleizes' doorstep. Still enjoys
a certain subterranean fame, thanks to the tire-
less efforts of its foster-father. See Gleizes and
Metzinger.

Cubism—Gleizes, "Ce qui devait sortir du Cubisme."
Coll. Vulgar synonym for modern art. Phil.
The ultimate mechanization of the painter's
materials, i. e., color and line; differs, however,
from useful mechanics in that, while the engi-
neer is rather concerned to make a thing that
will work and hardly stops to consider whether
it looks like a machine, the cubist starts with
the latter preoccupation.

D

Dada—The malicious prank of a child who has
been kept in school too long; an artist who
begins to tire of his physics professors.

--ism—The invention of a pedagogue who will

not be really happy until all the world laughs,
eats and sleeps in perfect unison.

Dimension—A word too simple of comprehen-
sion, if used alone, to be suitable for any but the
most highbrow critics. Used preferably with

numerals, as Two--al, Three -al,

Four-al. The last has become, since the

discoveries of Mr. Einstein, increasingly popular
and may now be used in polite circles without
fear.

Distortion—A useful epithet for any rendering
of nature which does not conform to the notions
of one's grandfather. With the rapid exhaus-
tion of our communal stock of surprise, how-
ever, the word's empire is passing rapidly west-
ward. Phil. The artist's response to his per-
ception that disparate objects at moments and
under given conditions strive to attain a unity.

Divisionism—A formula by which, as M. Paul
Signac has so ably pointed out, it is almost
impossible to go wrong. The difficulty is, as M.
Signac has also shown, to be more than respect-

ably right. A gold mine for the billboard
painter when, twenty years hence, he shall dis-
cover it. A modified form, embodying all the
drawbacks with few of the advantages, is the
latest thing in the academies, threatening to
drive our venerable Barbizons clean out of the
field. Discovered before 1820. Perfected 1888.

Draughtsmanship—"The probity of art," said
M. Ingres, to which professors of every tinge
answer "Amen." Must not be confused, how-
ever, with the ability to draw a straight line, a
perfect circle, or a series of curves resembling a
lovely lady in her natural garment. Beginners
are cautioned against a too lavish use of the
word, as it is one of the few qualities which
allows of almost accurate measurement. If cir-
cumstances demand, the French word is even
more impressive and much safer. See Appendix
A. French for the critic and man about town.

Dynamic—One of the qualities most admired in
foreign artists. Used with the soulful "So" in
all artistic drawing rooms. Used criticallv (as
contrasted with the more common use as an
exclamation of rapture) one should be careful
to distinguish whether the ■—— quality is in
the brush of the painter or in his brain. This
however, is only necessary with very simple or
highly sophisticated people. See also under
Slavonic, Soul.

-Symmetry—With Synchromism (q. v.) and

the silk stocking America's most considerable
contribution to art theory. Constructed on the
simple form of the leaf, it claims to endow any
work based thereon with something of the leaf's
rightness and upward aspiration. Examination
of such works, however, seems to suggest that
the cooks forgot the raising powder.

E

Ellis Island—See Royal Cortissoz on----

Art. The unfortunate thing is that these immi-
gres get naturalized so quickly that one can do
nothing against them. Now that the Monetians
and Degasians have conquered the academy
native American painters don't get a chance.

Emotion—A most valuable euphemism for use
in polite circles. As it so rarely gets into paint-
ing one can only suppose that the artist uses it
elsewhere to better purpose. Or perhaps his
approach to the human heart is more subtle
than critics give him credit for. See also under
Nude, Romantic, Zuloaga.

MARCH 1925

Jour ninety-seven