Studio: international art (55.1912)

American Artists in Paris

Societe Nationale des Beaux-Arts and of the
various art societies in Berlin and Munich, and
was created an Officier of the Legion of Honour
in 1900.

In the work of Henry O. Tanner one treads
through a different land. Being the son of a
bishop, Mr. Tanner is true to his early teachings,
and few are more fitted than he to follow the
interpretation of the Christian religion in art. One
is so inclined to look upon the religious painter of
religious subjects as weak and sentimental; yet
true belief has been, and is, the greatest living
force in the world. It is the lack of it that makes
art lifeless and mediocre ; or perhaps I should say
the practice of the arts, for art in itself is
religion, vital and vigorous, debased only by being
misnamed. We have be-
come so confounded
between art and picture-
painting that we look for
art in historical subjects
and naturalistic copiesi
which are mostly stupid
inferior documents. You
don’t require to look for
art; you will feel it. There
is no bad art—all art is
good. And the artist who
has a faith is nearer arriving
at great art than he who
has none. In the American
edition of “ The World’s
Work,” June and July
numbers 1909, Mr. Tanner
has written his own auto-
biography under the title
of “The Story of an
Artist's Life.” His early
struggles and ideas about
art depicted there will
appeal strongly to those
who are on the threshold
of indecision between a
business and an art career,
and will give an intimate
knowledge to those who
desire a close understand-
ing of Mr. Tanner’s out-
look. Here is his own
description of the illus-
tration Christ and His
Disciples on the Road to
Bethany: “I have taken
the tradition that Christ
288

never spent a night in Jerusalem, but at the close ot
day went to Bethany. I have pictured the moon
set in rather a blue sky high over the heads of
Christ and His disciples, who are walking along a
little roadway, to the left of which are the whited
sepulchres, while to the right a goatherd is return-
ing with his herd of black goats; recognising in
Christ a great prophet, he stops, places his
hand upon his breast, and bows his head in
reverence, while Christ and His disciples pass.”
Amongst his brother artists Tanner is con-
sidered to have an excellent colour-sense. His
work is well known and represented in private
collections and art galleries in America. In
1897 his picture The Resurrection of Lazarus
was purchased by the French Government, and

VIRGINS.” BY

FRAGMENT OF THE PAINTING “THE WISE AND FOOLISH

H. O. TANNER

( The property of Rodman Wanamaker, Esq., New York)