Studio: international art (57.1913)

The Lay Figure

The lay figure: on art

CRAZES AND THEIR MEAN-
ING.

“ I wonder whether there is any connection
between the general increase of insanity and the
irresponsible character of modern art develop-
ments,” said the Art Critic. “ I see that lunacy
experts declare that we are fast approaching the
time when the world will be equally divided
between mad people and sane.”

“ The art world has already passed that stage,
I should say,” asserted the Plain Man. “The
majority of modern artists seem to me to be dis-
tinctly unbalanced—I wish I could think that even
half of them were still sane.”

“ What standard of sanity do you set up ? ”
inquired the Man with the Red Tie. “ Do you call
every one mad who does not subscribe to common-
place conventions, or do you admit that an artist
oan be markedly original and still be quite sane ? ”
“‘Great wits to madness are allied,’” quoted
the Plain Man. “ Of course originality is not a
symptom of insanity if it is properly balanced and
under control, but when it gets out of hand it is
rather apt to stray in the direction of irrational and
extravagant eccentricity. If you lose the grip of
your great wits you are in some danger of going off
the rails altogether.”

“ Yes, that is not a bad way of putting it,” broke
in the Critic. “ Impatience of the commonplace,
which is the stimulating cause of originality, is an
admirable characteristic so long as it is guided by
reason; but it is decidedly dangerous when it breaks
away from proper restraints. Without discipline,
the desire to be original leads to something which
can not unfairly be called insanity.”

“ As it has in modern art,” commented the Plain
Man. “ We are now in the middle of a movement
which, beginning, no doubt, in an honest desire to
break away from the commonplace, has gone to
such unreasonable lengths that it has ceased to be
sane.”

“Quite so; a legitimate effort to find new forms
of expression has thrown off all discipline and has
degenerated into a craze,” agreed the Critic.

“ But what you call a craze can surely be helpful
to the progress of art,” cried the Man with the Red
Tie. “ Does it not introduce new ideas and open
up fresh points of view ? Does it not lead the way
to better things ? ”

“ If you look upon it merely as a temporary
expedient, as a violent remedy the effects of which
pass off quickly, it may quite possibly do no
35°

permanent harm. But the craze is always some-
thing of a danger to the stability of art and it causes
a great deal of trouble while it lasts,” returned the
Critic. “ The point to consider is whether in the
long run it does any real good.”

“ While it lasts it is responsible for the produc-
tion of a great deal of work which is artistically
indefensible,” argued the Plain Man. “That is
what I complain of.”

“ There, no doubt, you are right,” replied the
Critic. “In movements of this kind there are
always some who go further than others in their
craziness. The present craze in painting and
sculpture is almost exactly parallel to the so-called
art nouveau craze in the region of design and archi-
tecture over which so many people lost their
heads, and which in its extreme developments was
characterised by an utter disregard of the funda-
mental principles of construction and by ignorance
of the true meaning of decoration.”

“ Still, if there were no vehement outbreaks there
would be no art,” declared the Man with the Red
Tie. “ It would settle down into a condition of
stupid somnolence and would finally die for want
of exercise.”

“ It might; I admit the danger,” said the Critic.
“ The passing craze, violent, unreasonable, insane
even, as it is, must be accepted as the means by
which art is roused when it shows signs of becom-
ing torpid. The remedy, to us who are brought
into contact with it, may seem to be worse than
the disease, but the patient derives some benefit
from it, and after the shaking up is able to go
about his business again in better health and with
a definite renewal of vitality. Harking back again
to the art nouveau craze, we know that in those
places where it went to greatest extremes it has in
the end given place to great respect for constructive
principles and repugnance to meaningless decora-
tion. We may therefore take heart and hope for a
parallel result from this present craze.”

“Then it comes to this, that artists must go
mad periodically for the good of art,” exclaimed
the Plain Man.

“ I am afraid so,” answered the Critic; “ and I
suppose as the insanity in the world increases
they will get madder and at more frequent
intervals. But you must credit them even in their
most irrational exploits with an unconscious good
intention to do the best they can for art.”

“ That may be so in certain cases,” retorted the
Plain Man, “but I have often wondered whether
some of them are not deliberately perpetrating a
big practical joke on us.” The Lay Figure.