The Arts
A JOURNAL APPEARING EVERY MONTH DURING THE ART SEASON
Copyright, 1921, by Hamilton Easter Field.
ADVICE apparently is one of the least costly things in this world. If subscriptions should come in in the same torrential stream as advice does The Arts would be the most successful magazine in America. As it is we merely claim that it is the most successful art magazine.
All the advice we receive can be reduced to six themes: "Don't give us so much radical bunk." "Leave out the academic stuff." "What we want is pictures. No one reads the text these days." "Give us more solid reading matter." "Don't be so high-brow." "Don't sacrifice the intellectual just so as to please those who have no intellects." On these six themes there are endless variations.
Let us discuss the sixth theme.
Art appreciation and art creation should, we maintain, be instinctive, subconscious. We have never suggested that a man with a slight intellectual background would ever be so great a creative artist as one whose artistic endowments were the same but whose intellectual background was rich and full.
A love for music is almost a necessity for the proper growth of a painter. It is not less necessary for a full appreciation of painting. The painter who can follow the intricacies of Brahms does not need to study theories of composition. Subconsciously he will compose his landscapes well. The lover of painting who does not care for music will never appreciate fully the work of Arthur B. Davies.
"Don't be so high-brow. Leave out the music stuff." The "music stuff" is perhaps more important to the art lover than the art stuff. The love of music broadens, deepens, intensifies life. The love of literature (provided you do not become a bookworm) broadens, deepens, intensifies life. The love and understanding of music and literature so essential in broadening, deepening and intensifying life are not less essential to the full comprehension of painting and of sculpture. The things which make the story "Montes the Matador" the miracle of artistry which it is are the things which make the greatness of a decoration by Puvis de Chavannes, or a symphony by Brahms. If you do not appreciate Puvis de Chavannes and Brahms you will never fully appreciate Frank Harris.
There is danger from too much contact with things intellectual whenever there is too little contact with life. The Arts tries to preserve a balance between "high-brow" stuff and "low-brow." Both are essential to the normal healthy man.
Instead, therefore, of letting up on the "high-brow stuff" it is our intention to deal more fully in the future with literature and music.
For the two masterpieces of Chinese art which have been reproduced for the frontispieces of this issue thanks are due to Parish-Watson and Co. A Chaldean head in diorite which is almost five thousand years old is reproduced on the front cover through the courtesy of Joseph Brummer.
