ARTISTS AND ART

Evening Post, Volume 97, Issue 97, 21 October 1933, Page 10

ARTISTS AND ART

WHAT DO THE PUBLIC

APPRECIATE ?

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —The contributed article signed "T.11.A." is, no doubt, a well-meaning attempt to help artists, but it is, in fact, nothing more than a hindrance to any improvement in art and to the appreciation or art by the public. The great 'trouble that causes art to be ignored by the public is that some artists put themselves upon a pedestal so that when they produce,any painting whatsoever they expect to be praised for it. If their picture is a dull monument of gloom "it has a German, Dutch, or French motif, \vhieh. you. should appreciate." If a picture of'a hill has a .colour that represents nothing on earth, then it is "a newconception' in colour, don't be an ignoramus." If the drawing is of the kind that it gives you a pain: in the eye, then it is "the modern -, style, the latest thing from >uch-and;such s.chool, don't be out-of-date, but give the "artist, the appreciation for which his. soul hungers." All this and much mpr,e I have heard for years at the various academy shows. Now, the average man hates vanity, especially the kind that requires him to express an insincere appreciation of the work of any particular person. Perhaps he has not studied the usual art jargon and ;s not able to get a humorous, though, I fear, somewhat cynical, amusement out of repeating it to those who are bluffed by it. Your contributor -selects a number of artists, and, to use a sporting phrase, he "barracks'' for them. In his view, the public does not. appreciate artists sufficiently. This view is really derogatory to the interests of art and of artists; If the public does not like the pictures, it won't -buy them, and no power on earth will make the public do so, and why should it? "One man may bring a horse to the pond's brink, Ten men, however, can't make him drink." Your contributor seems to have a grievance against amateur artists who sell a small picture occasionally. Without any booming, puffing, or barracking, an amateur makes a sale because some one of the public liked his picture, and that notwithstanding all the effort to boom the great man and even to depreciate the amateur. Only a very small proportion of all the pictures painted can be expected to be. of any value. This applies to all artists. The professionals, however, have the advantage of a repute as artists, and some people will purchase their works, either in order to enable them to boast "I have a Burne-Jones" or even as a speculation because they think that at some future time the picture will be valuable. The professional artist often exhibits pictures that few people want. He exhibits them probably because . they represent much effort to him, but in the actual result his judgment of their value may not agree with that of,anyone else. His best pictures, if they are good, are readily bought. ■'--.*' Now the amateur also has his proportion of poor pictures, <but occasionally he has good ones, and since there are at least ten amateurs to one professional, it is not surprising that the best pictures of the amateurs are preferred to the indifferent pictures of the professionals. l If' it were not for the amateurs, the Academy would die, would indeed never have lived. The existence of a tew amateur painters in a district helps art to live and Cultivates a real appreciation of the best professional work. All o£ the amateurs whom I have ever met seem to be anxious to encourage the, sale of the best works of the professional artists. They themselves purchase such works, but neither they nor the public will be bluffed into" buying queer or quasi-art pictures. Ant in New Zealand is still very young, but it yon't be improved by ad misericordiam appeals to buy the works of the gieat men, not because you like the pictures but because the o artists are really clever and need encouragement. This kind of talk never'created 'a' purchaser, except possibly ai dissatisfied one. _, Instead of, encouragement of the kind mentioned, what the artists need is plaingpeaking, and this they seldom get. As in any other line of human effort, the artist is liable to undeserved disappointment. He must bear that, as a wise man;"vlike any other calamity. He is of no "spcial.value unless his work is appreciated; Society does not owe him anything simply because he has elected Art for'his calling. The fact that he is a professional artjst, .though it may excite our interest in'him, does not necessarily improve his pictures. The sooner all New Zealand artists, amateur and professional, quit Art bluff and cease to want to be made'pets, the better it will be for them so faras pubjic appreciation is concerned.—l am,» etc., MINOS.