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A Criticism of American Art 66 Years before the Founding of the ArchivesAuthor(s): Matthew ArnoldSource: Archives of American Art Journal, Vol. 4, No. 2 (Apr., 1964), pp. 15-16Published by: The Smithsonian InstitutionStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1556910 .

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MACHINERY AUCTION- OCTOBER 14

More than 6,000 Michigan businessmen have been invited to donate used machinery, tools, and equip- ment to a machinery auction with an unusual purpose.

Proceeds from the auction, scheduled for October 14, will benefit the Archives of American Art.

Acting as liaison for the Archives-auction event is Harold O. Love, executive vice president of the Archives of American Art and member of the City of Detroit Arts Commission. More than $70,000 was raised in 1962 for the Archives by the first machinery auction, also headed by Mr. Love.

Co-chairmen of the 1964 event are Jack M. Slean, president of Heidrich Tool & Die Corporation, and Benjamin Weiss, general manager of Machinery Liquidating Co. Executive Committee members are Charles F. Rodgers of Kramer-Consolidated Freight Lines, Inc., Norman Levy of Norman Levy Associates, Inc., Walter Girardy of Thomas Goodfellow, Inc., and Ralph J. Kliber of Rutten, Welling & Co.

Committee members are Don E. Ahrens of Bloom- field Hills, Russell Bauer of the Ex-Cell-O Corpora- tion, Chester A. Cahn of the Detroit Tooling Associa- tion, Dave Demarest of Dave Demarest Co., William I. Eastwood of the American Appraisal Company, David Emerman of the Emerman Machinery Corpora- tion, Harold Frank of the Detroit Aluminum & Brass Corp., Arnold Hughes of the Arnold Hughes Com- pany, Peter Martoi of Nor-West Machinery Movers Co., Marshall M. Miller of the Midwest Paper Prod- ucts Co., Wendell G. Mouw of the Royal Oak Tool & Machine Co., Lloyd Noseworthy of the New York Central Railroad, Donald Richards, Sr., of the Don Cartage Company, Louis Stern of Harvey Goldman & Co., George Tann of the Congress Tool & Die Com- pany, and John A. Theurkorn of the Lafayette Tool &8 Die Co.

The Machinery Dealers National Association (Detroit Chapter) and the Detroit Tooling Associa- tion are also giving assistance and support to the auction.

A CRITICISM OF AMERICAN ART 66 YEARS BEFORE THE FOUNDING

OF TLHE ARCHIVES Matthew Arnold

First and Last Impressions of America, Boston, 1888. Page 172 ff.

Of civilization . .. we demand, however much else it may give us, the interesting.

Now, the great sources of the interesting are dis- tinction and beauty; that which is elevated, and that which is beautiful. Let us take the beautiful first, and

consider how far it is present in American civilization. Evidently, this is that civilization's weak side.

There is little to nourish and delight the sense of beauty there. In the long-settled states east of the Alleghenies the landscape in general is not interesting, the climate harsh and in extremes. The Americans are restless, eager to better themselves and to make fortunes; the inhabitant does not strike his roots lov- ingly down into the soil, as in rural England. Up the valley of the Connecticut you will find farm after farm which the Yankee settler has abandoned in order to go West, leaving the farm to some new Irish immigrant.

The charm of beauty which comes from ancient- ness and permanence of rural life the country could not yet have in a high degree, but it is in an even less degree than might be expected. Then the Americans come originally, for the most part, from that great class in English society amongst whom the sense for conduct and business is much more strongly developed than the sense of beauty. If we in England were with- out the cathedrals, parish churches, and castles of the catholic and feudal age, and without the houses of the Elizabethan age, but had only the towns and buildings which the rise of our middle class has cre- ated in the modern age, we should be in much the same case as the Americans.

We should be living with much the same absence of training for the sense of beauty through the eye, from the aspect of outward things.

The American cities have hardly anything to please a trained or a natural sense for beauty. They have buildings which cost a great deal of money and pro- duce a certain effect. One architect of genius they had -Richardson. I had the pleasure to know him: he is dead, alas! Much of his work was injured by the con- ditions under which he was obliged to execute it; I can recall but one building, and that of no great importance, where he seems to have had his own way, to be fully himself; but that is indeed excellent.

In general, where the Americans succeed best in their architecture-in that art so indicative and educa- tive of a people's sense for beauty-is in the fashion of their villa-cottages in wood. These are often original and at the same time very pleasing, but they are pretty and coquettish, not beautiful. Of the really beautiful in the other arts, and in literature, very little has been produced there as yet. ..

So much as to beauty, and as to the provision, in the United States, for the sense of beauty. As to distinc- tion, and the interest which human nature seeks from enjoying the effect made upon it by what is elevated, the case is much the same ...

But if there be a discipline in which the Americans are wanting, it is the discipline of awe and respect. An austere and intense religion imposed on their Puritan founders the discipline of respect, and so

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provided for them the thrill of awe; but this religion is dying out. The Americans have produced plenty of

men, strong, shrewd, upright, able, effective; but very few who are highly distinguished. Alexander Hamilton

is indeed a man of rare distinction; Washington,

though he has not the high mental distinction of

style and character. But these men belong to the pre- American age.

Lincoln's recent American biographers declare that Washington is but an Englishman, an English officer; the typical American, they say, is Abraham Lincoln. Now Lincoln is shrewd, sagacious, humorous, honest, courageous, firm; he is a man of qualities deserving the most sincere esteem and praise, but he has not distinction.

In truth, everything is against distinction in America.

THfE ARCHIVES' FOURTH ANNUAL AIRLIFT for members

Helsinki - Leningrad - Moscow - Warsaw - Brussels - Ghent - Antwerp and Bruges

21 days to see some of the greatest art treasures of

Europe. Leave September 28; return October 19.

HELSINKI: fly Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS) chartered plane from New York. An opportu- nity to see the ceramics, furniture, glassware, and textiles of some of the world's greatest contemporary designers. Visit to a sauna optional. On Sunday night the Trustees of the Archives will be host to a party at the beautiful Fiskartorpet restaurant. This is the first in a series of social events planned for the trip.

LENINGRAD: by chartered steamer for the finest view of the city is from the Gulf of Finland. Of course, a visit to the Hermitage to see one of the world's greatest collections of Impressionist paintings. There will also be visits to former palaces, now museums; to the ballet in the evening.

MOSCOW: by chartered plane from Leningrad. The Kremlin, the Tretjakov Museum, churches noted for mosaics, paintings, and ikons. We will also visit the University of Moscow to meet contemporary Rus- sian artists and discuss their work. In the evenings there will be ballet, or the symphony, or the theatre.

Intourist has been informed of our visit and has offered to make arrangements for us in both Lenin-

grad and Moscow. Our own State Department has been most co-operative in working with us to make this a really exceptional art tour.

As we will be in Leningrad and Moscow for three or four days each, there will be ample time for return visits to the museums and other places with particular individual appeal.

WARSAW: by chartered flight from Moscow. We will meet the very active group of young Polish artists who are making so great a contribution to contem- porary European art. The irrepressible Pole manages to keep his city one of the most beautiful behind the Iron Curtain.

BRUSSELS: by chartered flight from Warsaw. Brussels will be headquarters for six days. From here we will travel the short distances to Ghent, to Bruges, to Antwerp to see the unbelievably rich collections of Flemish art. We have already received invitations to the important private collections; and there will be

special arrangements for our viewing the public collections.

Mr. E. P. Richardson, the Director of the Archives, organized the Flemish Exhibition held in Bruges and in Detroit in 1960. Through the many people he knows in the museum world in Belgium he has been able to secure for the airlift a remarkable list of choice

things that we will be able to see-many of them seldom on public view.

From Brussels we fly back to New York on October 19.

The price of the trip is $1450, of which $500 is a

voluntary contribution to the Archives of American Art. The contribution of course is tax deductible. The deposit to hold a reservation until August 1 is $300 per person; on that date the balance is due.

Advance reservations in the form or 'include me on this one' from members who have accompanied us on earlier trips have been accumulating. It is, there- fore, important that reservations be made as early as possible. The reservation form is on the next page.

In the next few months there will be bulletins issued to those with reservations detailing activities, itinerary, schedules, social events, and recommenda- tions as to clothing.

Mrs. Otto L. Spaeth and Mrs. Edward T. Chase are Co-Chairmen.

For further information, call or write either the Detroit office or the New York office of the Archives of American Art. Addresses and telephone numbers are on the inside cover of the Journal.

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