Examples of household taste (1875) (14779443621)

Identifier: examplesofhouseh00smit (find matches)
Title: Examples of household taste
Year: 1875 (1870s)
Authors: Smith, Walter, 1836-1886 Smith, Walter, 1836-1886. Industrial art of the International Exhibition
Subjects: Centennial Exhibition (1876 : Philadelphia, Pa.) Decorative arts
Publisher: New York, R. Worthington
Contributing Library: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute Library
Digitizing Sponsor: Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute Library



Text Appearing Before Image:
pound ? and whatsane man would do so ? A man notoriously dishonest about cents will stealdollars when he has de-veloped his talent and theopportunity comes, and asemi-blind man who cannotsee a leaf with sufficientperception to draw it accu-rately need never be reliedupon to draw the wholetree from which it has beenplucked. It is no answer to thisargument to say that theinspired artist feels whenhe is right, for that is onlya sentimental opinion ofhis own work, which maybe entirely wrong withouthis knowing it, and trueperception or feeling isbased on our capacities tosee accurately and test ourknowledge. This, which istrue of fine art, is equallytrue of design for indus-trial art. We had too manylamentable illustrations ofthis truth in the works ofhalf-educated artists in theCentennial Exhibition todoubt it, and there were not wanting many examples of the types of bad tastealready described to show that errors exist on both sides of that line whichdivides fine art from industrial art.
Text Appearing After Image:
0 s 520 THE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBIT10N, 18y6. If we turn from these and examine works of industrial art which areaccepted as types of good design, we find precisely the opposite of such aspirit as that referred to, and a recognition of the dividing-line. Consistencyand simplicity are the necessary characteristics of good ornamental art, and allgreat schools have recognized it. Inconsistency, over-elaboration and sham havemarked the ephemeral products of those schools or epochs which have neverbeen nor will ever be considered great. Let us see, for instance, how theGreeks looked at design for industrial purposes. There are not more thantwelve distinct forms of ornament used for the decoration of all their industrialproducts, but these were well chosen and well adapted, and invariably increasethe beauty of the object ornamented without detracting from its use and con-venience. Not one of these forms makes more than a slight approach to theimitation of nature; in only a few does this exten