FREER ART FOR FREER GALLERIES 
Showing How a Layman May Look at Wee Whistlers on Walls Wide Enough for Michael Angelo 
Michael Angelo in the Presence of Whistler. “This American artist who declares that for 
his airiest dab he must have a whole gallery.” 
of decorative line and unadulterated 
color. They painted what Shakes¬ 
peare in his day considered to be our 
too solid flesh ^md blood where they 
ought to have painted our moods. 
But while moods are all very well in 
their way, there is no reason, 4 
priori, for supposing that a woman's 
mood will look prettier in paint than 
her pearls. At any rate, Memline 
and the early Flemings, who were 
reckoned artists before Whistler 
came and went, much preferred the 
pearls and took almost as much 
trouble over them as do the oysters. 
Similarly with hands. Like the rest 
of our anatomy, they are fearfully., 
and wonderfully made, and some of 
us have them fearfully and wonder¬ 
fully manicured. Memline thought 
therefore that a hand should be as 
carefully modeled by the artist as by 
the Creator, which is not at all the 
idea of the impressionists. They 
merely sxiggest the hand and leave 
finger prints, jewelry and other de¬ 
tails to the police. 
When, as occasionally happens, 
the impressionists pull it off, the 
suit is excellent, but like Wo 
worth’s poems and the modern \ 
ring, their masterpieces should 
severely selected. Not long ag 
friend of mine had two sheets 
white - notepaper, framed in c 
mauve. One he called “ A Noctu 
in Ice ” and the other “ Scotch M 
A Symphony/’ For a mere jest 
had them sold as Whistlers «?.nU? t 
fetched a high price. As ti e y be: 
to be resold at constantly e nhanc 
values my friend’s b^ter feel: 
