Viewing page 4 of 5

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Talk by Reginald Marsh at American Artists' Congress Symposium at Museum of Modern Art, February 7th, 1940

Members of the American Artists' Congress: I have the honor of saying a few words on the subject "Is American Art Menaced by 'Alien' Trends?"

The first part will deal with the two currents of European art - all of which of course is "alien". One trend, the greater trend - greater because in it, form design and substance reaches its highest degree - starts with Giotto, reaches its climax in the all-embracing genius of Rubens, carries on through Rembrandt, Poussin, Claude, El Greco, Goya, and so on - Watteau, Hogarth, Rowlandson, Blake, Constable, Courbet, Daumier, Delacroix, Renoir and Barye.

The other trend has resulted in a disastrous weakening in the conception of plastic form: and, especially in recent times, a casual or photographic sense of design, an uninspired attitude subject matter. Its influence is world wide. This trend starts with Hals, Velasquez, descends through Monet, Manet, Whistler, Sargent, Cezanne, Matisse, Picasso, Braque, Miro, etc. So much for the first part:

And now I will digress from the subject and make a plea. There has been dangerous and irrelevant material introduced in art criticism, chiefly political. It is to be noticed in a great part of the press from the Daily Worker to the New York Sun. Hence I make a plea to the critics and judges of art, to the professional art critics of the entire press; to the judges of prizes in exhibition; to the Section of Fine Arts in Washington, and to those who merely sit at home in a chair and spout their views.

Therefore I say this:

If it is the artists' desire to join the Communist Party, the Republican, Democratic or Labor Party, the American Artists' Congress, the National Academy, or if he prefers to remain outside of all parties, groups or societies, let it be his right to do so as he pleases.

[[strikethrough]] [[If the painter p]] [[/strikethrough]] If he paints pictures of the glories of naked women, of the glories of the Soviet Union, of devastation in Spain, of sharecroppers.