Art for all by Miss Vida Lahey

A r t for All I f \ ' E x at t h e best of times, art m u s t s e e m t o m a n y little m o r e 4 t h a n a h a r m l e s s p a s t i m e w i t h results that r a n g e f r o m rather pleasant pictures to startling daubs, while to a great proportioik of the population art plays no conscious part at all. A n d so at a m o m e n t w h e n the whole world is plunged in gloom a n d terror, to devote time to a discussion of art m a y well seem to have an intolerable aspect of frivolity, on the s a m e plane as Nero's fiddling while R o m e burned. A n d yet this reason, the awful situation in which w e find ourselves, m a k e s it m o r e urgent to consider such things, for only b y affirming and strengthening the powers that w o r k for peace can fear of w a r ever be lifted again, a n d art is one of these powers. T h e r e is at present, a s well a s a general indifference to art, a lack of u n d e r s t a n d i n g b e t w e e n the public a n d its artists w h i c h is a serious loss to both. T h e artist, bewildered a n d resentful, finds his profession belittled a n d his v e r y existence d e e m e d unnecessary. T h e public, o n t h e other h a n d , b l a m e s the artist for n o t p r o d u c i n g w o r k s to its taste, a n d is perplexed a n d a n n o y e d w h e n s o m e t h i n g n e w a n d disturbing assaults the e y e instead of t h e 112411:11 aspect of pictures. T o u n d e r s t a n d the position o n e m u s t lirst realise that art is a n integral part of life, a n d w h a t affects life m u s t affect art. N o w a d a y s w h e n e v e r y m o d e of life is in a flux a n d long-accepted v a l u e s are being questioned a n d n e w e x p e r i m e n t s m a d e in e v e r y s p h e r e of thought, is it n o t inevitable that art s h o u l d b e stirred in t h e s a m e w a y ? F o r art is n o t s o m e t h i n g separate f r o m us, a p r o d u c t of o u r hands, b u t is o n e of o u r l a n g u a g e s ; in fact, it is t h e o n l y international l a n g u a g e a l a n g u a g e w h i c h k n o w s n o barrier of place o r time, a n d b y w h i c h spirit s p e a k s to spirit a n d c e n t u r y to century, so that it is possible, for instance, ft,r a n Australian t o feel closer u n d e r s t a n d i n g w h i l e g a z i n g at a n Italian o r S p a n i s h picture t h a n while talking to his n e x t - d o o r neighbour, o r for m o d e r n m a n t o feel a k i n to m e n w h o lived p e r h a p s 3,000 years ago, a n d t h r o u g h their r o c k paintings to k n o w s o m e t h i n g of their t h o u g h t s a n d feelings.