sep a, The Fine Art “4 in a Laboratory i oo: HARVARD UNIVERSITY _ THE DIVISION OF THE FINE ARTS, FOGG 70 EES March, 1924 ra te: ie Mitac 9 dere ee The Fine Arts in a Laboratory HARVARD UNIVERSITY THE DIVISION OF THE FINE ARTS, FoGcG ART MUSEUM Match, 1924 ‘ok * %* the man in the street, finding no worth in himself which corresponds to the force which built a tower or sculptured a marble god, feels poor when he looks at these. “To. him a: palace, "a state; ormea costly book have an alien and for- bidding air, much like a gay equipage, and seem to say like that, “Who are you, sir?’ “Yet they all are his, suitors for his notice, petitioners to his faculties that they will come out and take possession. “The picture waits for my verdict; it is not to command me, but I am to settle its claim to praise.”’ RALPH WALDO EMERSON HE GETTY CENTER - IRPARY at : 3 The Fine Arts T is a fact, not a theory, that men are drawn to the beautiful. “Their apprecia- tion of it is limited by their association with it. The importance of the Fine Arts in the life of a nation is abundantly testified to by his- toric fact. But their importance in educa- tion, particularly university education, has never been sufficiently stressed. The purpose of a university Fine Arts department, as distinguished from an art school, is not, as is popularly supposed, the creation of artists. It is to give a large num- ber of men a familiarity with the art herit- age of our civilization, and to a limited num- ber of men the training and experience neces- sary to enable them to serve as curators and directors of museums, or connoisseurs, critics and teachers of the arts. Educational methods within the last half century have greatly improved. Instruction in the Fine Arts, formerly approached from the literary point of view left students with I$ a 73 THE FINE ARTS IN A LABORATORY G a literary appreciation of the old masters rather then an appreciation of their works. Instruction in the Division of the Fine Arts of Harvard University as now in use at the Fogg Art Museum has been characterized as equivalent to the “Case System” in the teaching of law or business, and laboratory work in the sciences. It consists in bringing the students into actual contact with the ob- jects of their study—great works of art, The Museum is the Laboratory ‘This method of instruction has been made possible because Harvard has been fortunate in her friends. “The Fogg Art Museum, where the instruction is given, and which stands in the college yard, is generally ad- mitted to contain the most useful teaching collection of any university in America. Un- fortunately the collection has outgrown the ability of the museum to contain it, and many masterpieces which would be the pride of any museum are tucked away or hidden in inconspicuous corners. The obvious advantages of having such a collection of art treasures in a university are @—- —____._-__ 4—_ ____________» uInesny JV S807 94} Ul SUIOOY YIOAA pue Asajey sinjdjnos THE FINE ARTS IN A LABORATORY that it makes the Fine Arts a living reality in university life and adds vitally to the cultural and educational environment. But the chief purpose which the museum serves, although it is open to the public, is that of an art laboratory for the students. The majority of the students who study the Fine Arts take two or three courses; whether they take any or not is optional. Those who go into the work professionally take many. In 1894 there were two profes- sors in the Fine Arts Department. ‘This year there are 17 professors and instructors, giving 44 courses to 450 students. “These 44 courses cover the whole range of the History of the Fine Arts and the Theory of Design from ancient to modern times. The larger elementary courses are con- ducted with the help of illustrations by. lantern slides, while in the advanced profes- sional courses the students examine, study and analyze with their instructors the actual objects of art. Intimate contace wien these objects stimulates research work and study. It encourages the student to develop 6 WiaeeriNe ARTS~IN A LABORATORY & © powers of appreciation; and it creates taste and understanding. It gives men who later turn their efforts into industrial and other practical fields the realization that the value of art is in its appeal to their emotions and its power to satisfy certain definite needs of humanity rather than a luxury for the idle rich and for dilettantes. The Importance of Professionally Trained Men in the Fine Arts ‘To those who wish to become directors or curators of museums, or connoisseurs, the Fogg Art Museum furnishes the opportunity to study and analyze the art of the past by first hand observation. ‘The importance of the museum director or curator, and of art connoisseurs, critics and teachers, is often not generally appreciated. The curator of a museum is a custodian of the most valuable and destructible relics of the past. By improper care they can be destroyed in a year, and the loss can never be replaced. A curator’s guardianship calls for expert knowledge of physics and chemis- try as they apply to his profession. He must ee ee a> uinasnjq Wy S074 94} ul Atoexy aInjIgG wieyy a PeeeriNe ARTS IN*A LABORATORY @ ® know the business of operating a museum, of acquiring new works of art, and should be able to avail himself of the opportunity to - stimulate the public by lectures, descriptive literature and other means. ‘The use of the Fogg Art Museum as a workshop or an art laboratory, and the instruction given in it, are designed to develop the experience, critical faculties and judgment necessary to the cu- rator s profession. ‘The museum official is the educator of thr public in the Fine Arts. His background must be thorough and his judgment sound. Aside from his duty of evaluating works of art according to the accepted standards, one of his most important functions today is the detection of forgeries. ‘The teacher of the Fine Arts develops standards of taste and appreciation and helps to pass them on from one generation to the next. When a man has received his instruc- tion at the Fogg Art Museum and is called upon to teach in an institution which has access to a public museum, he has learned how to select and use his material. If he lacks access to original works of art, he has been taught to select and use photographs. @—___ =p eee “ — ; THE FINE ARTS IN A LABORATORY Demand for Professionally Trained Men is Greater than the Supply It is difficult to furnish exact figures as to the number of men actually engaged in the various branches of the profession. It is known that 24 Harvard men and eight Rad- cliffe women are on the staffs of museums and 23 are engaged in teaching. In addition there are at least 16 artists and critics. These fig- ures do not include those who are architects. Within the last year the Division of the Fine Arts has received numerous requests from museums and art centers for men capable of serving as curators. Unfortunately the physical limitations of the Fogg Art Museum have severely hindered the Division in fully meeting this demanc. There have also been received many requests from secondary schools and universities for teachers, but again the Division has not been able to meet the de- mand. Considerable influence has been ex- erted on the teaching of art in public and private schools through courses given annual- ly by the Division of Fine Arts during the summer months. unasnyw, WY 3304 94} Ul WOOY YJOM ®& jo Jaus07) THE FINE ARTS IN A LABORATORY G Original Research Work in and out of the Museum Another phase of the work of the Fine Arts Division is the original exploration, ex- cavation and research work in the field of archeology. This not only further increases the sum of human knowledge on these sub- jects but incidentally, it is hoped, will further enrich the collections of the Museum which are used in teaching the students. There is now an expedition in Western China, along the ancient Indo-China trade route, engaged in archeological exploration financed in advance for five years. A considerable program of excavation in Greek lands has been financed for the same period, but has been temporarily suspended because of political conditions in that country. The stimulating effect of these current explorations and excavations on in- struction in the Fine Arts is almost as valu- able as the acquisitions which will probably result from them. Another interesting research activity is be- ing carried on with regard to the chemistry of pigments, with the assistance of a trained chemist. Many of the paintings created to- $$ $$$ $$ __________ }) ___ xX 2 THE FINE ARTS IN A LABORATORY eee ee es day by our leading artists may not last more than fifty or a hundred years because of the use of inferior canvasses and pigments; and many older pictures are in danger of destruc- tion through improper care. Members of the Division have spent considerable time in Europe studying with experts in this field, and the work should be further developed. Work of this nature is a definite obligation on the part of America in its relation to the rapidly growing proportion of the art treas- ures of the world which are coming to this country. The University’s Opportunities and Obligations A modern university is fundamentally a servant of the nation. It must sense the na- tion’s educational needs at least a generation before the results of its services can be effected. In the growth of the American nation, whose history to date has been chiefly marked by the spirit of the pioneer and an extraor- dinarily rapid development, the Fine Arts have played but a small part compared with contemporaneous development in Europe. ae rn | ee Meleager, an example of Greek sculpture of the 4th Century, B. C., in the Fogg Art Museum. THE FINE ARTS IN A LABORATORY - © ‘This is but natural for the physical conquest of a continent largely precludes the growth of other influences. But we are rapidly emerging, if we have not already emerged, from the great era of expan- sion, and while there remain abundant oppor- tunities, the greater part of the present nation- al development is of a permanent nature. It is time that America should not only evidence the attainment of maturity, but also that her people should have the benefits resulting from it. The opportunities and obligations to fur- ther these ends primarily fall on the modern university. To the acceptance of the op- portunities and the discharge of the obliga- tions the efforts of the Fine Arts Division of Harvard University have been dedicated, Fra Angelico in the Fogg Art Museum Sve oe ba