Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District

Winnetka Weekly Talk, 24 Nov 1928, p. 48

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| bE A ate -- November 24, 1928 WINNETKA TALK 47 'Modern' Art Will Stay, Says Watson at League Lecture Modern art, now translated into brick and stone, concrete and terra cotta, is definitely in America to stay, according to Dudley Crafts Watson, who spoke at Matz Hall, Community house, Monday night, under the aus- pices of the North Shore Art league. "When someone puts a vicious, gay splash on a canvas and calls it a mod- ern painting, the art world may regard it as a frivolous gesture," said Mr. Watson, "but when modernism gets into the field of architecture, into brick and steel and concrete, it is here to stay--it can be regarded as a serious effort and lasting beauty." Mr. Watson's sometimes frivolous, sometimes serious, occasionally incisive, summation of the steps in the develop- ment of that style in architecture that we call American and modern inter- ested his audience. He complimented the Art Leaguers and others who were present when he declared that Chicago was destined to be the center of truly American architecture and stated that nowhere else were there architects, young architects, of such great prom- ise, artistry and capabilities as here. His talk was illustrated with some charming examples of both residential and business architecture in Chicago and environs, in addition to classic ex- amples and specimens of modern tendencies in architecture elsewhere in America and on the continent in Europe. He credited Louis Sullivan, designer of the Transportation building at the Chicago world's fair in 1893, with be- ing the parent of the new school of architecture, and credited Frank Lloyd Wright and others with greatly ad- vancing his work. He predicted that the coming Chicago fair in 1933 would unquestionably bring the architectural leadership to Chicago and hinted at some of the wonders to come. Chicago today, he said, was making great expenditures for beauty in its newest buildings, and applauded the oresent day departure from the great American 'shirt front school' of archi- tecture. If he went into undue rap- tures over some rather horrendous ex- amples of modern architecture it was excusable, because he was tracing the trend and showing the steps by which such masterpieces as the new Daily News and civic opera buildings evolved. "We can no longer depend on size and cost as the American standard of worth," he declared. "While we may have few great buildings, we will have many that satisfy human longing for things that are beautiful, balanced, correct, and thoroughly satisfactory. Beauty is a measure of perfect utility, perfection of purpose. Most of the money being spent on new Chicago buildings is not merely to satisfy the rent fiends, but to give them that true beauty which comes with perfect utility." = "The new school, the new feeling in architecture, is producing something that we never dreamed, a few years ago, could have happened." A pleasing if somewhat controversial digression from the main theme of his lecture was his declaration that archi- tecture was thé greatest proof of man's faith in his own immortality--the fact that he would build for posterity in- dicated a great spiritual urge. "Music may be purely physical," he said, "poetry completely temporal, even art only personal glorification, but the pil- ing of one stone upon another is proof positive of man's belief in the unfailing succession of generations to come." MUSIC CLUB MEETS The Senior Music club of New Trier High school met at the home of Willa Snyder in Glencoe last Friday night. Mr. and Mrs. J. G. White, 1446 Edge- wood lane, spent last week-end in Mad- ison where they attended the Chicago- Wisconsin game. ---- Waldo Allen, 1405 Edgewood lane, left Thursday for the east to attend the Yale-Harvard football game today. IREDALE Agents for ALLIED VAN LINES Long Distance Movers Winnetka 1332 STORAGE OO VITAPHONE AND MOVIETONE will be at the ALCYON THEATRE Highland Park COMING SOON COMPANY NEW FLOORS Sanding and Scraping by Machine or Hand No Dust Estimates Furn- ished Free 519 Asbury Ave. Evanston, Ill. TELEPHONE UNIVERSITY 3055 PETERSEN FLOOR SURFACING PERFECT OLD FLOORS LIKE NEW WATCH FOR DATES MADE Preferred As "The Place" For Important Social Functions-- The luxurious lobby is the first great downstairs room to greet your guests impressively, with the inviting charm of a great and comfortable home. You are cordially invited to attend the series of Sunday Evening Musicales now being held at The Georgian under the direction of Ernau Akely, President of the North Shore Musicale Society. fier t TIN TTT Td - Arr desired enter- tainment yours to command when you choose The Georgian as "The Place' for your party. Accommodations ar- ranged to suit your re- quirements special rooms for special affairs, a famed catering service, and experienced services to assist you in the planning and execu- tion of all details. To live here is to enjoy such facilities for all your entertainments, mal and formal. [the Georgien | An Address of "Distinction DAVIS a+ HINMAN --EVANSTON Telephone Greenleaf 4100 facilities are perfectly, both infor- ------ 8 I

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