Cubists and Post-Impressionism

by Arthur Jerome Eddy

To speak, therefore, of one of the paintings reproduced, take the “Still Life,” by Kroll. In the decorative arrangement of the draperies and in the manner in which the fruit and stone jug are painted, the feeling is quite Post-Impressionistic; while the glimpse of the street out the window is purely Impressionistic.

That is to say, all within the window is painted solidly and constructively, quite under the influence of Cézanne; all that is without is painted fleetingly and superficially, more under the influence of Monet. It was done intentionally, to secure a certain effect of contrast; but the result is neither French-Impressionism nor Post-Impressionism, but American-Impressionism—a certain eclecticism.

The glimpse of the street is delightful, but the arbitrarily arranged interior is more than delightful; it possesses strength of line, fine color, and solid masses, done constructively.

Still, one has only to compare this picture with the “Still Life,” by Herbin, and the “Forest at Martigues,” by Derain, to see how close to nature it is, how Impressionistic it is as distinguished from the Post-Impressionistic, or creative, spirit.

Kroll painted what he felt, controlled by what he saw. Derain painted what he felt, influenced only slightly by what he had seen.

The foregoing illustrates the position of the more vigorous of the younger American painters; they are so strong, so virile, so muscular—let us say—that instinctively they lean toward the painting of things in a big, broad constructive manner; the refinements of superficial impressionism do not interest them.

At the same time they have not reached the point where they are willing to let go of nature entirely and do purely creative things.

Perhaps this is just as well.

America—like every new country—is so essentially practical, practical in even its most imaginative flights, that it is difficult for its painters to retire within themselves and do things that have only an esoteric or metaphysical relation to actualities; that sort of thing in both art and literature is much easier on the continent than in either England or America; it is especially easy in the highly charged and hyper-artificial atmosphere of Paris.