THE PALACE OF FINE ARTS AND THE FRENCH AND ITALIAN PAVILIONS A WALK WITH A PAINTER, WITH A DISCUSSION OF PAINTING AND SCULPTURE, AND SOME OF THE WORKERS THEREIN, MAINLY FROM THE PAINTERS POINT OF VIEW BY JOHN D. BARRY AUTHOR OF THE CITY OF DOMES AND HE MEANING OF THE EXPOSITION PRICE FIFTY CENTS TO THE ART-WORKERS OF THE WORLD, WHO HAVE DONE SO MUCH TO KEEP ALIVE THE SPIRIT OF BEAUTY CONTENTS I have treated as if they were one talk, for the sake of compactness.They represent many visits to the buildings they discuss, and, though they deal with only a part of the great mass of art- works there, they touch on many themes. Wherever, I could, I wished to keep forward the point of view of the painter, first, because I do not claim to speak with authority on art, and secondly, because the professional point of view, coming from the inside, seems to me decidedly more worth while than the laymans. It is for the purpose of helping the layman to take the professional point of view that this little book has been written in this particular way, with emphasis on painting, which is less easily comprehended than sculpture, particularly in its modem phases know anything about art, says a friend with the courage of his opinions, but I know what I hate. His words may give comfort to those peopIe who go to the Exposition and face the Palace of Fine Arts with the feeling that they ought in some way to show appreciation. So many of them feel bewildered before the mass of paintings. Where are they to begin What is really worth while What is the meaning behind all this mystery which so often seems like mere eccentricity Since the painters themselves so violently disagree, denouncing as horrors and frights canvases that have been awarded medals by juries composed of painters of distinction, how is anyone to know what is really good A Iady in a very perturbed state of mind wrote me a letter the other day, saying, among other things In the Palace of Fine Arts I have noticed the picture of a fat, nude woman eating an apple. Is it supposed to be fine Ought we to admire it The questions were not altogether easy to answer. Perhaps there isnt any ought in the matter. When art becomes a matter of duty it ceases to fulfill its function. The proverb about taste applies to painting as well as to other kinds of endeavor...