Celebration for Bertha’s birthday – a very happy time with special events...
Recently Franck’s Symphony came over the radio.— It is supposed to typify, I think, sort of a struggle of Faith, and it came to me as a revelation — Is there a complete faith, or do these people whom I envy for their seeming security in a complete faith have to fight off unbelief?
At noon the High South wind blowing; heavy blue haze; a black storm appears in SW. The waving of dry sunlit corn against it of yellow flying leaves & swaying scrawny trees ...
Stop at another woods which had several ravines in it. The delight of the children in this place thrilled me too. It was late; clouds had obscured the sun; a dull twilight hung over the woods, giving it a magical quality which I never remember experiencing before.
Finished work on the studio stove.
Outside a soft gentle rain is falling from a dark misty sky...
The latest picture is another "brain-storm." The memory of a dream - which was of seeing about a dozen newly emerged black-swallow tail butterflies clinging to a willow bush in a lake -
I went outside and looked in various places but nothing seemed to be worth doing – I went in the studio, and looked out
Trip to Pittsburgh with B to see International show after a period of indecision, & renunciation, and final decision we ought to go….I won’t attempt to go into detail as to my impressions of the show. Three-fourths of the pictures as least were dreadful from any point of view, but the true connoisseur of pictures does not do as the vulgar snob does — i.e. go thru an exhibit looking for the worst pictures at which they can smile, & over which they can feel superior. [CEB bracketed the following in red pencil.] So many of these pictures fairly screamed their vulgar taste, trivial purpose, & general mediocrity, so that, tired as I was from driving, it was difficult to find the few good pictures. But after a while, it was easy to pass the mediocre ones, and see only the better ones. Hopper, McFee & Speicher stood out brilliantly in this company, as did Laufman, Vlaminck, Utrillo & Hofer, & Mattson. As to my own “Elevators” — I could not at any time see it to be as good as I hoped it was, tho it grew better as time went on.
A cool sunny day, quiet generally, but at times a strong wind passed thru the tree-tops, and in its wake showers of golden maple leaves fluttered lazily down to the ground. Young hemlocks speckled with leaves.