Mr. E. H. Blashfield gave the last of his series of lectures yesterday evening before a large audience on: "Municipal Art; and our Opportunity in America."

Tiepolo, who made his reputation in the middle of the seventeenth century, is a representative of cleverness in technical decoration and as such is really the first artist to introduce what has come to be known as the modern style.

His decorations are delicately fresh and have a certain sparkling charm of which early artists were utterly ignorant. His handling is wonderful, robust and healthful, while the clearness and sharpness in his outlines give a competent appearance to his work which is essentially modern.

There are three characteristics of modern decoration which deserve especial attention; the quality of vigor, homogeneousness of decoration, and violent foreshortening. Vigor, which has hardly received its fair share of attention, is a feature of decoration which the ancient artists greatly underrated and by exaggerating the importance of each muscle and member of the human frame greatly diminished the effectiveness of their ensemble. The modern artist has learned that simplicity is the most forcible mode of expressing vigor.

The study of homogeneousness in decoration requires particular attention because of the great variety of styles which have developed of late. Formerly there was little choice in the matter of style, but now many a fine interior is completely spoiled by the combination of too many styles. The Hotel de Villi is a famous example of this fault. If homogeneous decoration is desired, the artist should always consider his architect.

Foreshortening in ceiling decoration is often greatly overdone,-in fact, realistie foreshortening is only possible in freely floating figures and even here, when violent, it is apt to produce an ugly effect. There is in reality no need for ceiling decoration,-wall panelling is always preferable.

"If we are really to love our country, we must make it lovely." This fact which Burke stated a hundred years ago was fully appreciated by Athens, Venice and Florence. All these countries devoted wealth and intellect to the cause of art, even when waging expensive wars at the same time. The only country which has systematically followed this devotion in modern times is France, where the artists in organized classes begin with the study of what is famous and beautiful at home and then pursue their studies further in other countries. This gives every Frenchman a chance to learn his country's history and at the same time to connect each important event with some famous work of art.

Florence is a better model for us to follow than France, for in Florence this educational process is supported by many individuals and not by the state, as in France. This system is nothing more than an education in patriotism,-it teaches the lesson of intellectual development with brush and crayon.

We have already made a good beginning in preparatory schools, but after leaving these schools, our artists wander from the right path. The knowledge of the life-size is the great inspiration of this movement, and it toward this as a study that our artists must turn their steps. With this object in view we must follow the example of the modern schools which are nearest us and then, for the highest development, turn to the ancient masterpieces.