PICTURES 387
SUBJECT-MATTER APPEAL

This type of appeal should always be accompanied by esthetic
appeal. The most obvious kind of subject-matter appeal is present
in story-telling pictures, such as one of a birthday party or of a
dog saving a drowning person. Illustrations such as these have
a different purpose from pictures intended to be hung on walls.
Mere story-telling pictures are suitable for children, but they ought
to be outgrown. A picture with strong subject-matter appeal
combined with esthetic appeal is John Curry's Tornado repro-
duced on page 405.

Sentimental appeal bears no relation to merit in a picture. A
picture of kittens is appealing but such appeal does not make a
good picture. A familiar scene or one of historic importance may
have subject-matter appeal but lack esthetic appeal.

Pictures for the home should have reasonably pleasant subject
matter, since there the primary purpose is decoration. Flower
paintings are universal favorites. Decorative flower paintings or
careful botanical studies are often preferable to naturalistic flower
paintings, although any of these types may be good or poor. A
painter of landscapes usually avoids those subjects that have too
obvious pictorial appeal, such as sunsets, the moon, panoramas,
and unpaintable phenomena like the Grand Canyon. Landscapes
and marine pictures, portraits, figure paintings, and animal pictures
can be found which have both appealing subject matter and
esthetic merit.

Subjects of great significance to mankind have been the inspira-
tion for some of the world's most important pictures. Great pic-
tures were painted when religion was uppermost in the minds of
men. Great mural paintings, portraying the social unrest of the
present generation, have been painted by Diego Rivera and Jose
Orozco of Mexico. Subject-matter appeal and esthetic appeal are
usually well blended in great pictures.

In the United States development of interest in the American
scene has produced vital pictures. See the upper picture on page
406. Government sponsorship of murals in federal buildings all
over the country has resulted in the creation of pictures of great
local interest. Such subject matter is highly desirable since it
appeals to and is expressive of the mass of the people.