Evening Star Newspaper, April 2, 1898, Page 20

THE EVENING STAR, SATURDAY, APRIL 2, 1898-24 PAGES. ich is dis- d at the new gallery on Connecticut . was viewed today by an apprecia- athering composed of members, ex- nd such ethers as were fortunate to secure v hing day cards, and the attendance tonight will probably be even larger. At these evening receptions the pictures are, as a rule, sadly neglected and interesting back- ost entirely social. is always however, the long-haired painter very much in evidence, discoursing on an only art » terms that are Greek to the un- init! The exhibition will be opened to the general public on Monday and will con- tinue to April 30, the gallery to be open daily, except Sundays, from 9 a. m. to 6 p. m., and in the evening from 8 to 11. On next Monday evening a special view of the collection will be given to the members of the Cosmos Club, a well-conceived act of courtesy, as the artists owe the club a heavy debt of gratitude. The club mem- bers will be admitted by card, but others will also be admitted on the same evening on the presentation of the regular ticket. The artists are almost unanimous in thinking this year's display far ahead of all previous exhibitions, and though this steady advance is no more than the public has a right to expect, it is nevertheless @ratifying to find such a high grade ot | | painting in the gallery. SOCIETY OF © WASHINGTON ARTISTS. cesses, but as a revelation of her ability in an entirely new vein. Her work has al- most always been striking, and this is no exception, but never before has she de- penced so little for her effective results .on Tichness of costume, brilliancy of light and dashing passages of technique. In her pastel this year the coloring is quiet, al- and the portrait relies for serious beauiy of the head, in the tempered light comes out which against the background with soft insist- ence. The interest might have been more trongly centered in the face if the light ling on the hands had been subdued a little more, but the disposition of light and dark in the composition is decidedly agreé- able to the eye. Hanging next to Miss Thompson's pastel is an evening motive by Richard N. Brooke, which is in some w. the most forcible landscape in the exhilition. It ig hardly less powerful than dramatic sunset the which he seni last season, and yet it is in- finitely finer in sentiment, feeling and har- mony of color. It is net a canvas that by seme stirring color note fascinates for a moment, but one which exercises an ever- increasing hold upon the observer, and a rolonged study of it discloses, not hidden raults, but new beauties of color and tone. Max Weyl's brush is a magician’s wand, with which he conjures up the most allur- ing color combinations, and there is no cause for disappointment in the landscapes with which he has favored the exhibit this year. The scene on the Potomac marshes is in his best style, and in its sensuous charm of coloring is not excelled by any Gray in an endless variety of shades and tints is predominant in the color scheme, and the entire picture is bathed in the warm light which filters. through the haze. His other large canvas, though painted in a masterly way, does not have to any gi degree the same inde- scribable artistic charm. Another of the older landscape painters fHE OL» FLAG, — BY GEScGh E. SENCENY. ‘work in the first annual exhibit held by the 8S. W. A. in its new home. The collec- m of pictures is not merely good for ‘ashington, but is very creditable when eonsidered beside those of other cities, as, for example, the National Academy of De- sign in New York. It would be folly to maintain that our best pictures are superi- or to the best pictures there, but it is an actual fact that a more uniform standard of merit ts maintained here. There a but all who have seen ing know with what a inferior pictures thes. gems are surrounded. In our local show fe one is exempt from the authority of the jury, and it ts posible, therefore, to select the pictures for the entire exhibition with a more discriminating and critical judg- ment. There are some very indifferent pic- tures hung here on account of personal considerations, but nonor is due to the members of the jury who have the courage of their convictions and are endeavoring to make merit the sole standard. The arrangement of the pictures on the walls is In general very pleasing, and the hanging has been done in a very satisfactory manner. At least those who are on the line think so, while those who are placed higher up naturally do not consider it a very suc- cessful piece of work. Any one familiar with the matter can have no conception of the obstacles which strew the path of the hanging committee, and the question of the acceptance or rejection of a picture is ex- tremely simple when compared with the more complex one of where to hang it. from whom a high order of work is always expected is Edmund Clarence Messer, and his art is seen to good advantage in two large canvases and a small misty morning subject painted with great truth. Of his two large canvases the glimpse of a Maine pasture on a threatening day is dark and gloomy, and in spite of its many fine quali- ties, most visitors will prefer the more cheerful subject from Loudoun county. To borrow the expression which Bayard Tay- lor used in reference to another landscape painter, Mr. Messer may be called the artistic discoverer of Paxson, Virginia, and | the subtle evening effect which he exhibits this year is but one of a number of interest- ing motives by which his brother knights of the brush have become familiar with the locality. Returning again to portraiture, Alice Bar- neys’s striking three-quarter-length figure at once claims attention, and impresses the observer with its extraordinary force and vigor. The figure, instinct with life and vitality, seems almost ready to move, and the sure, unhesitating brush strokes with which it is painted argue a thorough’ tech- nical knowledge. Mrs. Barney’s work is marked by a distinctive note of individual style, and the same is true to an even greater degree in Alice Archer Sewall’s portrait of her father. It is painted in a low key, and is so lacking in any positive accent that it might easily be overlooked in a hasty survey of the exhibition, and yet it is one of the things most worth atten- tion. It is a thoroughly good likeness, and still the portrait is an expression of Miss Sewall’s artistic temperament rather than “MISERERE,” BY WILLIAM FULLER CURTIS. As some humorist has suggested, the only way to obviate all the difficulties of the question and to satisfy all concerned is to allow each artiet to hang his owa pictures. The exhibition depends this year for in- terest more upon the excellence of a large number of canvases, rather than upon a few very notable works, but there are nevertheiess a number of pictures which forcibly arrest the attention when the vis- itor first enters the main gallery. Juliet Thompson's portrait is one of these, and her contribution is remarkable not only as being far ahead of all her previous suc- a veracious study of nature as others 5: it. The figure is painted in a mysterious half light, and she has given a noticeably good quality of depth to the picture and 2 sense of air surrounding and enveloping the figure. The artist's point of view is en- trely original, and the work will not ap- Feal to every one, but promises to have opponeita no less earnest than its cham- pions. Of the figure compositions which have a story to tell there are no great number, and George Gibbs’ large oil called “John Paul Jones at White- haven” is in many respects the most note- worthy. It was made for an illustration, and in the disposition of the masses of light and dark, well in the grouping and action of the figures, it is remarkably good. It is in its light and shade that it is most telling, and in color it is not as pleasing as his mysterious. pastel called the ‘‘Phan- tom Ship.” Mr. Gibbs also exhibits the figure of a cavalier executed in pastel, and he enters into his subject with a good deal of spirit, but the study might have been carried further with good regults. Frank Moss also shows a cavalier figure studied from the came model, but with a different disposition of the accessories. Neither of these two cavalier figures is werked out with sufficient precision to be entirely satisfying, as the spectator is hatnted ali the while by the memory of similar subjects executed with marvelous John Paul Jones, by Geo. Fort Gibbs. accuracy, be it in the minute manner of Meissonier or the broader and no less mas- terly style of Roybet. In his figure of a monk at prayer Mr. Moss strikes a more serious vein, and his work reveals a mark- ed gain in force. There is an agreeable ser¢e of solemnity in the bowed figure and the picture tells its story directly and well. George Serseney contributes one of the mest important figure compositions in the gallery, and the conscientious study and ciose observation which it displays might well put some older artists to the blush. It is called “The Oli Flag,”’ but the picture speaks for itself, and it is not necessary to look at the title to learn its meaning. Tfie two figures are remarkably well painted, and the careful draughtsmanship, s¢pple- mented by a fine sense of color, will un- doubtedly attract widespread attention dur- ing the course of the exhibition. Edward Siebert is the author of another interesting composition, a large vil, show- ing the interior of an old coffee house in New York, with a number of men seated at or standing around the tables. The work has not been carried very far, but the fig- ures are vigorously brushed in and the faces are full of character. It is interest- ing to notice the different types that Mr. Siebert has introduced among the patrons of the cafe. A good example of the artist's broad and forcible handling is seen in the study head which he contributes. For a sympathetic expression of che poetry of nature and a fin> rendering of the sentiment of a quiet sunset, James Henry Moser can always be counted upon, and his three evening motives are truly gems in artistic feeling. In his largest cenvas there is a noticeable delicacy of tenal gradation, and the luminosity of the sky is worthy of mention. An equal re- firement and charm of color is found in the June study, waich also comes from his hand. While Mr. Moser never departs from the fundamental truths of rature, he THE roundings brings out the head in telling style, and centers the interest upon it. “Playmates,” the little figure study by Spencer Nichols, not without its meas- ure of cleverness, but he can do work of @ so much higherjgrade that it will be found somewhat di¥appdfnting. It is much to be regretted that could not finish the powerful portrait that he was pianning to send, for he would then have been rep- resented in a marmer that would satisfy the most fastidious: a Henry Floyd aspires to! he known rather as a painter of portraits than as a creator of landscapes, but to some at least his outdoor work has the’ greater charm. There is a dewy freshness about his large early morning subject that is very fasci- nating, and the pictare is well studied throughout. Of Mr. Floyd’s portrait heads the man painted in full sunlight is the strongest and most © unconventionally treated. e Easily the best of Carl Weller’s land- scapes is his “October Day in Sweden,” which presents to view a stretch of coun- try that is in truth wide, wild and open to the air. The sky is cold and leaden, and is in itself far from being an agreeable color note, but it heightens the sense of bleak- ness and desolation, and the picture re- mains one of the most powerful that have come from Mr. Weller’s brush. Jules Dieudonne is well represented by ®@ scene along the river with a couple of scows lying close to the bank, from one of which rises a column of blue smoke, the only suggestion of life in the picture. The coloring in this is quiet and very pleasing, and the reflections on the water as one looks across it very true. Mr. Dieudonne has done few things in land- scape that are better. Another satisfactory landscape is the one painted by Wells M. Sawyer near River- dale, giving a wide sweep of country across the fields from a point near the old mansion. Its particular charm is in the openness and largeness of effect which the artist has admirably brought out, and it is altogether the best of the subjects he shows. Although Bertha E. Perrie is seen at her best in her work in water color, one can not fail to enjoy her contributions in oil to this exhibition. One is a small outdoor subject, a little cottage shaded by a big tree close by, but her portrait will attract more attention. It is a very interesting head, and in every line and expression is thoroughly in character. Parker Mann’s contributions will arouse considerable interest, though he is not quite as well represented as at the exhibit of the Water Color Club. There is no lack of variety in the pictures that he shows, and they will suit all tastes. A bit of Dutch landscape will find favor with some, the more brilliant coloring of his Venetian scenes may appeal to others, and perhaps an even larger number will fix upon his gray day sketch at Gloucester as the most artistic of the whole group. The most sumptuous color studies in the gallery bear the signature of Aline Solo- mens, who has a delightful gift of color. Notice, for example, the little head which masquerades under the name of Tessa. It would be hard to find a more decorative bit of color. Considered from the standpoint of color and tone, the idyllic scene by Arthur B. Davis also exercises a peculiar fascination. The charm of such a picture cannot easily be explained, and can only be compared to the sensation of pleasure which is ex- perlenced from some righ fragment of old tapestry. Carl Gutherz is represented by a large portrait and a decorativé panel of cherubs. His mural decorations .at the Congres- sional Library are so Well known as to render specific comment''on his work un- necessary. Robert Hinckley’s likeness of Chief Jus- tice Fuller is the best thing that he ex- JURY, puts into his pictures a strong personal note that lifts them above the more close- ly imitative work. Hobart Nichols is another artist from whom we always expect excellent land- scape work, and he seldom disappoints us. By far the best thing which he shows this year is his Woodland Study, painted in eerly spring, with the warm tinted brown leaves covering therground and the trees bare and sharply defined. A Single tree nesr at hand stands out with dramatic dis- tinctners against the background of tree trunks, stretching away into the distance, until all form is lost in the bluish depths of the wood. The picture was painted lcoking toward the sun, and the effect of sunlight is remarkably brilliant and true; indeed the observer can very easily tm- agine that this is no counterfeit of nature, but nature itself. The coloring has the agreeable qualities usually found in Mr. Nichols’ work, and the cool, gray rocks contrast pleasantly here and there with the tawny yellows and reddish hues in the fallen leaves. Howard Helmick is another artist not represented in the most adequate way, for surely he has done better things than the portrait which he exhibits. The pose is a trifle stiff, and the light background nat- urally does not set off the white-clad fig- ure very effectively, but the flesh tints are excellent, and the face is full of vivacity and expression. The light ky of the sur- hibits, and it 1s a lifelike plece of por- traiture. His painting of Christ on the Cross, from the spirit of the season in which it is shown, will arouse more than the usual amount of interest. The bizarre setting which he has given this picture i. unfortunate, perhaps, as it is a pretty gcod rule that a frame should not draw attention from the picture by its oddity, especially if that be in an unaesthetic di- rection. E. F. Andrews sends some examples of work in his older manner. One is a pic- ture of a little girl in a chair, which is drawn with great delicacy, and there is iso a subject of the sort made familiar to us by Chialiva. Mr. Andrews himself locks down upon the visitor from the end of the room, where his portrait by Mrs. Andrews is stationed. It is one which may be said to fall into the class of genre Pertraits, and is likely to excite more general interest than most of the mere ikenesses, as Mr. Andrews is pictured in painting costume, in his blouse, with brush in hand and the usual accessories of his work around him, while a piece of tapestry forming a portion of the background adds te the richness of the color scheme. Grace Le Duc makes a most decided ad- vance upon her last year’s contribution in the soundly painted figure study which she sends. The painting of flesh tints in shadow is always a@ difficult problem, and the transparency which she has given is extremely good. interesting subject Mr. Chandlee. Mr. Gill. Mr. Weller. Mr. Childs. unites with the charm of color in render- ing this a canvas which one enjoys linger- ing over. Another geod portrait is likeness which Anna Lee has mad> of her sister. The resemblance is admirable, and the work has an unaffected simplicity and grace. Will H. Chandlee appears to very good advantage this year, his spring motive be- ing executed in a light vivacious key that is entirely in keeping with the subject. There is a pleasant delicacy of color in this pastel, and it expresses the joyousn2ss of pringtime. There is much artistic feeling in his gray day subject, and also in a little moonlight motive. Although there is no reason to suppose that Robert Coleman Child's suns2t land- scape with the flaming red sky is in the least an exaggeration of nature, it is one of the things which would probably be con- sidered inappropriate subjects according to the exacting canons of good taste, and on derives far more pleasure from the littl Gloucester scene, showing some rocks on @ gray day, which is a very carefully studicd piece of work. Jan2 Bridgham Child has a large pas' called Siegfried, and a subject which excellent decorative qualities, but in whic! she has perhaps dwelt with too much car@’ upon the details of costume. Mrs. Child also contributes a small portrait which is an unmistakable likeness. Edgar Nye has nothing very new to say this year, but he expresses hiniself with ease ana with his usual delicacy of cool colorirg. Atmosphere is never wanting in his work, and there is usually a certain largeness of corception and impressive breadth ir his landscapes. He~-paints na- ture a little too much in one mood, and danger lies in the direction of monotony. He should avoid the substitution of an ideal beauty for the reality of nature, even though the precedent has been well established. R. M. Shurtleff, on2 of the few outside contributors, does exactly that in his wood interior, and, while the work has an unde- niably pleasing qvality, it is a little arti- ficial. Ernest L. Major, an old-time Washington boy, who is represented by a suavely paint- ed head, is an artist not usually seen in cur exhibitions now, and Bladen Snyder is another. The latter's contribution is a street scene in Europe, painted in a semi- impressionistic way which gives a brilliant effect of sunshine and a strong appearance of reality to the scene. Edward L. Morse is a rewcomer, but he is rapidly Leccming known here as a capa- ble painter of portraits. He exhibits sev- eral strongly handled heads, of which the old salt is perhaps the most interesting. The large portrait of Dr. Elmer Gates exhibited by W. Haskell Coffin has so many good qualities that one cannot help wishing it entirely satisfactory. The fig- ure is painted boldly, the face is full of life ard expression, and the pose doubt- less characteristic, but it lacks all subtlety. It shows no appreciation of delicate rela- tions, and, while the strength and life- likeness of the portrait give great prom- ise for the young artist’s future, it still leaves something to be desired. Wilhelmina Nichols shows an attractive Hittle study of a baby playing with a ki:- ten, which is by all odds the best thing that she has done in a long time. The ladies will pause cver it and say that it is “just too cunning for anything,” but it deserves more serious appreciation than that, for it ts a thoroughly sympathetic delineation of childhood. Anna Sands sends her pastel called Jes- sica, a scmewhat pensive head, to which the accessories of costume, as the quaint, small cap, aid in giving a truly Shakes- pearean quality. It is a subject, more- over, that is very pleasing in its color. Near it hangs a strong oil by Mrs. Hoven- den. Catherine Critcher, Maud Newman, Elizdy beth Bell and Mrs. Doubleday are among those who show good work in ;ortraiturg end in other lines. Lucien Powell, Heleq Nicolay, Mary M. Hyde, Miriam 8. Rui W. W. Christmas and a number of other: show interesting canvases. Passit.g into the ante room, where the work in black and white is shown, one is immediately struck by the burnt wood decorations by William Fuller Curtis. The art of the “poker etcher” is comparatively new in Washington, and its development elsewhere is rather recent, co that works executed in this medium are bound to claim attention. Mr. Curtis expresses him- self in this medium as easily as in any other, and his taste for the decorative well fits him for this work. In his “Mis- he reaches a very high plane, and his “Symphony” is also markedly good. The department of black and white has always offered a tempiing field for those who, as Oliver Wendel? Holmes puts it, “perform a little on the lead pencil,” and in past seasons many very amateurish sketches have been sent in, but this year very little work was contributed, and it was all of @ high quality. One of the interesting features of this recom, and the most novel feature of the exhibition, is the collection of clever cari- catures by Felix Mahoney." He has set down on paper all the best known members of the Society of Washington Artists, and the likenesses are unmistakable. They are very laughable, and yet Mr. Mahoney’s pencil has caricatured them in such a gen- tal, good-natured way as to give no offense even to the most sensitive. Hattie Burdette is present in several of her characteristic decorative subjects, which are always so popular. The profile head in charooal is noticeably good, and Miss Burdette is also represented in the main gallery by a striking color study. Prof. Alexander Melville Bell, modeled by Carl Heber, is another striking work, and it fs handled in a broad way that is wonderfully telling. Mr. Heber works with the | Mr. Moser. ae, Mr. Floyd. strength of delicacy, according to his sub- ject, and the refinement he cisplays in a littie bas-relief 1s noteworthy. An artistic etching by E. H. Miller, a decoration by Ernest son and serious work in oil by Glenn M. Brown are to be j Seen in the anteroom. Very few miniatures have been sent in this y2ar, and the only artists represented are Franz J. Schwartz and Mary K. Porter, Ya Portrait, by Juliet Thompson. both of whom disp’ by great delicacy of y specimens marked dling. The exhibit of sculpture is also small. U. 8. J. Dunbar, who is us the most generous contributor, exhibits two bas-re- Nefs only. The newest one of these is a strcngly modeled lif: head of Mr, C. J. Bell. Edith Ogden, who has recently returned from Paris, exhibits a well-modeled head, and a small head by Dr. Licber also adds to the interest af this dcpartment. ART AND ARTISTS At the exhib'tion of the emy of Design, which op e on Monday, prizes were awarc following artists: The Clarke y to Abbott Thayer; the Dodge prize of $300, to Letitia B. Hart, and the three Hallgarten prizes of $300, $26) and $100, to Robert Reid, Harry Roseland and Walter C. Hart son, respectively. The aw not by any means single out those can- vases at the best in the exhibition, as the academicians never compete, and many ol the strongest outside contributors are barred on account of having taken prizes in previous years. There are very few notable portraits on the walls, and aside from such work as that shown by Walter Shirlaw and Douglas Volk there are few ‘d of prizes does | does not attempt the most ambitious sub- jects, but contents herself with doing simpler themes thoroughly well. Her flow- er studies are keenly artistic, and here, af in all her work, the technical handling is nigh faultless. M, well Roses she p ' especially and in the grace of ar- rangement, ty and delicacy of color her studies are hardly excelled by those of any other flower painter. Not a few of the water colors eahibited were crisp figure studies, and there were also a number of landscapes, these mostly from Shinnecock, Long Island. Mrs. Nicholls is, however, heartily tired of this much painted locall- ty, and this coming summer plans to go up to Maine, where she and her pupils may find newer subjects. Pare Probably no picture that has been shown at Fischer's for some time has been of such importance as the portrait by Velas- quez of his royal patron, Philip IV of Spain. The portrait shows the king in are mor, with his plumed helmet resting on the table before nim. and displays a wonderful attention to detail, every portion of the armor appearing with perfect distinctness. The general effect is, therefore, not so simple as in many of the master’s paint« ings, though it loses none ef its accuracy as a portrait, the face being strongly ex- pressive of the king’s character. It is a weak and stolid face, with ill-shapen nose and the heavy, projecting lip which war a characteristic of his house; the face of a man of whom we have the one good thing to remember, that while his reign was marked by a return to something like the folicy of Philip II, his own weak and fickle nature remained always loyal to the genius of Velasquez, exercising In his be- half a patronage without which the painter might never have attained to the perfection of those qualities which render him in- comparable in the world of art. “ x * The opening of the annual exhibition of the S. W. A. has for the time being drawn attention from the large loan exhibition which is to be held at the old Corcoran Art Gallery, but the preparations for it are being pushed with no less zeal. The ex- hibition will open with an evening view on the 11th of Aprii, and the gallery will be opened to the public on the day following. The display promises to be remarkably fine, and wilt include works in oil, pastel and water color, miniatures, bronzes, laces and textiles. In the selection of pictures, the committee bas had three things in view: First, the assembling of early Amer- i paintings of historical interest and value; secondly, the display of pictures which will appeal only to the most culti- vated taste; and lastly, works of a high order which will please the popular fancy. - se The large and interesting collection of drawings by Frederick Remingtcn, which is now at Veerhoff's, will remain there through the coming week. Most of these awings are in pure wash, a medium which Remington handles to perfection, but | a few are in oil, in colors. In spite of the interest which attaches to some of the more elaborate compositions, the really finest things are among the sketches of single figures, individual horsemen with | their mounts, etc., which show the thor- o.gh knowledge and love of the subject, in which Remington is not to be compared | with any other magazine illustrator, a SPRING WOODS, BY H. HOBART NICHOLS. single figures that excite much attention. The exhibit has an abundance of figure compositions on the order of those con- tributed by J. G. Brown, and can boast the usually large number of landscapes. Some of the best works in the gallery are landscapes or marines, and among the finest of these are canvases by Edward Gay, Ar- thur Partop, Howard Russell Butler, and the late William L. Picknell. No Wash- ingtonians are represented, but many will be interested to learn that Miss Wooding, who was for some time superintendent of the Art League here, contributes an at- tractive little marine. The academy this year, taken through and through, is very far below the exhibit of the Society of American Artists, and it will probably re- main so as long as the magic letters “‘N. A.” act as an open sesame for many large canvasses that are commonplace and ineffectual, and for some that can lay no claim to art whatsoever. » ee |. Those who were fortunate enough to see the water colors of Mrs. Rhoda Holmes Nicholls, which were displayed in a semi- private exhibition at the residence of Mr. Andrews early this week, carried away a rrost. delightful impression. Mrs. Nicholls well as being full of his usual broad effect of sunlight. On the other hand, in the pic- ture, “Riding Herd in the Rain,” in which one sees a number of cowboys through the misty air, he has produced a fine effect of atmosphere, very unlike these familiar sunny effects. * x & Mr. Walter Paris has taken a studio at the northwest corner of Pennsylvania ave- rue and 17th street, where he will always be ready to receive visitors, though Satur- day of each week is his special reception y. —$_———— It's Different, You Know. From the Chicago Post. It was just after war had been declared, and the quiet man saw the noisy one sneaking away from an excited crowd. “What's the matter?” asked the quiet man. “They're discussing the war,” replied the noisy one. “Well, you've been yelling for war for the last two months, haven't you?” de- manded the quiet ma “Of course I hav one; “but, hang it ail, talking about enlisting.” returned the noisy these people are