Evening star., 1877-12-05
ART NOTES.

ipOliS dic InDIS spacious ana better adapted
otherwise for the purposes of the Club. and i'm
little while they will be ready for use. After
the close of the Loan Exhibition, TO which ref
erence is made in another paragraph. it is the
Intention To keep more or less work OF mem
herS OF the Club COnstantly on the walls, and TO
throw the rooms open during the winter for
the use ot members. active and inactive and
10 the public ut large. The occasional eveniu.
receptions. accompanied by diScOurSeS on art.
exhibition oi sketches. &C.. which constituted
such popular feature last season. win like
wise I've resumed at an early day. The Club
experiences sensible loss IN the absence Of
MessrS. Baumgras, kindleberger, Paris, Poole
Turner, and Witt; but, in spite OF its reduced
membership, il proposes to keep its organiZa-
ton INTACT and as active rs possible. and hopes
eNentuaily 10 accomplish all the good objects
originally had in view.
Mr.. MesSer. after pretty faithful service
out of doors all summer. has taken the studio
formerly occupied by Turner, on the upper
floor 0 Vernon Row, where he is doing better
work than he has ever shown before, admira-
ble III many respects, as some OF it has been.
All OF his later efforts are marked by
breadth of treatment of freedom of style which
not only promise splendid things i'm the future
but. what IS perhaps equally gratifying to him
self and friends, achieve very decided present
success. These qualities, as well as most etfec-
tive and harmonious results in color, are par
iculaTly noticeable in couple of simple fiat
pieces of landscape now on his easel, and
which are IN every way worthy the pencil of
tation.
Mr.. like has recently finished two por-
traits which are justly considered by himself
and his friends to rank with his most success
full efforts. The first is a likeness of the cele
brated Indian chief Spotted TAIL the other
nearly full-ength portrait of Mrs. New, wife
of the late [. ;. Treasurer. Both pictures
have been taken To the COrcOran Art Gallery,
where the public will have an opportunity 10
examine them and compare the characteristics
OF a very fair type of both the white and red
race. The two pictures are interesting, fur
thermore. as illustrating the range of Mr..
Ulke : pencil Tor there are but few artists who
can successfully portray the lincamentS of a
beautiful lady and ut the same time reproduce
on canvass the strong and peculiarly marked
features of the red man of the forest. Mr.
ike IS now engaged on portrait OF Secre-
taTy SchUrZ.
What is said above in regard TO the change
in Mr.. MeSser's style, will apply with nearly
equal force, to Nj. Weyl. All the later ef-
forts of this favorite artist are character
led hy much greater breadth and strength
than his previous work has commonly shown.
1t is likely that what is produced by him
in this transition state which leads to bOlder
and freer handling may, in a measure, dis
appoint few of his friends who warmly ad-
mire his old style yet. in the end the result can
hardly fail to be satisfactory all round. This
We think the reader viii see from an eXamiua-
tiOn Of couple of landscape pieces on which
he IS now engaged,-One Of them a quiet bit
near Bladensburg. the other tOlerabIy large
yicwof Great Falls. treated with great vigOr,
in which the sense of life and action in nature
without 4 living thing in sight. are most admir-
ably rendered. Mr.. WcyI has also on view ut
MarkriterS large picture that is Well worth
examining. and another, still better in our
judgment. on his easel. which shows a fine.
rich, auumnal effect on the hills OF Virginia.
seen from this side Of the river lust above
Georgetown.
Mr.. ii. X. Brown, the sculptor, is in the
! city for visit of afew days. the guest OF Mr..
NC -
for Mr.. Browns equestrian statue of General
Greene is expected here in 4 few DAYS and the
figures are ready 10 ship and be put in place
Is soon as the pedestal can be made ready to
receive them. This work, by the way, is con-
Sidered Mr.. Brown master piece, and those
who have seen il predict that it will be by odds
tie finest thing Of its kind yet set up in Wash
inEjOn.
Hans Makarts large and beautiful paint
ing, "Catharine Comaro,' which was one of
tie features of the exhibition in Memorial
Hall during the Centennial Exhibition last
year. has been bought for the Berlin Nation1l
Gallery. The price paid for il was Sl2, 800
Daring the Exhibition the price asked wa
$500, gold. but il was subsequently offered 20
the Pennsylvania Academy OF Fine Arts for
$500. That institution. after considerable
ef1olt, was, however, unable to raise the money.
and the picture then went back to Europe
with the result above noted, which shows fully
| as great a ShTinkage in the value of works Of
| art as the last lew years have brought about in
| that OF other property.
Mr.. Story'S lecture on Art" this even
ing, can safely be set down in advance as
| one of the choicest entertainments of the kind
our citizens have ever had an opportunity OF
attending. 1t is rare indeed that success in
the fields of both literature and art is achieved
by one person i'll the same degree that it has
been won by MIR. Story, and public discourse
| by him is one that no person Interested in the
slightest degree in either subject can well al
ford TO miss.
The popular verdict seems TO be that
William the Testy, BOughtons latest contri-
button to the CorcOran Gallery is not the equal
either in sentiment or treatment, of his other
picture on its wallS-''The Heir PreSumptive''-
| which has always been prime favOrite. In
deed, IL Is becoming an open question with
| MIR. BOughtOnS friends and admirers whether
on the whole, he is doing as good work at the
present time as he did several years ago.
MIR. Witt made flying visit TO Washing.
ton last week. on his way from Ohio, where he
has been busily engaged for several months
| past. To New York, where his services are
equally in demand. He will retain his studio
| permanently in that city, but hopes to be able
| to spend some time i'll Washington later in the
season.
1t was happy thought" in the Art Club
| to get up a Loan Exhibition for Washington
| Its members have had from time To time so
| much of their own work on the walls of the
| club room that they conceived the idea that it
| would be an agreeable change to their friends
anu treat tO the puDllc db large
| to afford them an opportunity to see i'm one
| grouping some of the best pictures, by other
| than local artists, owned by private individuals
| in the city. Accordingly they sent a circular
| application to those of our citizens whom they
| knew to be owners Of first class works of art
| asking for the loan Of at least portion of
| their treasures to aid i'm carrying out the ends
| in view. The responses To their request We're
i'm the main favorable, and in some cases most
| hearty and encOura ging. In several instances
| no answers at all were received, and i'm a very
| few others a somewhat ungracious indispOsi.
| ton TO cooperate in the praisewOrthy object
| was manifested. On the whole however the
| committee have great reason to be satisfied
| with the result of their efforts, and We are as
| sured that the public will be both surprised
| and gratified with the exhibition they will be
| able to make,-as well i'm regard to quality of
the pictures thus brought together as their
humber. and which, by the way, might have
| been greater. We are told, had the Club more
wall space at command. 1t is probable that al
| the good private collections in Washington
will not be represented: but the selecting COM
mittee have reason to believe that at least
some OF the best pictures i'm the very best col
| lectioDs. large and SMALL i'm the city, will be
| there, and that the exhibition thus made will
be fairly representative i'm character, and i'm
the highest degree creditable alike to their
II