The Portland daily press., 1884-11-03
ARTISTIC PORTLAND.
what the herald Critic Thinks OF the
Portland Art Exhibition.


The art critic of the Boston Sunday Herald
has visited the local art exhibition at the Soci-
ETY. Of Art building. and after giving short
sketch of the Society, thus speaks, in the Sun
day Herald, of the exhibition:
1.-THE present exhibition is not only local but
largely amat ur; but il is of quality of AMATEUR
i'm that speaks well for the futue OF The artists
in oil here represented only two perh ans are u eli
known TO The outside vocabulary Blown and 9
+. kimbRl the former, who is an ipdefatioahle
worker, and whose stu io on Congress street i0day
shows pictures aud sketches by the hundreI has in
the ciuo put one, shore piece, quite goo in his
usual manner-the firm. one might say, tense dry
clear, rather attenuated amer, with Just enough
divergence from the old school to less genefa
det iii aud a broader eye for Masses IF LSimh.II
shows decided penchant eli her way it il far the
modern extreme He appears to delight in f, esh
warm tones, and juicy tex ures or one might prop,
erly say In warm taugle OF color, for his land
scape work here, though meritoiious ia many WAYS
does not yet quite reveal him master of that sIiD-
tie yet distinct thing called tone. 1t is full of I'M
preston, suggestiveness, breadth of treatment but
but not always If cIearntss of motive. One some
times looks nquiringly for major note 1t is work
with more charm than pith. There are a counle of
landscape meadow bits, which, in the water led
frashness Of their soft verdure, especially in
viting.
are couple of portraits by IL. u. Hewes The
one of rather stronghold ured lady is nor auite az
happlly rendered, but that OF a gnarled-faced old
man well-known street character, is parti cul ar
ly vigorous. Both portraits impress one with that
Speaking strength that comes from truth Ia life
assures us that hen tn, artist gets tn he 4
greater master OF The subtleties of colors he will
achieve remarkable work. NJ. b. Gilbert an ther
earnest worker. who follows Lensibly another
caring, ana taxes TO painting because he cannot
let 1t alone, displays here little meadow view and
one OF two sIal road landscapes which shows
much Oh that half achievement which MARKS oue,s
prog ess toward hign ideal. fhey full of color
ieeiiug. Another small landscape, far better than
many turnsd out BY artists with loudly heralded
names, is roadside bit by John Wood. Miss
Alice Gould uauol of the tnf al,
has very fac panel piece of cherries which lacks
only warmer backgr md TO make it q gluwingiy
llch pie. Q OF color. The same lack llows oil
Hover pieces here Backgrounds arc the common
stumbling ocks TO age cd work in ali ex hi
billions. When wi op Q dare to make them warm
aLu pr nou G. d.. Anu think they l,,,>L he
Ell her oingy or cole i'll order to enh ce the subis2
Inc local talent here, like th.t IN Boston aud oIher
larger entries, reveas itself clea,lv undar the
dominanee OF modern French D .iatiug The iasas
ami gropng Tor effects here as there are ali right
Inc falling oil Is Tor lack Of knowledge in exeeu-
they csn ale creep.
There are a lew gooi things here in water colors
Inc oesJ by Miss hary Lo4 gfellow-niecs of the
poet-wno reveals at haAf ance the influence OF
her teacher, Rass urner The otners are uy t,vrus
Davis, formerly al art dealer here ana a couple Of
heads by Stopel, which are only an enlargement in
manner of his early work of miniature painting
For black and white there is a strongly modelled
landscape and figure piece by Walter rfin PORT
Jana d. y, WHO studied under L Bartlett in Bus-
ION Another is by Albert Cox anu another aud
larger IL ure gr up, by John Mcdonald formerly OF
Portiand but now ia ew YORK, aud pnpu al IL
iusCratar for til magazines. Auong others whos-
work cann9t be especially mentioned for want of
space, are IL. VI. Sylvester, Miss NJ. G. Mcdowell
MIS- Warren and Mrs Pierce. Bt side d fe im,na-
ture amateur pieces which call for no special mem
tlou, MISS JENNIE Ahde sou, w o has been STUDYING
III New YorA, I'll rvs a few remarkable pieces Of
m delliIg III teri Gotta.
II For land does not grow into an art centre it
wi CLEARLY be due to the fact that The people who
can buy pictures viii do IS people DO nearly every
where else away TO purchase r4ther than foster
home talent. When the work of that exoui. o
young genius, Edward Thaxte of this town who
died at kome as for sale last year at tie foreign
falr, many Peep wondered why PORTLAND made no
effort to OBTAIN II. Portland seems late ia putting
forth her artistic claims not because she has be n
without them, but Father that her Children have
gone else@ here to use them. town If her pu-
iatlon IN the country pefhaps has seut out fl st
and last, so much literary talent, and 10 d4v the
most popular magazine writer's, especially in the
10 at GALAXY, hail from her bordeIs In usical
culture, she has superb HE ia brilliant musi-
cal talent She has lot only given out Cary, but
Paine. The only composer of Ii gh RANK that New
England or the VIII lie cpuntry, FL that natter has
Yet Y oiuced. If she due, not in future boast her
resident painters she will in all probability have
Chiefly herself to blane''