New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-12-16
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
APT IN AMERICA.
HKT IN HNfHHSth' N.
AMERICAN ART. with roxt % e " NoA'''"


..r,,c,v ART. with rcxt h, G. X KormER Pr
IS. Cassel d 20.
We do not EXCEPT either the BOOK Oh A,he''''n
sxc,,rc Painters or the Tile Club book wneh we
..v that no publication OF the year iurhsi'ce
rr,afer illustration Of the work OF American
s,.t.rs than Mr. Koehlcr's american Art
what he has aimed to do-for the choice OF these
victurcs NAV safely he ascribed TO him-s TO make
. commemorative collection Of American PICTURES
and ON the whole his twenty-five sci, nave
hecn iudicious American landscape ART Is rc'he'
scnted by Inness, X. S. Clifford. Thomas Morah'
Nurrhv. Pckncn and Miller; portraiture by
Ihaycr, vinton and Fowler; ideal work by d. o.
Church. vedder, Blashfeld and Dewiny 1oreigh
md domestic genre by j. Eastman Johnson, '"li
law. F. A. Bridgman, Guy. Homer elrich, piomh'
Hoyeuden Pearce Gaugcngisl and Alexander iiar-
rison, and still-life painting by Carlson 'S
cesy to find sins of omission and commission In
this list. but in general it answers its purpose
we'll MANY of the paintings selected represent
unusual achievement on the part Of the artist ana
will be readily recalled. Such, for example, are
Mr.. Homcr's "voice from the Chhs'" MT uli-
fords "Near the Coast" Mr.. Ulrich's Land OF
Promise" Mr. Blashfeld's Autumn Mr. bioWhs
.sLongshorcman's Noon," Mr.. Vcddcr's Cu-
nean Sibyl.u Mr.. Gaugengigl's "Dinicult Ques-
tom and Mr. Fowler's AT the Piano" Some
have enjoyed an unlue popularity, put IL Is wen
enough to recognize popular successes IN a COZ
lection of this kind, and. aside from one curious
bias Mr. Kochler has shown JudsmehV "neAi Id
catholic as well as Intelligent.
Where the painters have had the liberty OF
cbo;cc rs in the Tile Club book and some OF our
most ambitious essays in illustration they have
chosen TO make their appeal directly to their audi
once by the aid of Photographic processes wlth-
out the Intervention Of other artists Inc hac'e
neyed dictum that this tendency, so strongly
marked in our magazines means the oeaoh %
wood engraving need not be considered here. In
fins volume The etching needle and the lockwood
block hold their own Some of the painters have
etched their own pictures theoretically this IS
most desirable and it has worked admirably In
the cases Of Messrs. Moran and clifford. Dut we
cannot say much for Mr. Guys etching, naive
bit of work. lacking refinement. tone ana texture
The other pictures have been etched by Messrs y.
ID Smillie Schoff and Peter Moran, or engraved
,,pon wood by Messrs Closson HOslIins and others.
Mr.. Schof's etchings after portraits by Vlnton ana
Ihayer are among the most credltaOle Things
which he has shown U.S. He had to deal Win art-
lists one of whom is pronounced and direct IN his
manner of expression, the other subtle ana elusive
and the characteristics Of each and OF each subject
as an individual have been sympathetcally inter
prcted Mr.. Smillie. whose experience In linear
work upon metal is exceeded by very few OF his
professional brethren, has luIHollOu uViOio vim -
telligent translations Of paintings by Messrs.
Bridgman and johnson. In dealing with the hS-
ire ,,pon a larger scale in the "Voice from the
ClasD Mr. Smille seems TO us to have missed
something which we would not willingly part
from As matter of course the composition Is
faithfully reproduced. The free. noble movement
f the arms and the utter of the draperles are re-
pcated although softened little perhaps OF
necessity but there is n lack in the gestures and
especially in the expression of the faces which
leads us TO feel that the dramatic force of the
original has been weakened III translation Inc Wood
engrayings of Mcssrs. ClossOn and HoslIins are
excellent and the power Of delicate compehen-
sion shown in the formers work illustrates the
resources of the art in the hands Of an accom-
pshcd and sympathetic artist
IL would be rash to draw any general con-
clysons from a collection of this kind but those
who follow our exhibitions Will see that their
character is fairly reflected here. The conspicu
Gus feature Of the collection Is the number OF
genres 1t is true that from the time OF Mount To
cur day genre Painting of various kinds has
stealily increased. but its relative consequence
is exaggerated here, probably on account of popu-
lar interest in this class of subjects. On the other
hand the proportion of landscapes is much greater
i'm our exhibitions than in this collection. Purely
imaginative work Of an ambitious KIND Is rare.
In the text, which is a valuable feature OF TINS
volume Mr. KOehler discusses the promise ana
tbe outcome of American art from 1877 Ia 1887
His arbitrary chronology is mis- eading. The re-
marlxable development whose familiar story ne
recounis dates further back than 1877. Our
new school of illustration and of initiative wood
engraN ing began to take form soon after The
TO, n iation of the old "Scrbncr's Monthly" The
younger artists who had followed the lead given
by Hunt some years before began to return from
Paris and Munich in the early seventies If we
are not mistaken Richardson had completed the
plans Of Trinity Church some time before 1917
ana work was then under way, while architecture
had already shown Sims OF the new Impulse III
other cities Tie promise of the last fifteen years
has not been fulfilled in Mr.. koehlers opinion
We are compelled to aglce with him ON tie wloie
but it is worth while to make the point which he
misses-that the artists who came back to us len
years since continue to represent an advance upon
their Predecessors, and that still younger group
of promising artists has come forward within five
wears who furnish hope for further advance III
the fut,ue For their failure TO achieve much
which WAS hoped for and expected Mr.. koehler
blames our public and our time rather than inc
artists Themselves. Technical advancement there
Las BEEN but great subjects, worthy expressions
of deco feeling and noble thought have been very
few For all this there has, as Mr.. koehlcr says
been little encouragement. Our art is patron
led neither by Church nor state save III en-
ceptional and often unfortunate instances. Our
art latrons rarely stimulate our artists by award
ing them important commissions Only the other
day painting by foreign artist was purchased
for $50, 900 by of our most cstmabc citizens
and presented TO our museum The SUBJECT
Columbus should most emphatically have been
painted by an American and there are several
of our artists who would have painted II WELL
some brilliantly This is not calculated TO en-
courage American art and yet this Is the attitude
taken by many men Of wealth and influence
toward American artists.
in lie dica,i