The Portland daily press., 1888-10-13
ALceR v. cuRRIER.
His Salon Pictures at stubbs's Art
Store.

Next Monday evening, Mr.. Alger V. Cur
rier will give the private exhibition of his
paintings at ]. T. Stubbs's art gallery in
Congress Square, and on Tuesday and every
day thereafter for three weeks to the pub
lie. During the daytime tickets can be
secured at the store, for which no charge
will be made.
Mr.. Curriers' remarkable charcoal work
will be remembered when it was placed on
exhibition at the Art Building in 1886, after
his return from Paris. where he had studied
in the Academy Julien, under the instruc-
tion of Boulanger and Lefebre, having pre-
viously done crayon stump work in the Bos-
ton Art Museum for two years and half.
After his return to Paris In the winter of
1SS6-S7, he studied from the nude in the ate
lier OF M. Carolus Duran, and in the CO.'S
tune class in the Atelier Colarssi. At the
end Oh the year he began painting for the
Paris Salon, completing two works in oil
and two in water colors. These pictures,
whose success at the Paris exhibition has al
ready become familiar to our readers, will
be among the paintings displayed by Mr..
Currier at Mr.. Stubbs's, and besides these
-~-~-~S& Va SaAo ouQ WdtCi CUioloS III oAi oOmO
fifty pictures.
Yesterday morning it was our good for
tune to see the Salon pictures, which had
been unpacked and were almost ready for
hanging. The three most striking ones are
entitled "To Your Health" the Goddess"
and the Mandolin Girl" each one of the
three entirely dissimilar in character from
either of the others. "To Your Health"
represents an old man, clad in a rough coat,
holding champagne glass at his mouth,
with one hand, while the other grasps the
bottle On the wall at his back, hangs a
frying pan. The picture, in every detail.
calls for the highest praise. The coloring is
exquisite, and it is solid. The drawing is
exceedingly accurate. 1t is an old saying
that skill in draughtipg and an eye for color
ing rarely combine in the same artist. When
they do the great artist is found. Mr.. Cur
rier comes from stock that possessed the
faculty of accurate drawing father
having been chief draughtsman for the Hal
lowell Granite Works,-and to the family in
heritance has been added in his case, the
eye for coloring and the ability to place that
coloring on the canvass. The picture is in
ctittCk WIN nlCs lnCtC 10 dn UNu, qulLLlCdl
expression in the old mans eyes, as much as
to say, while he drinks to his friend, "What
are you going to do about it, anyway" The
seams and lines of the old fellows counte-
nance, his generous nose, his ragged, grizzly
moustache and hair, the rough. .weather-beat-
en- flesh tints of the countenance, the hands
so admirably painted-with their coarse.
rough, toil-worn fingers, the roughened by
use coat sleeves, with the wrinkles at the
shoulders and on the fore-arms, the pose of
the head and ease of the figure, as if the
subject. while not forgetful of old-fashioned
courtesy. was having good time and not
ayerse to letting every one know it; all these
and other details that might be mentioned,
show great strength and that Mr.. Currier
has within him the qualities of great ar
tist
The MANDOLIN Girl" is a full length, rep
resenting a young girl in brown skirt and
Italian peasant waist, playing on a mando-
lin. She has very graceful pose, and the
lines are exceedingly symmetrical She has
modest, gentle appearance, and the picture
sfull of sentiment. 'The Goddess" from
an anatomical point of view alone is admira-
BILE. A young brunette sits, with her legs
bent under her almost in kneeling posi-
tion, and her arms crossed upon her bosom.
Her face is in half profile. White drapery
is gracefully used to form the background.
The curves and beautiful lines of the SUBJ
ject are reproduced with wonderful fidelity
and show great power The shading Of the
flesh tints is excellent.
Generally drawings are made, and
then the brush is used. Mr. Currier used
the brush alone in painting the picture 'To
Your HEALTH" and completed his work in
three sittings. A very fine sketch of fellow
stuaoat, az---patriah.- painted in four
hours.
Last evening party Of gentlemen, some
seventeen in number, gave Mr.. Currier q
supper at the Preble House. in recognition
Of the honor Mr.. Cnrrier has done his native
State by the success he has achieved in his
art.