Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-28
ART NEWS AND GOSSIP.

A PORTRAIT in oil of a young lady, painted
by Mr.. Charles Walz is on exhibition a
Young's.
A STUDY of basket of pansies, the work o.
Miss McElroy, has been shown at Young's dur
ing the week.
Mr.. GEORGE HETZEL was in the city las
week, he having determined to pay another
visit to Cowanshannoc, with view Of spend
ing the remainder of the season there in CASE
he can secure suitable accommodations, failing
which he will return to the Connoquenessing
THE exhibition of a picture painted several
years ago by Mr.. Martin b. Leisser recalls g
name that was at one time very familiar in
Pittsburg art circles. The work referred to is q
painting of a handsome vase of flowers of vari
Gus kinds, which the artist executed Short
time before leaving this city.
Mr.. d. B. WALKLEY is working very indus
triously at his glasshouse interior. which he de-
sires to complete SO far as concerns the draw.
ing of the building and the pose oil the figures
while the works are still shutdown, SO that
when work is resumed in September he will be
free to study the effects of freight and the
real spirit of the scene. He leaves during the
week for Ohio, where he intends to make some
out of door studies.
THE fact that two studies by Mr.. G. 7.
Hetzel were shown In a Wood street art store
about a week ago with cards upon them
t.,
sight on the part of the young man who placed
them in the window, and who failed to fully ap-
preciate the distinction between the two Het-
zels. The pictures had been left by their pres
ton the younger Mr.. Hetzel had that they
were so exhibited was when he read the notice
of them in last Sundays DISPATCH, after
which he lost no time in having the mistake
corrected.
ONE hundred years ago, 80 years ago. 25years
Il g.
last mentioned comparatively short period of
time. and contrasting the appearance of the
office furniture then used with that of the
present day. must be strongly impressed with
the encroachments made by decorative art
upon the domain of the most prosaic business
of furniture that could be made to
answer the purpose was held to
be good enough for office use, no
matter how old, worn and unsightly it might
be. Now all this is changed, and a first-class
office is a luxurious apartment indeed. Office
furniture is now demanded of the latest pat
terms and most substantial workmanship; it
must be artistically designed and elegantly
finished. Brussels or other expensive carpets
cover the floor and fine curtains depend from
polished poles Of hard wood, while higher art
IN the form of pictures adorns the walls. All
this is just as it should be, and the increasing
regard for the beautiful is a good and healthy
sign. The fact that men object to spending a
great portion of their time surrounded by OBJ
jecrs disagreeable to the eye and irritating in
their ugliness is positive evidence of progress
in culture and artistic feeling. Progress in any
art, perhaps, least of all, since it necessarily.
involves increase in refinement and in every.
thing else that is of val1e in our higher civil
ization.
The Gillespie gallery contains three notable
works by foreign artists, but which are now the
property of a prominent business man of this
city. Oh. Moreau, G. Jacquet and Ridgway
L @ln frko
the latter at least is well known in Pittsburg.
The picture by Moreau is a rather uninterest-
ing work, representing an Old World peasant
family at lunch. Technically, the picture
has some good points about 1t, but on
the whole it has bare and incomplete
appearance. The subject of Jacquets picture
is The head and bust of young girl, and it is a
pleasant. well painted work. with no reason
whatever for its existence except to serve as a
very pretty piece of decoration. Nevertheless,
il is of class of work that has place in art
and this picture fits into its place and fills it
WELL for the reason that it is cleverly handled
in a straightforward and free style of execu-
tion, of good color. particularly In the flesh
tints, complete work in its way, and as SUCH
deserving of notice The picture by Ridgway
Knight is the best and most important of the
three, since it is at once the largest work and
painted with the greatest degree of artistic
feeling. The subject is young shepherdess
standing and watching a flock of sheep grazing
nearby. The sheep and landscape are merely
1nOlcaIe1 j, ana L0aL Is all tnaI neeQ De said of
this portion of the picture, which simply sup
plies background to the figure of the young
girl, wherein all the interest is centered, and
which is a splendid work, In bold, free style
that leaves but scant opportunity for fault
finding.
A LARGE oil painting of the Yosemite Val
ley has been noticed at Mayors during
the week. This work, which is Of consider
ably larger size than the pictures usually seen
in this locality, was executed by Mr.. 7. Hill,
California artist. but it is now the property of
Pittsburg gentleman. This picture is a strik-
ing one, and, although not handled in a man.
ner that does anything like justice to
the subject. still it impresses one with
some sense of the granduer of the
scene, and bears evidence Of the splendid field
portions of the Western Wilderness In COM
position the effect is both strong and pleasing:
a foreground of bright, warm tinted greens,
with tall, Straight trees relieved AGAINST barren
other until they fade away in the dim dis
tance, while a small mountain stream finds its
way down n. the .nhiansy valley between them;
and it is one sufficiently grand
and inspiring to call for the noblest and great.
est efforts from a true lover of nature, As
several faults, the greatest of which is that the
artist has not done everything that IN him Law
TO make bis work all that it should be- 1t Is |
painted too thinly and too slightly, and without
demands and justiies a loble effort.
And then the work is raw and crude:
here is but little finish in the foreground |
md none whatever in the background. |
If the details of their geological formation. |
While the distant mountain peaks lack both |
1rmness and delicacy in the drawing. In solor |
he whole work is bright and pleasing, OF rather |
{ would be pleasing but for its want of har. |
nony and feeling which rendcrs 1t unsatisfy- |
ng. A fault Of detail which, though of very |
minor importance, NIL strike even the casual L
observer, is the drawing OF the white horse in /
he foreground. WI all that may be said for |
md against our lod kartists we have some |
lere who could plant easels before scenes /
ike this and produce - and imposing pic |
ures il they would br
FoR dis ordered live us PillA
PEARS Soap the pur yer made. |