Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-07-07
BRUSH AND PALETTE.

THE Versistchagin collection of paintings
and curios will be exhibited at the st. Louis
Exposition next fall
The small still life. by A. G. Wooster, which
has been on exhibition at Morrison's during
the past week, is very cleverly executed little
work. The subject consists of a paper Of
Strawberries, showing the fruit rolling out upon
the table, and small pitcher of common
earthenware bearing evidence of i'll usage in
several pieces broken from its upper portion.
The handling and coloring in this work are both
very good. with the exception, perhaps. of the
brown paper, which is rather too dark in tone.
The painting of the little broken pitcher is a
clever piece of work, ana shows considerable
skill in the use of the brush. For picture of
such simple and unpretentious character this
little study is quite pleasing and effective.
1T is difficult to account for the existence Of
such bad taste as leads to the production of
some of the common Autographs which are ex-
pected to become popular because they are
alleged to illustrate scenes to which a special
interest attaches. One of the latest of these
productio is a.lithograph which is:claimed to
be an illustration of the flood at Johnstown.
In character it is just like the others of the
same class of works, in which there are no
best for the simple reason that they are all
worst, being as bad as they can well be Prob
ably no one of the graphic processes has ever
been so much abused in this manner as the art
OF lithography and it IS one Of strange con-
tradctions. which sometimes obtain in art as
in other matters, that a method of delineatioD
possessing SO many delightful possibilities
should also be the means by which some of the
worst eyesores are produced.
SOME little fault might be found with the
study of q team of oxen by Mr.. Bryan Wall
shown at Gillespie's. The animals are de-
picted lying down and yoked together, and, of
course, a certain amount of constrained ap-
pearance is inseparable from their position un-
der the circumstances, but aside from this Is
noticeable hardness and stiffness which
might readily have been avoided by a little
care on the part of the artist Perhaps the
greatest fault lies in the drawing of the fore
legs of the animals, which, on account of the
position in which they are seen. are very much
foreshortened and require more care in their
delineation than has been bestowed upon them.
On the other hand the picture has some of the
strong points which are characteristic of most
of this artists recent work, among which may
be mentioned the firm and substantial appear
ance of the two beasts, and the pleasant tone
which pervaGes the work as a whole. Mr. Wall
has already commenced the summer campaign
against such difficulties as unfavorabie
weather, etc.. in which all artists who paint
from nature must engage, though it is proba-
BILE that from now until the frost comes nature
will smile more often than frown and the lot of
the artist be enviable in spite of its trials.
"a SHADY Road, Washington County, is
the subject of the latest picture by Mr. E. A,
Poole, now on exhibition at Boyd's. The sub
ject is something quite different from any
which this artist has yet shown here. but the
peculiarities of his style are plainly noticeable
throughout the work. The picture represents
a country road winding through a woods, along
which flock Of sheep may be seen coming
toward the spectator. The grouping of the
trees is varied and beautiful, and they bend
gracefully over the roadway in a very pleasing
and picturesque manner A certain stiffness
in the handling OF the trees is a fault which has
been remarked in other work by the same ar
tst but this fault is, in some measure at least
counterbalanced by the considerable degree of
relief which he has succeeded in giving TO the