Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-21
BRUSH AND PALETTE.


study at Boyd's. The subject consists of
group of objects of simple character, such as
piece OF armor, an antique weapon, anu an
earthenware vessel
QUITE clever little sketch in black and
white in oil color, the work of Miss J. F. Ag-
new, is noted at Boyd's. The young lady shows
good ideas of form and composition, and Oh el-
fect in light and dark tones.
FIVE of Mr.. ]. A. Hekking's pictures were
sold, and, although pressing business called
him from the city, he has left number OF
works behind him, and it is very probable tnat
still others will find a permanent home IN tnls
city.
ABOUT 81 600 worth of paintings were sold BY
Mr.. Bleiman during his five days stay in the
city, which is doing very well, considering the
brief interval which he allowed. to elapse pc
tween his visits. The fine Corot goes else
where. So much the better for Pittsburg.
A CERTIFICATE of honorary membership,
conferred upon Mrs. Mary Evert, is shown In
Mayors window. The work was designed and
executed by Mr.. Franz Lohman, and is an ad-
ditional evidence of that gentlemans artlstlc
skill. Mr.. Lohman combines in a marked de-
gree talents in the line of both music and ART.
BOYD & Co. show a very fine mezzotinr, exc
cuted by Scott Bridgewater after the painting
by Luke Fields, entitled school Days" The
art of mezzotinting, which is one of the most
beautiful methods of reproducing certain Kinds
of paintings has been allowed to fall into dis
use and Is only being revived OF late years.
This fact will give the work an additional In
| terest for all those who understand the tech
n1cal qualities of the graphic processes, Dut
the picture is beautiful and interesting IN
itself aside from anything it gains through the
manner of its production.
MISS MADGE IRWIN is one Of the young
ladies of Pittsburg who mean to prove that art
is not fairly to be regarded as exclusively the
province of the sterner sex. and she is indus
| triously at work covering the walls OF her
studio on Third avenue with pictures, which
embrace rather a wide range OF SUBJECTS.
Nothing seems to come amiss to this versatile
young artist, landscape, marine. cattle. sheep,
flowers. portraits are all accepted as ft sub
| jects for her brush and pencil and even china
painting comes In for its share of attention
Miss Irwin spent considerable time in WASH
| ington, D. G., and made quite a number of
studies in the vicinity of that city, but she is
| inclined to believe that her forte is marine
painting, and rather longs for residence on
| the shore and an opportunity to study the
| waves and the changing aspects OF the great
| deep.
Two landscapes by Charles Lfnford are now
on view at Boyd's, where they are sure to at
tract the share of attention usually accorded
| this artists works. as they are in his happiest
| style of execution. The one is beautiful lit
| tie upright picture of scene on the edge Of a
| wood on day late in the autumn. Mr.. Lin
| ford frequently paints pictures of a similar
style, and always does it well, being particular
ly fortunate in his color effects, and this little
| picture is fully up to his usual standard. The
other picture is still more beautiful and at the
same time more unique, having all of the
artists best qualities; it is also more of a de-
parture from his ordinary style, and therefore
| exhibits less of his mannerisms and peculiari-
| ties The subject is scene in midsummer
| with some fine trees in the foreground and a
distance of more than ordinary beauty and
| charm. No landscapes which have been here
| of late, either by home or foreign artists are
| any better or stronger in color than this one,
and the excellent relation and agreement, both
| in color and tone, of the various positions is
! seldom surpassed.
Mr.. BRYAN WALLIS latest picture, which
can be seen in Gillespies window, is a work
well worthy of note and is unquestionably one
of the best he has ever turned out. In general
character the subject is very much the same
as many of his previous works, and one that
he is well known to have particular fondness
for viz, flock of sheep as the center of inter-
| est. in an autumn landscape. This is as large
| a canvas as Mr.. Wall usually selects for his
| pictures, and larger than those he makes use
| of most frequently, and the subject has been
handled throughout in a careful and conscien-
| tious manner, though at the same time with
| spirit and freedom, and with an earnest effort
| to maintain truth and fidelity to nature with
out resorting to tricky or artificial methods of
| producing effects. The sky in this picture,
| while Of the same character as many that he
has painted before, is, perhaps, better in quail
| ity and fineness of tone than any of his pre-
| vious works. The color scheme of the whole is
| of the simplest nature, but is very true and
very pleasing. being principally Of subdued
| greens, lvened up with reddish and yellowish
| browns. Judged from highly critical stand
| point some fault may be found with this as
| with most other works Of art, as an instance,
| sheep, but taken as whole the work is a fine
| one, and is credit to the artist who produced
| it and to the city in which he makes his home.
ONE serious drawback to the free purchase
! of foreign works of art is the ever recurring
question of their genuineness and this is prac-
tically the case with regard to all works other
than those of very recent production. 1t IS
| often virtually impossible to establish beyond q
| doubt that certain picture is really the work
! of the artist whose name it bears. 1t is not
| sufficient that the picture be purchased from
responsible dealer, for dealers themselves are
frequently deceived and it is just as difficult to
establish the Spuriou enesS of the false or coun-
| terfeit masterpieces as it is the genuineness of
| the true There are few persons living who
could positively and confidently pronounce
picture to be a genuine work of any of the older
artists upon mere inspection and with nothing
else to guide them, and even the best authori-
| ties on the subject can only advance an opinion,
which does not prove anything conclusively.
To anyone outside the charmed circle of art
that a picture should possess such
great value, and yet its merit be so
| obscure that the most competent judges
| are at loss to discover it; or that worthless
| limitations should so closely approach the merit
of the genuine that their character would long
| remain undiscovered when examined by those
! DeSL Quanu6u 10 JuuS6 OI SUCH matters; yet, II
strange it is nevertheless true, and it only goes
| to show that something else than absolute and
undisputed merit gives value to old pictures,
| or course persons accustomed to valuing pic
lures are aware of and appreciate this fact
but it proves the folly of the raptures which
many persons indulge in over pictures which
do not appeal in any way either to their intelli.
gence or their feelings, and in which they
really do not see any beauty or merit but feel
bound to admire because they bear the names
of famous men. When it is remembered that
the men whose opinions carry the greatest
weight are often at fault as to the real merit of
paintings, and that some may fairly be said to
have absolutely no merit of their own and only
desire value from the name they bear, the sill
illness of the pretense of those who try to force
themselves to see beauties which do not exist
becomes apparent. 1t is hard to establish the
identity of old paintings, but it is easy to re-
frain from buying them, and this is the sensi-
BILE course to puIsue with regard to all those to
which any manner of doubt attaches There
are at all times a sufficient number of magnifi-
cent works upon the market authenticity of
which is undisputed, to enable people of means
to satisfy any reasonable longings which they
may have for the possession of art treasures
THE CATHEDRAL TEA PARTY.