Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-01-20
SCRAPS FROM THE STUDIES.
Art Items of Inrerest-What the Home
Artists Are Doing.

| l.
Art Items of Inrerest-What the Home
Artists Are Doing.
Mr. GEORGE HETzEL is at present very
much interested in the appearance of land
scape on frosty morning, and is engaged upon
! a number of small pictures showing the erect
upon nature of these first touches oil winter s
| cold. One of the works which he has already
completed may be seen at Mayer e;nS Tnere the IL
nearest approach to a cold morning wnlcn we
| seem likely to encounter this winter. Inc
supply of the real article of cold being appar-
emily exhausted, Mr.. .Hetzeis 1mlGatiohs are,
! perhaps, the best substitute we can hnd.
A NUMBER of paintings from the collection
of Mr.. Charles NJ. KurtE, of New York, are to
| be seen at Boyds, an inspection which Will re-
| pay anyone for the trouble of visit. They
are mainly landscape subjects, and are mostly
| of small size. some of them being remarkably
diminutive for works in oil, but they are all
distinctive in character and possessed OF con-
! siderable merit. Some of the smaller pictures
are very clever little works, both as to color
and execution; in fact this collection appears
to have been gathered together by man VINO
| had good eye for color. and who knew nne
| painting when he saw one.
BRICKS are not generally regarded as pos
| sessing many very valuable decorative quail
| ties but they are nevertheless being largely
used for that purpose, and they prove highly
satisfactory whenever circumstances Will ad-
| nit OF their use For this purpose. however,
| they are made in various colors and are also
| glazed, which gives them their most valuable
| feature from an utillarian STANDPOINT, as IL
| increases the brilliancy of their color and
renders them very easil! cleaned. Since. when
they are once built into the wall, they require
no further care or expense, and are perhaps
more permanent than the balance OF the struc-
| ture of which they form part, they are par
| ticularly suitable for use in halls and puonc
buildings.
SINCE the exhibition Of the great Munkacsy
paintings in this city and the much talked Of
Verestchagln collection in New York, some
little speculation has been aroused as to the
kind of rooms which serve as studios for artists
who produce such extensive works. Mr..
Verestchagins studio, which is situated at
Maison Latitte one of the suburbs OF Paris. is
$50 feet long and SO feet high, and is the largest
room ever occupied for such purpose. This
one fact is almost sufficient to convey an IDEA
of the light in which works of art are viewed
abroad, when such extensive preparations are
made for their production, but description OF
the studios of the most successful painters of
England and France would also be tale OF
luxury beyond anything which our home
artists ever dream OF.
THE question as to whether or no it would
prove beneficial to have such places as art gal
leries open on Sundays is being freely discussed
in New York. and is perhaps deserving of con-
sideration in this city, against the time when We
shall have gallery worthy of the name The
arguments which are used in favor or Sunday
opening are by no means new, but they are as
good now as ever they were, and are mainly to
the effect that art exhibitions and public IL
braries being educational institutions. should
pie for whose benefit they are intended
could most conveniently visit them.
Since the majority of people are almost con.
stantly employed during the week the question
does not seem to admit OF any great difference
of opinion. If it is desirable that the great
mass of persons should remain ignorant rather
than acquire knowledge on Sunday let the
doors of such institutions remain closed. other
wise open them wide and give the elevating
influence of art and culture chance to operate
in the direction in which they Will DO the most
good, and that is upon the minds of those
whose need is the greatest and whose oppor-
tunities are the smallest
For the next few days Gillespie's art gallery
will be one of the most interesting places in
the vicinity to thos. for whom fine paintings
possess an attraction. There is now on exhibit
tion there about 80 pictures by foreign and
American artists, which, for variety OF subject
lections of its size which has ever been seen in
this city. Nearly all of these pictures are by
we'll known, not to say famous artists, and
though not all equally striking they are
the most famous names is that of j. l.. Gerome
Paris, represented by small painting entitled
'In the Mosque" "The Departure" picture
well known here through numerous reproduc-
tions. is by F. b. Kaenmerer, pupil of &C.
rome's, and is a beautiful piece of work in
bright decorative ST. lie ofexecution. A picture
by Charles Sprague Pe,rce, called I'm the
Fields" is strong work, the interest of which
centers in the figure of young girl. excellently
drawn, particularly the work on the head and
6Do0sr faSs Psrssn T51mDa as Sf fad1a kcbteT BY
also shows good drawing in the figure
and splendid painting of texture in the drapery.
Some little fault might be found in an other
wise fine marine entitled, North Atlantic" by
H p Smith, of New York. No comment is
needed on work by ]. g. Brown, his style
lRing So well known here. The picture bearing
his name, The Old Ffdder," is one of his
cattle. by ]. NJ. Hart, of New York, is one of
the best works of its class ever seen in this city.
The color is good the driving excellent, and
the composition beautiful: three things which
when combined make fine picture. The
above are few of the most notable works in
this collection, but there are others of equal
merit and visit to the gallery during their
stay will be amply renan. The pictures re-
MI n until next Thursday.
ONE of the most notable paintings ever exc
cuted by Pittsburg artist is that by MI. John
w. Beatty, which has been on exhibition for
the past two days in one of the rooms of the
Pittsburg Art School. FLOWING the Orchard
is the title of this work and it very well ex-
presses the character of the subject. The
chief interest centers about pair of magnifi-
cent horses standing ready to move forward
again as soon as the plow to which they are
harnessed shall have been disengaged from
rock which it has encountered. The plowman is
seen in the act of drawing the plow out from
behind the stone; he is typical farmer
boy, and his attitude is thoroughly in keeping
with the action. To the left the background
is formed by some fine old fruit trees that stand
boldly out against the sky. On the right the
skyitself serves as a background, and sufficient
expanse of IL is seen to lend light and brillancy
to the work. Beneath the trees, and between
them and the horses, is strip of bright-hued
green sward, and in the immediate foreground
is the freshly turned earth just broken by the
plow. The color scheme of this work is about
all that could be asked OF the two animals,
the one which shows most prominently has
Just sufficient red in his coloring to form the
keynote of the picture: and to pleasantly con-
trast with the greens of the grass and trees.
The sky is a clear blue, which accords well with
the colors in the other portions of the picture.
In fact, after the splendid drawing of the
horses has been considered, the leading feature
of this work is the excellent relation which all
its parts bear to each other, the artist having
fully secured that expression oil fitness by
which nature unites all her various features,
blending them into one beautiful and harmo-
niOus whole. Mr.. Beatty sosdeserves honor
as being the first Pittsburg artist to produce an
etching. The advance proof of the plate which
he made after his picture. Return to Labor"
is worthy of notice for itself, as well as being
the first work of its kind by one of our home
artists.
THE extent to which art has invaded the
home life of nation forms a fair criterion by
which to judge of its progress in culture and
civilization. And, in this respect, art does not
simply consist of hanging pictures upon the
walls, nor yet in having the inmates of the
household daDble in colors, decorate china.
hammer brass or make crayon portraits of
their relatives and friends but it is indicated
by the degree OF judgment and artistic taste
with which the house is furnished
A sense of the harmonious re-
lations of colors. combined with
an eye for beauty of form, in the articles of
utility or ornament with which we surround
ourselves is as positive evidence of the posses
sion of the true artistic instinct as the accumu-
lation of pictures and art works, and if in addi-
tion to this we become possessed of fair share
of pictures, and these good ones. selected with
judgment and TASTE We have realized about all
that it is possible for the average individual to
attain to in this particular. Judged from it's |
effects upon home life, perhaps the most i'm /,