The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-02-14
SOME QUESTIONS OF ART
The WatersColor ExhIsitio. At the Acadesy.
SECOND NOTICE

had occasion to say this Of our exhibitions.
whether the pictures they included we're In oil
or In aouarelle. And year by year the convic-
ton deepens that one is now justified Ia speak
Ing OF IN American school OF landscape paint
ing. Long ago. In anto.bellum days wo had.
IN one sense such q school We had that dill
gent ambitious. and for while very popular
oand OF painters which 10 sometimes referred to
As the hudson River school But in the truest
sense they did not deserve the name; they were
Americans. truly. painting local themes In q
manner proper to themselves: but they wore
not truly painters They knew what they
wanted to do and It was q very good thing:
out they did not know how to do it; 80 their
results could never have attained TO moro than
local. provincial esteem. and. as knowl-
sage ana taste on the part Of the public de-
veloped. they necessarily fell into oblivion
while these artists were still at work the prod
ucts OF the modern French Landscape school
began to arrive In America: and after time
american young men began to 60 to Paris to
study Then for while We had nothing that
couio DC called school. for most OF the land
scape work that was good was done. II not
from foreign subiects.at all events in foreign
fashion. 1t seemed as II eyes which had been
trained upon French landscape could not per-
ceive the differing character OF our own. or else
as II hands trained to interpret the one could
not IND the right way OF interpreting the other
But now things have changed again. Most
OF our good painters have at least been par-
italy educated abroad; but they can see homo
scenes as they are and can point them In ways
which they have copied from no famous
Frenchman. Here and there we do find a
work which would DO moro interesting II we
did not know the similar work OF some oldor
hand: but as rule the good landscapes of to-
rn hNr ,,.vll A
They are 40 good that we might be glad to
send selection Of them to hang in Paris. and
SO individual that wo are sure that II they
hung there Frenchmen would recognize tho
existence OF an American landscape school
None in the present exhibition. except the
beautiful Samoan study by Mr. La Fargo. to
which we have already referred. Is 80 do
lightful as the two which Mr.. Plat contrib
utes. One could hardly be more true to a del
icately difficult subject than he has been in
his Frozen River" No rs: yet the result
has as much poetry as veracity. as much indl-
viduality as charm. Equally true and virile.
yet even moro delicate and poetic. Is the
Winter Landscape" No. 1854. where the dis
tant hillside is seen through the branches OF
the foreground trees. and tho dark green Of
conifors is contrasted with the tenderly rich
tones OF masses OF shrubbery whence all the
leaves have fallen. Not evory eye which secs
tho beauty OF form that wintry vegetation
presents can perceive also its beauty Of color;
but Mr. Platt secs BOTH and envciops his ro-
suit In most Enthusiastically wintry air.
PROBABLY no foreigners eye could feel so
keenly the typical character of a New England
winter scene. aud this means. OF course, that
no foreigners brush could paint it so we'll
In his Frost" No. 3Sl, Mr.. Ochtman has not
caught 30 successfully the quality Of his
thome: the picture lacks crispness and de-
ctsion. Is little too soft and nerveless But
In smaller example. No. SOL. where Mr.
ochtman shows US fields with yellow hay
stacks. we find again much truth and charm,
Another excellent winter picture is Mr.. C. W.
Eaton's Evening After Snow" No. 395, and
very good In similar directions are Mr.. Arthur
Davs's simple little New England Farm
house. December" No. 3es. Mr.. Shurtlfrs
Snow in Autumn" No. 40; Mr.. Bolton
Jones's Winter" No. sos. and Mr. Comets
quite delightful little Winter. New Jersey"
NO. Il. And it should DO remarked that all
these pictures are good. not only In the sense
Of bcin. truthfuAy felt and skiifully rninted,'
but also in tho sense Of having that charm
which for want OF a better torn We arc driven
to call poole. Mr.. Cranes Snow Bound" No.
437. might be included in the same list, but
for a little too much hardness in the execution.
involving lack OF that atmospheric quality
which has been attained in the other examples.
Admirable painting Of moonlight may be
found In Mr.. Theodore Robinsons largo pic-
ture NO. 39l. where over an almost feature
esstoreSround we see white houses and red
roofs. Hero again arc both truth and poetry,
and they are likewise combined in another
very clever nocturnal scone by Mr.. Ben Foster,
No. AS. called In the Night Time" Perhaps
local colors are q little too strongly emphasized
in this picture. but nevertheless the general
effect Of the moonlit earth. and especially OF
the moon-sufIused air. is admirably conveyed.
Tho painting of moonlight. by the way. is
ono OF the finest achievements OF recent
times How unreal by contrast with many
recent pictures signed by almost unknown
names. and how very ugly. seem those conse-
Grated canvases OF tho old Dutch masters
which bid us think that the moon paints every
thing with deep brown tone Even the great
Frenchmen Of tho last generation did not
really master the problem OF moonlight: even
Millets beautiful noonlit scenes are apt to be
too uniformly gray. The real thing has been
accomplished in our own time by certain
Frenchmen. with Cain at their head: and not
far from these Frenchmen a number Of Amor
leans may without overpraise be ranked.
In No. 12O Mr.. Strange has painted little
picture Of the "Kingsbrldce Road" which Is
delightfully."- full Of real sunshine. and very
prettily composed. and in No. 1919 Miss South
wick shows US a Street In East Gloucester"
which Is cleverly painted and good In light
and atmosphere. Mr.. Ear!e's odd Garden"
No. 800. Is small and simple and good pic
ture. Mr.. Saltleet's Haddon Hail." No. 392.
Is an interesting contrast to the American
scenes. for it gives the truly English quality
OF atmosphere and color: and remarkably
good work has also been done in England by
Mr.. W. L. Lathrop. whose most interesting
picture is the Cornish Moor" No. 4O5 Other
commendabe renderlnGs Of foreign themes
are Nr. W. H. brakes "Katwljk Aan Zee" No.
442: Mr.. BoGert's Scene near Ivry." No. 452.
and Mr.. Eirevisse's On the Schcdt," No. 402.
Among landscapes signed by foreign names
perhaps the most interesting are Pog-
genbeek's I'm Holland" No. 6l5. and. especi-
ally. HuGenholtz's I'm tho Pine Wood" No.
385. which shows a shepherd and his nock
shelterlng themselves under the thin branches
OF small pine plantation. No landscape work