New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-23

OF THE DUTCH - PASTELS - BLACK-AND'
WHITES, TIE PROPERTY OF AMERICA
PRINTS IN ALL COUNTRIES.
f,RoM srAyr CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRiBuNPo
Chicago, July 12.-Oil painting bears TO pic'oria'
art a relation corresponding TO that when oper-
alto composition bears to music. 1t is the medium
of expression in which the range is widest the
approach to versimilitude closest, and the
friumphs to be won most splendid and imposing.
Why il has been the preferred medium of nearly
all the great graphic artists of history, to say
nothing of the legions who were not or are not
great. is too plain to require any comment III
is less apparent why the other mediums should
have always occupied as peculiarly subordinate
positions as they have, and why they should
have become more and more withdrawn from the
grasp Of the oil painter until to-day they are
as a rule in the hands Of specialists. Inc
masters OF water color and etching notwithstand-
ing. and there have been a great many OF them,
the instances have been rare in which one OF
those forms of art has engaged creative genius
at the same time that he has wrought with
bristle brushes and been employed with equal
success. Rembrandt was unique in his time as
q master Of the slme power, whether using inc
brush or the needle. and Whistler is even more
UNIQUE in the same way. 1t Is fact worth
remembering that an American is the only living
artist who has achieved indisputable, WORLDWIDE
fame in two important fields OF art. Ihs 1ac'
is brought into clear relief by the exhibition al
Chicago. There are very few In any section OF
the Art Building who emulate the versatility OF
Whistler, and even fewer who, on ther iower
plane for no one il such miracle of accomplish
ment as he is, rival the completeness OF "'s
CRASH. And it is another significant commentary
NJ
colors thai the other mediums. when they arc
riven the utmost possible weight, are all still
Of relative unimportance. 1t is only in special
cases that one or the other Of the minor mediums
" piyen prominence Observation-Disclosures ana
wood engravings are given much space in the
American section and reflect national streams OF
energy Water cclors occupy similar position
in the Dutch section. These are the only cases
in which some medium other than the one most
In favor IL sustained with anything like so general
an effort and sustained in its way so we'll TO
be sure there are omissions in various foreign
sections But the very failure Of the French to
show their full strength in water color. pastel
and etching might he taken as an indication
of the light in which those mediums are re-
garded. Taking the exhibition as it is. there
is an unusual amount of sitting required to
discover the really satisfactory works in certain
departments.
PAINTINGS IN WATER COLOR.
There are two legitimate ways Of using water
color-either as a broad wash or with a
brisker, more vivacious touch The latter has
the advantage of being in harmony with the
lightness and spontaneity which seem to be the
most essential qualities Of the medium. The
former is less brilliant, less suggestive Of full
acquaintance with the capacities of pure water
color but, in the hands Of strong artist, pro-
ductive Of hardly less beauty 1t is the method
of the Dutch. In Holland water colors and oils
are INTERCHANGEABLE instruments. The artists
one as we'll as they do the other. They repeat,
too, in their water colors the best qualities of
their oils and they do this without any confusion
of the character of the former with that of the
latter They can do so for the reason that the
qualities are such as water colors may easily
share; qualities Of tone, Of atmosphere, and OF
feeling The key also remains unchanged II Is
sought in the same scenes indoors and In land
scape, which reproduced in the oil paintings
of the school, and it is faithful TO the same gray
ness which is prevalent among the latter. To
DISCUSS the leading Dutch water colorists is 10
discuss the same men who have already been
noticed, Israels Mesdag, Neuhuys, Ten Kate
Bosboom, Blommers and the Marises. and TO
praise them for the same merits. The
mark to be added and emphasized is that their
water colors are not mere paraphrases of oils.
The spirit of the medium, though the spirit of
its least distinguishing phase. is yet preserved
intact In the American section, where our
water color school is copiously but not compre-
hensively represented, there is characteristcally
eclectic tone with majority incnng to spon-
tanety in feeling and style. Some Of the best
work is in pictures remarkable for very care
fully balanced tone landscapes by Minor, Och
man and Mente, the Mariana Listening to the
Page Singing" which Abbey exhibited at, the
Academy two seasons ago, and two pictures In
the Dutch manner by Miss McChesney. These,
however. not most typical Of the school.
What the American water colorist usually
deavors to obtain is more of-hand. sketchy
effect 1t is in the pictures here by Edwards,
whose style is very broad; it is in those of May
nard, who is not a particularly vivacious work
man it is very much iii the pictures of Church,
Childe Hassam Jules Guern, w. +. Smedley,
Hopkinson Smith, Kathleen Greatorex, Rosina
Sherwood and c. NJ. McTlhenny There is no
such proportion of good work among the Ameri-
can water colors as there is among the American
oils There is nothing to equal the paintings Of
Sargent Dewjng, for the strongest water
colorist we have, John Lafarge, has not con-
tributed TO this department. But there is a
great deal Of cleverness and there is especially
pretty general understanding Of the character of
the medium even where it is beyond the manage
ment Of the artist. Here also there is encourage
ment in the progress of the American school
The French use water color sympathetcally
and with skill, but only three or four of their
representative artists have pictures at Chicago,
Jeanniot, Detaille and Madeleine Lemaire. Boutet
de Monvel has great personal charm in his work
and is one of the most infinitely finished tech
nicians living. His misfortune as water color
ist is that his technique is too fine for his
medium. His pictures are suggestive of pcnclling
rather than of brush work. Italy has two
spirited water colorists in Corell and Penna-
chini. and Germany has four in Reifecke, Men