New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-31
THE .SENEY COLLECTION.
A FAIR GATHERING OF MODERN PAINT
INGS.

The late George l. seney was a collector OF ca'ho-
! lie taste who ranged among all the modern SCHOOLS
/ in gathering his pictures together. only lnsSths
that what he bought should be attractive lie hdu
no fads. favorlte artists or favorite phases oi
! art The personal side Of painting was apparently
! OF no particular moment TO him. From CONNER
c!al point Of view he very shrewd Nothing
in the collection now On view at the American Ar'
Galleries is likely TO lack purchaser at l''r
price for nothing in is without some interest as
to subject, anecdotic import or sentiment. FROM d
high artistic poin; Of view this collection Is OF mNed
value. a certain amount Of what 1t comprehehis
Is strong and beautiful. great deal also Is good
without rising above conventional leve'. In other
words there is much that Is respectable. ana not
go much that belongs in the front rank II Is
pleasure to record that large proportion or wha'
Is embraced in the latter category represents our
own school Mr. Seney bought generously among
American painters. and especially so in his transac
tons with one Of the worthiest of American land
scepsts
\ group Ct thirteen pictures by Mr.. George In
ness hangs in this exhibition. and 1t easily takes
the pace Of the group OF Corots or RousseauS when
Is 30 much more often the centre OF large coi-ec
ton like the present \ comprehensive little as
sem5iage Of pictures like this shows how important
a painter Mr. Inncss IS. 1t includes works done as
cary as 1852 and others painted only year or 50
ago. and there is a great difference In handling TO
be observed between the widely separated canvases
But in every one OF them the artists natural power
his individuality and his poetic sense Of beauty are
apparent Al the thirteen are artistic and interest
ing pictures OF course. the examples to be pre-
ferred are the latest. In no. 10 storm on the
Delaware River" a brilliant landscape OF lS1' ana
in No 29S. "Sundown al Mon,clar. dated 49,
there is a splcn0or Of color which Mr. lnness was
far from possessing in his earlier period; and they
show a mel,owncss of tone. too which Is ahsent
from his first works. At the same time he gives
pleasure and is himself in so different picture as
No. 1876 "Tha Hillside" small painting done IN
1856 and what wish TO point out is the value oil
his entire exhibit In the collection. All Of the land
scapes by Mir InMoss deserve close attention Fac
Ing them are several pictures by Alexander liarri-
son including particularly successful marine. No
lGs after Sunset" and a dusky river scene. No.
29i lie Solr" which is to the spirit OF the
hour. and Is very clever,y composed. Seven small
pictures by the late \. III. Wyant hang near ny
quiet unpretentious and accomplished h'te studies
expressive OF personality that. If not strenuous
or brilliant. was at lcas; independent and refined
and associated with these excellent American works
are half a dozen landscapes b. Mr. c. II. Davis. a
PAINTER Of whose originality and sentiment We can
be proud the same time that we d"precate In MS
work a tendency to thin, hypardeicate tnects 'ne
at least of his landscapes here leaves hardly any
thing to be desired within the circle of his limia-
tons.
In No 207. THE Herdsman n picture OF
wide open-country. with a peculiarly lofty sky
spread above the pain. he escapes altogether the
hint of fnical handling which he shows elsewhere
and is simply natural and truthful. number OF
other capable American landscape painters ngure
i'm the exhibition. The sincere. straightforward Work
Of Mr.. Swain Clifford is illustrated In four or hve
pictures: No. 1879 THE Road to Sag Harhor' by
the late Robert Eichelberecr, is n charming souVe-
mir of a young artist whose work abounded In
promising traits; Mr.. Homer has two or three IN
teresting Adirondack sketches among the water-coi-
ors; three landscapes by Mr. Ranger adequately
represent painter of distinct gifts in technical and
emotional drections and scattered through the col
lection are pictures by Minor. PAUL! Pcknell.
Bunker Chase and the late W. Bliss Baker. which
unite with the others We have briefly travesed
in demonstrating the facility and feeling Of our own
school In dealing with outdoor nature. There arc
not many satisfactory American figure PIECES IN
the collection. The pastoral scene ny MI. B'uSh-
ton No. l0l. "The Days Ending" and his humorous
subject from ;he KnckeroScker Hii2Fy arc exr
Sqgd with ere ana S2sf S GG nG5 Wah M ,S
Studio" is not more than clover Mr.. MlIets two
pictures of pretty girls In o'd costumes are quiz"
H esyn scdnc Hc @ G Medae9a May Day
deserves no more Impressive epthet than that We
c eaSe agn Ss 4 abee are by Mr. Homer Mr Carl
sen and Mr.. Koehl~r. BY the first Of these there
ably. on the Maine coast no lGs watching the
Breakers While Is not one Of Mr Homers $, best pest
the swing and the open;air vitality for when ever
a socialistic type. No e. by Mr.. Koehler, demands
attentive study by virtue of It's energy; It's impetu-
GUS realism; and Mr.. Carlsen's large salon picture
meuse," illustrates broad free method OF brushing
combined with fail quality as to tone.
In his investigations into French art Mr Sensy
does not appear to have especially affected ne
members Of that group are OF the first quality Two
pictures by Dupre are excelleni-N9 ~ an AMI.
big forest scene skctched almost In mono.
the WOOD 3D. Fon,aine6leaa there is brilliant little
panel by Rousseau. No. 25s lie Petit Pont: and
M TG E ne setchy desgn anG 70 TO- Tow rae
typical Of him in his better NAME Sea Two Of
Prs an Pase.' and no 49, Going to Market"
have the color ylrility and personal quality which
is of special consequence. and the single piece OF
rustic genre which represents Millei is character,
piece by Jacque Is a desirable example. and both
the pictures by Niche. are good The pictures by
Diaz. Dupre. Troyon Daubigny. Deacroix. Decamps |
any detailed commen; whatever are all unimpor |
tant with the possible exception o. NO 10, Even |
able feeling in fed quite apart from that OF sunny
effects, in which he commonly exercised his brush
collection. nei;hc' Of them without the attractive
ness Of bold workmanship. and neither Of them. az
the later men Mr.. sency bough, some admirable
Zem, Monet-all Of these have credl,able standing
in the collec Among the French figure paint !
s ba9S wh and a koe sqay
schamps out Of five Of his piquant original studies |
OF childish ana girliSh types. mas one. NO ". wild
flowers" which IS above his average in purity OF !
flesh tint and freshness Of color generally. No less
than nine of VOllons exquisite sill-ife subjects
hung. every OF them being distinguished by |
his fine style and deep color. There Is also by him |
q sketch of Paris, seen across the Seine. which IL
one Of the novel and delightful pic !
lures in the exhibition. Two interesting feminine |
heads by Couture revive plea sanity memories of |
earlier genera lon and in the less serious key OF the
present day there agreeable pictures by Chap
lain Nibert Alfred Stevens. Seahe!l. Lcfebvre and
Roybct.
The Dutch school provides strong contrast /
to these more or less artificial painters Ever
here and there pictures bv Neuhuys. Israels.
Mauve Jongknd. ROclofs and Rosenboom. Most of |
them good. and they introduce a welcome
OF reposc. peaceful sometimes pathetic. sentiment
and wholly art.esS style. We say nothing OF specific
application in regard to individual pictures by these
men. nor. indeed in regard TO the numerous works
10y Chde. Bodlni. Edelfct. Knaus. Madrazo. L'Her-
mite pOkitinOw. Hamburger. Pearce Rico and
Kbera which adorn the walls This Is because en-
joyablc : many Of them are. they seldom OF
exceptional character. Mr. Seney was not a con-
nolsseur OF large discrimination. He bought p.ausi-
nv Of