New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-30
THE CHRONICLE OF ARTS
EXHIBITIONS AND OTHER TOPICS.

THE rNNEss MISUNDERSTANDING AND ficT'
uREs by Mr.. HUBERT vos-A NOTE ON
THE ARCHITECTURAL DECORATION
OF THE CAPITOL AT AL
BANY-FOREIGN ITEMS
Last Thursday evening" with appropriate cerem~
MES and the delivery OF stately ADDRESS ny M
parke Goodwin the exhibition OF the lnness p'cs.
ures was inaugurated at the Fine Arts buoins
nov, remains accessible to the pubic until the iss
Of February but the length of time at the dspoSa'
OF visitors should not lead them to postpone 'he"
first examination of the collection. 1t s one 10 see
at once and then to see again and again. IL cannot
be too often urged that Inness was one OF the pr
lars Of the American school, that ne wouio nav.
adorned any group the world over hac ne ever cafe
TO identify himself with any ona movement a,'o
that in his Independent art we possess one OF 'ne
richest sources OF pleasure which moderh ianu-
scape has to Offer Accordingly the present display
Ia an event of unusual magnitude and calls Ior
special manifestation Of interest on the par "
every adnlirer OF what is rare and oeauttu III 81.
Appreciative study of this exhibition ana d eo'u"
recognition OF the true greatness which Inness
ern,ifed ought TO do something TO destroy the Ia"
lacy under which so many American collectors .a0or
Because the painters of Barbizon did suen o..
premely good work and did 1t at time wheh sue"
work was rare 1t has often been assumed tha' '"e
famous group Of 1880 accomplished all that was ever
TO be achieved In their province Numerous as ca
nahle Iandscapists are In America, they suffer 70
this day from the competition OF Corot. Rousseau
and the rest. 1t Is healthy competition "hsn
properly regulated. 1t means the maintenance OF
one more standard OF perfection. and. moreover
we can never have too many masterpieces OF .ne
past But Inness, with the splendid sweep OK MS
r.rius reminds us that the present is fruitful ana
that It is rich right here at our doors NO Euro
pean school ever produced finer work than ne pat
forth and not the least of his services TO ms coh
try will be seen be the impetus he gave ana WIZ
continue to give to the development Of our Natona
art.
The Inness exhibition at the American Art Gal
leries will be opened by private view tomorrow
evening and the public will be admitted for the
first time on Tuesday morning next. At the FIFTH
Avenue Art Galleries there are at present the pict'
ures by Mr. Hubert vos which Will be FOUND orieny
discussed below. When they are Withdrawn on tue
Sth OF January the space Will be given over 70
collection of OrIentalia that is to be followed on
January II by the old masters belonging 70 ME-
Louis K. Enrich. These are the Flemish and Dutcn
paintings which were shown recently at the Fine
Arts Building They are to be sold In the neighpor'
hood OF the ed OF next month The next safe atteE
this at these galleries. viii. be OF pictures sent ~
twelve or fifteen American artists. Messrs. Dolpa
Coffin. Crane ard Murphy are among those VINO
expect 10 share the venture but full list VIII De
made public later The Academy has but one week
more 10 run The doors OF the exhibition close next
Saturday night.
The paintings by Mr.. Vos. at the Fifth Avenue
Art Galleries, give a pleasant but quite unex-
citing impression of his talents. He Is a skiiIui
tochncian and a reaist who puts intelligence into
his work. He somehow misses the higher posi-
bities Of his craft, and while he is unqueston-
ably refined painter, with even dash OF senti'
ment in his nature he has neither subtety nor
delicate suggestiycness, and invariably throws the
spectator back upon a purely material considera-
ton of the portrait or picture before him. TAKEN
on those grounds Mr.. Vos Is a man OF no mean
abilities He has ease. suren-ss. firm and Wig
orous touch, and in the animation and truth OK
his portraits. he is almost captivating. You feel
instantly the presence OF a likeness In his work,
that he has mrrored the surface OF things with
consummate accuracy, though he has had nothing
TO say in regard to the hidden character OF MS
sitter In other words he is clever to the verge
OF being photographic and In any one or MS cam
vases In the portrait OF Canon Duckworth' IN that
OF Mr. Ellsworth in those OF Mr.. O'Driscoll. Mr..
Monat Mir. David Christie Murray or "A Dutch
Boy" the air Of life. Of movement. Is swiftly con-
veyed. His color is respectable not always trans
parent but smoothly and tremendously handled.
and on the whole productive OF agreeable results.
|. Is better when Mr.. Vos Is employing lighter
medium than that IN which nine-tenths OF his
pictures have been painted. His pastels are ex-
cellent in a quiet way tsee the study OF seniis
tvpe which hangs near the large almshouse scene).
and the interior Of the Groote Kerk In Edam,'
wherein water-coor and pastel are combined Is
suave artistic sketch. The best coor-work ana.
in fact the best execution he has put to his credit
anywhere outside OF his portraits. Is shown by MT.
Vos in the big picture just alluded to, "A Room In
the Brussels Amshouse." There the scene Is wen
bathed ir light. the values are kept we'll In hand
and in such passages as the brushing In OF the
sandy floor texture he shows that he has pom
dered we'll the French tradition of "faire vrai"
We wish We could say that Mr.. Nos had more In
his art than have here pointed out, but wnen
we have praised the quaint picturesqueness In MS
Dutch Angeles when we have paused TOT
moment upon the pathos in his picture OF Les
Pauvre Gems" and have once more testified to
the crispness OF his outlines and the fcrcible YER
acity OF his modelling. we have said all that In
Justice can be uttered. and We have offered no ex-
PLANTATION OF this artists departure from the ilo'
mirab,e tone and style OF his countrymen There
Is indeed explanation OF sort which would
present Mr. Vos as original painter. taking
line superior to that which is cultivated By most
OF the artists OF Holland on the contrary ne
Changing nS the gifts which his Nigh, have given
him for the manual dizziness and r,pidity wnich .
IN, Dutch. h. has bartered depth for superciality
and distinction for commonplace HIS work 70
capable and in prosaici way entertaining II"
unconmonly thin in quality
Some photographs of the new architectural dec
orat,ons OF the Capito. Albany show that the de.
sener Mr. Isaac G. Perry. has In one respect at
least trod worthi.y In the footsteps OF his prede-
cessor Richardson. Here and there among the
capitals and in other places where the nature OF
the carved establishment would permit. he has
caused PORTRAITS Of famous Americans to be intro
duced IL is an excellent idea which can never b
adopted too frequently in the adornment OF our
public buildings. In Paris the plan has before this
been In use The great church OF Saore Occur. upon
the heights OF Montmortre Is picturesquely dec
hich
ments OF designers contractors and divers officials
connected with the construction OF that imposing
monument Here in New-York some years ago Mr..
Richard NJ Hunt took step In the same direction