New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-02-25
THE CHRONICLE OF ARTS.
EXHIBITIONS AND OTHER TOPICS.
QUIET wEEK-JAPANEsE WATER CoLoRs~
PICTURES BY MR. JOHNSTON AND Mr..
TRUESDELIe-TIIE LAFARGE LECTURES
ODDS AND ENDS

ODDS AND ENDS.
No new ard important exhibition of pictures win
be- brought forward this week. The only auction
sale Announced IL that of collection Of Oriental
porcelains belonging to Mr.. Hall, OF China which
was Yesterday placed on view at the Fifth Avenue
Art Galleries \ few small displays will be found
briefly discussed below. The exhibition at the Fine
Art Building closes next Tuesday night. II has
given great deal Of pleasure. The Dutch painters
are technically among the first schools OF the world
and they have a charm of style ana feeling which
! Is their own peculiarly. The Swedes have made
NEWCOMERS further acquainted with school In
which they could not but take special interest
AT Chicago Zon and his compatriots are over
flowing with energy; they keep c.ose to nature IN
their work. and mere brushmen they nave ex-
raordlnary dash Zorn himself has painted, in the
portrait Of Mrs Potter Palmer. Which has figured
so prominently in the exhibition, work OF uneven
vet genuine merit 1t has been deservedy the centre
of the Swedish exhibit. The water-color show
has a whole week more TO run, the galleries remain
ing ops until Saturday night. TIE last memo
randum OF sales the Academy shows total OK
g. 495 The following the principal pictures dis
posed Of since our last record was printed: After
the Frosts" by j. +. Murphy. SIS; picking Ber-
ries" by T.. l.. Henry. SIS; Wrapped in Twilight
the Valley Lay" by Henry Farrer. 500; santa
Maria. Venice" by r. Moran $685. ION the Lagoon.
Venice" by A. F. Bunner, sl2j; IAN English Street."
by n. Rowe, SO; ION the I.owlands." by J. F.
Murphy, :l2j.
The water-color show by the way. contains a
rather unique feature in a group of twelve or
fifteen paintings contributed by japanese artists.
These We're have arrived In time to nave peen
hung in the regular galleries. but delays inter-
vened and they have only recently peen paceo
upon two screens in the library. They nave
special interest as coming direct from Japan as ex-
aun,es Of the current work that is being done
there They show that the japanese hand mas iost
little of its cunning. and that Japanese taste Is SUN
decorative to degree beyond the reach Oh most
other people You get truth to nature IN iahd-
scapes like those of Choshin and Amagi. and the
latter puts into his scene. also, some extremely
animated figures There il immense vitality In the
study of a fowl by Taxi. But all or these men are
nre-eninentlv valuable for the decorative clever
ness and originality OF their designs. "hen SUD-
iects In themselves decorative are approached as
in the mornng-glory panel Of Tamado. the result u
even successful. 1t is misfortune 'nat 'he
pictorial art Of Japan is as yet so unfamiiar 10
Western eyes that the individuality or each painter
ia not readily apprehended. but II the american
Water-Color Society will encourage It's far away
friends to send more pictures from year to year.
,ba characteristics Of the various japanese celeb
rites of to-day may in time become as well known
as they deserve to be.
| In more than water-color exhibition OF the
| last few years Mr. John Humphreys Johnston has
been represented by some little bit OF color thae
has whetted curiosity to what he could do on a
larger scale. only once in our recollection WAS .hs
curiosity satisfied, and then by murly cathedral
Interior which was not. on the whole. what was ex-
| pec,ed Now Mr. Johnston makes his bow at the
Klackner gallery with a collection OF some ntty
pictures OF his own. the work of several years ne
leaves a good impression. Now that his color IS
seen in bulk II il is seen to be crude, ana
his paintings of nude models well as of delicate
marine effects. show that he has not mastered the
ntrlcacies OF tone. He IS throughout inclined 70
quality more vigorous than artistic. But there re-
mains in his crude color undeniable charm he
Is az least fresh and strong He is no; afraid OF
bold effect as in his Spanish oil studies. And he -
refreshngly pictorial. The Spanish paintings re-
fer-ed all very we'll composed. No. 25 "El
! Mamadour." and No. a. 'Gipsy of Berja are not
more attractive in their straightforward coloring
than In their pquant design. In one oil painting,
the best in the entire collection. Mr.. Johnston has
| combined with good design q more transparent and
restful quality OF tone than he elsewhere manages
Si press This The i N attitude G Is chS wsh Win great
tact. The touch Of aegorcal sugg, Isl, us Is
repeat is better than any which Mr.. Johnston is in
h habit Of proaucgg When he S %akes Ps5rs
and tries get the softness of flesh tints he goes
Woman Goat ~ Mani nf rs prS asco Would
never know from the latter picture that Mr John.,
and II. fragments Of pictures OF peasant types. His
water colors are all interesting in color ana IN de-
his ARK;
Mr Trussde is animal painter Tho has as
coreoran GALLERY conns one Of his Works He is
also known in Paris. where he has frequently ex-
on oO eShbt in 9TH at the Macbsfh GALLERY my
woke very fiattering comment Mr. Trues ,D
nifty which is always welcome in an animal painter,
Of sheep With Just that degree of breadth and just
the amount Of ANALYSIS that make the result Sro &c,
f Se Forest ey possibly r the best specimen Of his
@5iy in this dTsSiiSn He od is also and s sagabs
in No: g. Girl with Kids. or the outlines in No.
III Of Mr. OF Imdss v ats and have named
nearly all the pictures in his collection that have
the carefully done. but not at all distinguished.
Se piece Les yaeh ss az Rpss de sssn Ia
herds Lunch" The brnshwork is in every paint.
saion a" The ooior is always opaque and though
! monous enough is never marked by quality or
G troluc@s man whom il is worth while to know.
but who offers new or lasting sensations lie
not. however. awaken much sympathy.
Mr.. Lafarse's fascinating lectures on art which
the MetroPolitan Museum OF Art or who read them
in the published reports are being gwen again at
llvered last night. and the others are to follow on
early dates. which may be learned on application
attention to these lectures for 1t is only once in
long time that the amateur has the opRErTmy 20
| Mr. Lafarge prepares.
! The Boston Art Club sends us circular Tor iss
eT D close o M the ep evening" of saturday
April % Contributions will be received at the CLUB
house corner OF Dartmouth and NewDury SIS,
| from wednesday. March p. until Wednesday March
| ~ From St Louis have received the announce
| ment of the eleventh annual exhibition or the
Exposition and Music Hall Association" The e z
hbltion is to last from september . to October ~
J Communica tons in reference TO proposed exnloits
| must be addressed to Charles W. Rhodes. INIT;
! teenth and Oliver sts St Louis. Paintings VIII
be called for in New-York between August 8 ana H.
In a recent issue Of THE London Globe there
occurs paragraph which is interesting as evidence
! that the lecadent art which has been so popular
| in London appraised at its full value by at least
one critic There is to-day says The Globe.
/ "a curious inclination toward certain kind or
| AZURE in the drama. and in painting subjects are
| selected which have no other motive than the
| representa- ton OF unwholesomeness The worship
! OF health. through the medium of perfect develop
nent and OF exact balance of mind and body, which
ave 10 the Greeks their unerring sense OF beauty,
and which made the principle OF their art standard
/ = Ii nt vi and a innaS has