The San Francisco call., 1895-11-24

one OF the reasons why all artlstS nave
a tendency to rate technique above every
thing else in art. 1t is also one of the
motives which impel us to take more IN
terest in the works of our California artists
than in the noble pictures OF Mur'llo. Our
artists represent progress, not their prog
ress only, but that of all OF us. In the con-
temptation therefore OF the California
pictures in the exhibit the visitor will find
his best pleasure Nor is the pleasure an
lnartistic one. 1t argues no lack CT appre-
citation of the great work done in Europe
that we should nave more sympathy with
the work now doing in America. Murillo
was noble, but Murillo is dead. while our
artists are alive, and are we not also alive
and in love with the living?
AS it is demanded by the general mass
Of men and women that all music shall
have something of melody, and not run
wholly to harmonic exercises, so it is de-
manded of all painting that it shall have
some bright, pure colors and not be made
up altogether of neutral tints and shades
too indeterminate for the eye to recognize.
proof of this is seen in the general. .admi-
ration given to the picture in the great
hall OF the "Bay of Amsterdam" by
Nicholson. There is in this painting
glow of color that suggests ideas of Venice.
One instinctively calls it Venetian, and
on seeing it marked Amsterdam in the
catalogue feels something of shock. The
shock, however, is unreasonable. If our
Belvedere can have a festival that is called
Venetian, surely Amsterdam has right
to sunset that looks Venetian. There is
also distinct pleasure in knowing that
such flame of color beams sometimes
around the land of the Dutch, as it recalls
the thought that after all there is sunshine
everywhere. | have said the admiration
for this picture is general, but as recall
at this moment the saying of Kuskin, that
delight in pure colors is sure proof of a
pure heart, l am inclined to think my
statement should be qualified to the ex-
tent OF saying that admiration for the pic
ture is general among my friends.
am not writing catalogue nor criti
cism of the exhibit. but art is like love and
politics in this that you cannot begin to
talk OF it without continuing to talk. Any
reference to color in connection with the
exhibition will bring to the mind OF every
one who has seen it a recollection of Vel
lands picture of Monterey Sands" That
picture is not an education merely, but
revelation. Who could see all those hues
in the sand dunes until the artist made
them visible? Who having seen the pic
ture will ever again fail to see there in the
sands the miraculous colorsP There are
people who say that California lacks color.
Will they please study California art a
little and learn how to see things not
through glass darkly?
Every one has felt conscious OF charm
in the sand dunes of our coasts, but few have
been conscious how far that charm is due
to q certain mystery of color not seen ex-
cept by the eyes Of artists, but felt by
every one. A great French painter, who
has won fame by painting pictures of the
Egyptian desert, made public some years
ago a list of the colors used in an effort to
reproduce the hues of an expanse of sand
in one of his works. Beginning with the
foreground and extending to the horizon
the list included brown, dark red, violet,
blue, gold, rose, crimson, pale green, or
ange, indigo blue and sky blue. If the
sands of Egypt have these what have the
dreary desolation of sandy expanses, but
how can there be dreariness and desola-
ton where rainbows lie prone upon the
earth and all the hues of heaven are at
rest?
Since Keiths painting-or is it a crea-
tion ?-of Castle Crags is for sale, there is
chance for some man of much money to
render himself quite lovable by making
present of it to the city. 1t is one of the
pictures that have in them the vital power
of growing on the mind as you look at
them; one you can never look at enough
in a single visit and which therefore should
be made a part of the permanent collection
of the institute. 1t is not a picture of
pure colors, but am inclined to think it
| is picture of pure inspiration. In the
| glow that bursts above the mountains in
great streams there is less suggestion of
the flashing splendors of sunshine than of
| stroke of genius. Perhaps Castle Crags
does reveal itself at times under such
aspects, but I imagine the revelation is
made only to great artists. At any rate it
| is a far cry to Castle Crags and few of us
| can hope to see it, therefore there is good
reason why the beautiful picture should
| be public property and hung where all
can see it, if not all the time, at least at all
| times.
| If [ have doubts that Keith depicted
Castle Crags in the colors of pure inspira'
ton, have none at all concerning the
picture that Pissis has painted of Yosemite.
Here, at any rate, is vision "too beautiful
to be true scene revealed sin a light
that never was on land or sea, the conse-
Grafton of a poets dream" Moreover it
was evidently mld-summer's day-dream,
for here are fairies of the waterfalls as
real as Shakespeare's fairies of the woods.
The painting is one of the few on exhibit
tion in which the artist has allowed his
pencil to body forth the airy shapes that
haunt the imaginations OF men, and out of
which the old Greeks made at once the
beauty of their religion and their religion
| of beauty. 1t is a striking picture, a
! debatabe picture and one that is likely to
| make more talk in circles where talk is
fluent.
! Few can paint the sea and none can
paint a song, but Robinson has tried to
| naint UTha Sopo of tho Sna - and If he n a Q