The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1895-12-06
WILLIAM M. CHASE.


few who will care to dispute either the
honor of the one or the authority Of
the other, writes Philip Poindexter in
Leslie's Weekly. The season began last
November with the loan exhibition of
womens portraits. That exhibition was
commented on in this paper, and the
statement was made and proved that
Chase and one or two of his contem-
poraries-notably Sargent and ThayeI
were such masters of portraiture that
there was no longer any excuse fol-
Americans to go abroad for artistic
work Of this character. At that exhibit
ton Mr.. Chase had six portraits, and
one Of these, a portrait Of a lady in
white shawl, now the property Of the
Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts,
was considered by very many to be
the best work in the whole exhibition.
The portrait of his mother was also a
most distinguished performance, and
won high praise from every side. Then
came the autumn exhibition at the
academy, and to this Mr.. Chase sent
portrait and a landscape. both excellent
in quality. The character of the pic
lures contributed to this exhibition by
Mr.. Chase is an indication Of the diff
ference between him and many others
In his profession. The autumn acad-
envy exhibitions have generally been
pretty bad, and artists have as fire.
-quently as not concluded that anything
was good enough to send to it. Not so
Mr.. Chase. He holds that If an exhibit
ton should be cc~+~'N-'ted to at all the
artist should best. So to
this ne sent as gooo unlngs as ne nav.
TD,,t I'LL l. hnf he
always sends to exhibitions things that
are complete in themselves and as good
as he knows how to make them. He
may have made pot-boilers in the in.
security of his aspiring youth, but he
does nothing Of the kind now, or If he
does he keeps them in some hidden re-
cesses of his studio, where none may
see.
After the autumn exhibition in New
York the annual exhibition in Phila-
delphia was held, and Mr.. Chase con-
tributed ten or twelve pictures, some
Of which had previously been seen In
New York. He received the Temple
gold medal for distinguished service to
the fine arts, and his portrait Of the
lady in the white shawl was bought
for the Academy of Fine Arts by the
Temple fund, while his "Still Life" was
bought for the Wagstaff collection in
Paramount Park. 1t was at this exhibit
ton that the merry impressionists
hung the pictures to suit themselves,
and placed Mr.. Chase's canvases as
disadvantageously as possible. But 1t
made no great difference--the glory,
honors, the medal, and the gold were
all for Chase. The next exhibition of
Importance was at Cleveland, where
community long enslaved by material
ism has enfranchised itself, and now
cries out with longing impotence for
the enlightenment that art can bring.
At this exhibition Mr.. Chase made a
great showing, and the honors Of the
occasion were easily his. To him, for
bis picture, now in the academy,
Mother and Child" was awarded the
prize Of two hundred and fifty dollars
for the best figure-piece.
Next Mr.. Chase sent pictures to the
two great annual exhibitions of the So
ciety of American Artists and of the
National Academy. The society show
was Chase's show. That Is all that
there Is to say about It. With twelve
canvases, each one brilliant work of
art, 1t Is doubtful, indeed, II any artist
anywhere so easily and SO masterfully
displayed in one exhibition his COM
manding superiority over his contem-
poraries. The Shaw prize for the best
fgure-piece was awarded to him for his
picture, "A Friendly Call" and the
Webb prize for the best landscape was
given to an impressionist, by way. ]
presume, of consolation. Mr.. Chase
was not eligible for this prize. as It Is
awarded for the work of a man not
yet forty. At the academy Mr.. Chase
showed three pictures-two portraits
and a landscape-all characteristic
pieces.
Now one would think that a man whe