The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-03-29

The Little Ciub Exhibitions-soeiste aes
AauareIistes-The women Artists st
the PaiAis de pInduptrie-The Work OF
the Soctete PopuInIre.

pleasure Of picking out n painter who reveals
himself or an effort toward Investigation or
even merely for originality. II is usually paint
ers with known regulations who exhibit there
rather as an assertion that they too belong TO
the world Of society than 10 offer us any artistic
pleasure. shall. therefore, say nothing Of the
"Epatant" exhibition, and little OF that of tho
volney Club.
There il not lacking at these little portraits
OF society women n kind OF card of thanks left
by painters " note at the doors OF the women o.
Influence, whose salons have often done more
for their fame than their sometimes doubtful
talents. nor the familiar dramatic or scnti-
mental scenes whi,h always have great success
with the families that visit the exhibitions IN
a body. from papa and mamma TO the lntost nd
dition in its nurses arms, including the thin
young girl in the awkward Stage and the high
school boy. whose interest lies in the women
with their eccentric drcsscR. What the public
calls Art e the periodical appearance on red
walls, that IL. OF culors in frames marked with
names which must be known has become tho
most bOastcd need Of fashionable society. The
immediate result IL club exhibitions. The num-
Der Of artists killed by this annoying mania
would nstonisl people IL IL were known.
So known and even famous names are not
lacking. NJ. Benjamin Constant exhibits the
portrait OF an old woman, THE Woman with
lno hhlllllU' We lltIneT, unutT inc Iltle
"Magdalen," exhibits his usual ivory woman on
an inky back ground with a blue spot at the top;
NJ. Jules Leftvrc contributes II portrait,
and VI. BouEuereau, who cannot bear to
call things by their names. entities n little girl in
her shift "Ptimevere;' we should feel grateful
TO him for his pOetical intention. VI. Raphael
Collin gives us n grave DOCTORS portrait. and VI.
Felix Regamey a Paul Mounet that looks like
the original. Amid these commonplace pictures
Cesbron's Flowers is refreshing.
NJ. B6nGdite. curator Of the Luxembourg Mu-
scum, was as well qualified as any one to rre-
sent to the public the third exhibition of the
Orientalists. "Since the beginning of the CEN
tury." he writes in the preface to the catalogue
OF this salon. las a result OF political events
that have made of certain countries of the
Orient lands partly or wholly French. 1t is well
known now much those marvellous regions
have appealed to our greatest masters and what
an influence Orientalists like Decamps. Maril-
hat, Delacroix, Belly. Chasseriau, Fromentin,
Renault, Guillaumct, Alfred Dehodencq. that
brave warm colorist. have had on our minds.'
At this exhibition there is no regard shown
for high society. Tho studies are sincere and
from nature, consequently infinitely superior in
artistic value to the average of the club exhibit
tions. though some names already seen at the
Nolney or the EDatant are to he found among
them. MY wish for the Orientalists is that for
tune may preserve them from becoming fash
ionable. They deserve it. Among tho most
charming works are those of MN. Bompard,
Girardet, Paul Leroy, Marius Perret, and Weeks.
am again saddened by the exhibition of the
Women Painters. which is held yearly in one of
the wings OF the Palais d. Industrie, and which
once was very useful. The question then was
the artistic emancipation of woman. Tradition
In France a few years ago was opposed to a
woman's busying herself with anything but her
ut most she might paint on porce-
lain or play tho piano. A woman who broke
away from custom fell into discredit. and
enough, became the object Of the un-
disguised contempt Of other women. Art and
loose morals were synonymous. Under these
circumstances the Union of Woman Painters
and Sculptors was founded; it took
courage to do it then. To-day man
ners have changed greatly. Women au-
thors. painters. artists of all kinds have
to the surface and triumphantly
proved that they could be at least as mediocre
as their male compeers. The State has thought
fit to encourage this movement; it is customary
to give decorations every year to II certain num-
Der OF women. and the fair sex has no reason to
envy ours as regards this ridiculous vanity;
you cannot take three steps on the great boule-
wards without meeting n feminine bosom
with the violet ribbon of officer
d'dcddfmie. Desire for the decoration is about
TO kill even the good taste in dress of which the
woman was once SO proud, and the vio-
let spot Haunting on dresses of any color or of
colors carefully selected so as to make it promi-
nent, produces a painful and disgusting effect.
1t Is the last cry of murdered feminine grace,
Women, therefore, have won their place. In
the catalogues of our great annual salons their
names are almost as numerous as those of men.
take q large share OF the rewards, and
ga~llantry keeps increasing this share every
year. The Union has in consequence lost its
interest. 1t has become for women
what tho clubs are for painters in the
swim, merely an occasion for getting their
names once more into print. But the public.
has not the hypocrisy OF society. has
shown clearly how little interest 1t takes in
them by keeping away in n charitable manner.
The crowd, however, was to bc found on the
day of the water COlOrists. What u
absurdity is the word rrniSShac
applied to water color! A mob of snobs. men
too we'll clad, women with over-dressed hair.
Doors trained in racing stables. the arbitcrs Of
since elegance for n long time has been
sought in the manure heaps of thoroughbreds.
but all people too far removed from any
idea OF art. There was nothing on that day for
a critic to do, or for an amateur come to see
painting. other than that made with veIou-
Fay or Sarah rice. powder. But
a change tho next days, really that
public has no sense of shame. In the rooms
there was II crush the day before, not II
to be seen, save NJ, l.ambcrt',, hut they are
painted, and the amiable water 'plorlSt takes
care to provide us literally with them every
year. Perhaps I am too hard ON NJ. lambert
II he does give us the same picture every year. .
painted with deplorable skill and dcplorahly
exact, his colleagues in thu SOclrl@ d'.\quarel-
listes do the same thing, NJ. Nibcrt Is at tho
old stand with his job lot uf Cardinals, NJ.
I.eloir with his Louis Nv. fantasies, aud 50
with all OF them. They are officials, per
their tasks regularly and deserving
promotion. They count on 1t, too. Every year
the Minister of Fine Arts takes care to decorate
a few OF them, lie might give the reasons in tho
Journal Dtfrl'l in these words: Thirty years
CRtskins and accessories" "DrCora-
tions for bachelors apartments. n notable
trade, man" NJ. Worms would have "A Cinim
for exceptional services, having broh en- with his 7
habits once AT least, by exhibiting on" Of the
Spaniards OF his troupe playing the mandolin
OF the guitar, an effort for which | fu.L
truly grateful.
A little consolation may he had. however, from
the lOns. the Bethunes, which, however, smell
too much OF the workshop, the Max tlHudrs, !
the ~l.hermittes. and above all from the beautiful
drawings by Jeanniot in the vest mule, for, by II
curious irony, tho drawings are the most re-