The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1896-12-10
AN ARTISTS WORK
Some Handsome Paint
ings on View.
Great improvement ShoWn-Locai
and Foreign Sabjects
Treated.

D. Howard Hitchcock, the young
Honolulu artist, has placed on exhlol-
ton in the art rooms of the Paclnc
Hardware Company collection OF MS
paintings, embracing landscapes IN
Europe and Hawaii and others TYPICAL
ly Hawaiian.
Taken separately the pictures Will
command the attention of all lovers OF
beautiful things. But one cannot look
at these and let ones mind revert to
Mr.. Hitchcock's earlier work without
being convinced that Hawaiian art is
changing; that this Hawaiian artist Is
changing.
Mr.. Hitchcock admits it, and says 1t
is because he is rubbing against artists
of a different school. But there's
something beside this in Mr.. Hitch
cocks work; the academy atmosphere
that has surrounded it since he left
France has disappeared and his pic
lures of today represent broad
er scope of the artists capablh-
ties. The change so noticeable
! in Mr.. Hitchcock recent work is so
pleasing as to cause the spectator to
hold his breath at the first view, and
then give vent to an expression of
surprise.
Two pictures, small ones they are,
which show greater change in style
than any of the others in the collec-
ton. are Nos. % and 30. "Makapu
from Maunawili' and Twilight at Ka-
llapana. Puma" These are selected for
special mention for the merit that is IN
them. Others might receive greater ad-
miration from visitors; they were Sc
llected by the writer for the elegance
of coloring and breadth of handling.
No. 25 is full of action and the CLOUD
effects show boldness which has not
heretofore. been characteristic OF Mr..
Hitchcock.
picture which the artist esteems
highly is his No. 2, Summer, Moret
Meadows not new one In MI
Hitchcock studio, but one which VIII
ever be fresh to the person in whose
house it may go. There is dellcacy
in the handling, perhaps, but 1T is MOI
lsuch that deteriorates from the tout en-
semble. The sluggish pond in the
foreground and the reflection OF the
capitally obtained. 1t is a work Of
art which would be noticed in any col
lection.
Two others that are full of merit are
No. 4. "Waiane Mountains from Ka
kaako,'' and No. 6, ''Waiakea Cane
Fields" The former shows in the fore
ground the fiat, coral road which skirts
the water along Kakaako, while beh1n(
middle ground of water and view
of the city. the beautiful Walna'
Mountains stand boldly against
bright sky. The picture has a charm
ing and essentially Hawaiian atmos
pheric effect so admirably introduced
as to make it especially valuable to al
art collector. The picture of the cane
fields mentioned is another which
shows vast improvements in Mr.
Hitchcock's methods. The central OBJ
iect in this is, of course, the cane field
land it's artistic merit consists prln
cipally in the total disregard he ha
shown to the detail; the fields are a.
one sees them at a distance, appearing
as mass swaying in the breeze. Th'
road passing between the fields and tn
Instant background of retreating hills
are faithfully depicted.
.lr Hitchcock is to be congratulate
ed on his work, mainly because OF tn
/ apparent broadening out of ideas an'
methods which the paintings show. In
samenesS which has characterized nj
WORK in the past has been broken b.
the introduction of new color scheme
and boldness in his general work
There are more than so paintings il
the collection, and they should be see1
by those who are interested in the de
velopment of art in Hawaii