The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31

bic to see the pictures. On the 4th of May
was the official opening and the crowds
move In masses through the great door
ways. On Monday evening the great din
ner at Greenwich for the new and old
members of the academy was held, din
ner saddened by the recent death of the
president, Sir Frederick Leighton. The
last canvas to be completed by the former
president of the society is exhibited for
the first time. The "Clytie' is drawn
with the ease and dignity of the master
the classic period dies hard, but at least it
has always had one recommendation to
the sincere lovers of art-its careful draw
ing and the lack of any of that delightful
license that makes impressionism, SO
called an excuse for so much bad painting
and drawing.
In the academy the moderns have an
ample field for all forms of eccentricity;
the ancients for all forms of classicism;
and if we must have bad let US have the
bad art that is frankly bad, not mysteri-
Gus darkness on a salad of every color in
the rainbow.
| Bituminous art has also developed in
proportions which are becoming really
alarming. l have seen, or rather l have
endeavored to distinguish, asphalt lovers
embracing under cart-grease wall. These
phantasmagorias in the "note noire" will
very shortly, unless something is done,
suppress the solar system. White upon
white is extremely hard to paint, but
black upon black-nothing is easier.
These are fantastic ideas, devoid of sin
cerity; where there is no sincerity there is
no painting. Modern art is unquestion-
ably menaced by serious dangers. I'm
pressionists have been told that they were
feeling their way. 1t must be admitted
that they have not yet found it. In fact,
if the plunging of figures in fog more
or less dense is true art then the art of
! Rubens, of Rembrandt, of Theodore
Rousseau, of Corot, is false art.
As whole the exhibition at the acad-
emy is a shade better than it has been for
some years. The academy picture, the
classic and time-worn allegory, the por-
trait against a stormy and impossible
! background, all these are still the charac-
teristic wall decorations, but George Weth-
erbee has four or FIVE delicate landscapes,
| Alfred Parsons two or three rather too
sweet but beautifully painted, Walter Os-
borne three or four exquisite portraits,
one OF a woman IN gray against gray, with
violet sash and violet eyes.
Sargent has four portraits. One OF JOS
| eph Chamberlain, the Home Secretary, is
only to be seen under the elbows or be-
tween the heads of the people who sur
round it; one of Mrs. Ian Hamilton,
which is unusually charitabiy handled
the woman is sweet and has a winning
and unaffected smile.' The slender figure
: is hidden under folds of chiffon so lightly
painted it seems impossible to believe the
same hand can have managed the broad
sweep of the satin folds. The other
portraits are not distinguished.
| Frederic Yates, a one-time San Fran
ciscan. has two portraits, of which one
tie Daughter of Sir Joseph Spearman.
Bart.-is by far the more charming. Mr..
Yates has very happy touch in painting
children. Nothing could be more delicate
than the childish gown, the big white coll
| lar. the flowers in the little hands, all in a
| luminous shadow.
The portrait of Frederic Harrison, by
W. w. Vuless, is a powerful piece of paint
ing, interesting from every standpoint,
that of the painter and that of the student
of character. VAN DYCK BROWN.