New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-11-08
THE CHRONICLE OF ARTS
EXHIBITIONS AND OTHER TOPICS.
THE wATER-COLOa CIUB-ME. DoDGEs pHcof'H'
r1oNs FOR THE CONGRESSIONAL LIBRARY AT
WASHINGTON - SOME ETCfiINGs AND

r1oNs FOR THE CONGRESSIONAL LIBRARY AT
WASHINGTON - SOME ErcHINGs AND
DRAWINGS BY NJ. HE1IEU
Ifthere is one thing more than anotherupon wncn
tho New-York Water Color Club is to be congra'u-
tad n ia thu ever-tncreasng seriousness Of Its ex-
hibitions 1t has not abandoned the atmosphere vi
sponta neity and l,ghtness which should always 90
with tho medium. but II has sifted ana sifteo 'he
pictures contributed each year. until to-uas "
comes forward at the Fine Arts buiioihs VIII"
collection full OF frst-ratc woodwork tha' '"o"'
neither smartness In the conception nor has.e III
the execution There is apt TO be too much OF inc
former in water-color painting. ARTISTS take '"'"
medium too carelessly. They are content " p'o-
duce the thinnest fragment assuming tha'' since
A. n a water color no one Will expect 100 ""'" y.
#. The hes; work in the present eXhp'uo'' "'O
there "a plenty Of IT, is to be found in pictures Ike
Mr. SHELLS English Village or the richiy tone"
landscapes bv Mr. Frederick y. Williams or 'he
admirably modelled head OF n child by Mrs rIor-
ence W Gotthod. There are some less so""''
painted things or the walls but it IS the sincerity
and knowledge which these illustrate from w"'o"
the observer gets most pleasure 1t Is very refresh
ing to come acros. such straightforward ana "eh-
cately observed landscapes as Mr. warren Eaton
s.Autumnal Haze" Mr.. Posts Pasture HrooK'
Mr f-oain.s "Vinter Evening" and Mr.. Mc1hen-
ny's December" Then there are some s'lgh'er
essays in pale tones. subtle little pictures by MI
Grippe and Mr.. Pepper. which, IN spite VI '"e'
fragIlity hold their own amid the deep ho'eS
struck by most Of the painters In the eHmo"'o"'
The star" picture is by Mr.. Harvey Fil's WIN
ter scene showing solitary figure. TINS WORK
called preparation" should have been pu' ia "e
place of honor. ]. has breadth OF style " IS rue
in atmosphere and II Is fine In feeling Ihe ar"s'
name 10 unfamiliar. but II he Is doing much wprk
like this he should be welcomed frequently in local
galleries No other rev figure painters are espe-
cially visible unless Miss Corneiia Maury IS 10 De
signalized She indeed. has some excellent draw
inS in No cg7 First Steps" but elsewhere sne
does not make good effect and i Is not pa, IAN
We-kn"wn men. Mr. Sargent Kendall and mt, Mr.:
Carroll Beckwith there are couple 81 OF Mr
Franxcn ia strjk.ngy clear in outline. Mr. Beck
withs study Is OF graceful subject ana ~ me
6,v drawn In one Of the smaller rooms .ne
Hanging Committee has arranged TWO niue sroupS
Fepresentine two artists That ons wnc OF noun
tain scenes In North Carolina reveals an improves.
more refined sense OF color than has hitherto been
nous The sketches made in Norway by Miss Mils
Jams amaeursh. She needs Iurtn "a ~ rntnrc
Sesope sbe should attempt to go beyond the Two or
three pictures which she has sen, 10 .he , s an
HrSh,on ali to herself The Water Color Club Is
fhe first OF tho regular artistic orsan'Hauons :"
come before the public this season IL comes hu
Sncsc,,sIv opening good exhibition, ana u ought
20 receive generous support.
At the American Art Galleries there is great
circular ceiling decoration painted TOT one vi 'he
payiions of the new Congressional Library oS
~ De L. Dodge He shows also four Vmpanums
"a he placed on the walls Of the same chamber ana
<here a % added to these studies enough and mis-
r,ei,aneous paintings enough to give varied repre-
eentation of his art. He was nrst hearo vi !" "
manner TO attract wide attention wheh ne ueo'
rated the dome of the Administration f'"'os "'
Chicago IN 1882 That painting Indicated ihe pos
session of gifts of bravura. Of vivid decorative
ha
forward Mr. Dodge fulfls ell the expectations
aroused by mis- earlier work. His ceiling is III"
niece of composition. the soaring CHARACTER Vi i''
theme Ambition. Being most fehcitousy en-
messed in the movement OF the hgures toward ''e
upoer regions in which The stecd OF Pegasus con-
epicuously appears Beneath this central design
which displays various types OF eager humanity,
The four ,ympanums symbolic in picturesque COM
,,an,es OF figures Music" Art, Literature an"
s.science" The backgrounds are varied MT Dodge
arranges the figures Of Literature before 'he
slender pillars Of what presume must be the
entrance TO temple. The personages grouped Ill
that tympanum given to Art are shown ABOUT
marble exedra But In all the tympanums. as III
1he aerially conceived ceiling. there is a hood OF
warm light. light so golden that inc p'"'7
Ssouid seem TO have been executed out OF ooors'
In fact Mr. Dodge mas plainly been affected ny the
pein air movement IN Paris where he mas Done All
che work under review and. save that his style u
academic disclosing the influences OF the salon III
cts most familiar vein of draughtsnansnip am, anu
composition. he may be ascroeo 10 rnn i'm his dec
cra,,ons IN ais smaller works Iney pro ,asta
e are yfry @ typss and
the abundance Of l!gh. and color arouna mem ,,%
M5 p9%ss Where 5sSy hey SS fall i'm
pressing the spectator WITH very httIe orielni vu
sE dra"rhtsr ran 10 be ranked imitator Of any
one and hayc not thought o, any rH
sSe m'ost we should be inclined to say that the
library ceiling HID IN dc In Vie Of Yei Mr. Dodge
fee ling that II Es wese we e
ro,,d not distinguish It's sty;" as anything very
ssr removed from tina. Of the mooI hardened salon
;cr the next room ne mas - IT., sary return to
america. where he would be less suDjeG, 10 o ,nG
s 81 the SaP be a bes Way
Terhsps. now that ne has brought these decora ORA,
lions ever 'o Put them up n his brilliant color his
breadth and his technical mastery Oniy neal ts hin,
Srecous Individuality to American art Now the Inc
mayor Of Paris hangs about hin anu o'"'"s"c' ''''
value
~. have little to add to the few words set forth
a.. ,h,. Mace a week ago regarding NJ Paul Helle'
SI,s .tcb,ngs and drawings may be seen AZ the
x.nne, gallery. They delightful productions
They mirror feminine graces OF form anu "o'e
man, rather than feminine witcher'es OF person
sutv NJ manner The psychological interest or
sh..s s,udies IN fact. "a not very large ihey
49,. ~, ooucb 10 say about the spiritual idiosyn-
100. ~ the Parisienne. But they make much OF
Ssr dress Of ner fashionable attitudes; they make
mora Of these things than any one else has made
- ,h.rn since the eighteenth century. NJ Helleu
Ss. studied wat;eau. One Of his best plates 10 or
= woman tearing over to gaze al inc cravings
,,,-.,.,u In thu Iroarre and the suggestion Is
.r,ronr,a;e Through ALI the numbers OF the cata-
,"rre and II il no, TOO brief ere Is conscious OK
s,.,,..r.h-oen,ury mood, an eigh'ecn'h-centnry
$4,000 n uel,eu has Grm line ana supple
one HIS dry points are unsurpassed FOR certain
exquisite dircc,nsss and smoo'hness Ing 800
- ..,.,s a.s less refined in llne but their eiiScts
sm So rci less precise. not less well poisso ma.
those OF the etchings IT should DC s,ea sn.
pasSr no does not in any way pretend 10 Iecap.une
their styles lie Is very much himself; M Sciinr q