New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-24
A POSTH UNOUS EXHIBITION
ILLUSTRATIONS AND PAINTINGS BY THE
LATE c. s. REINHART.

-
The collection Of pictures by the late Charles Stan.
ley Rcnhart. which H. to be sold AT the American
Art Galleries this week divides Itself into two parts
In one group there stand a number OF his expert.
nents and finished works In color. In another
group. much larger than the first. his black-and.
whites are displayed II was through tho latter
that he gained the notable position which he held
al his death last year. lie was good painter. He
was a better draughsman lie began his career
as an illustrator in bacls-an1 white and tho oil
paintings which bear his signature nearly all date
from the period when his prosperity as worker
for the magazines had given him time 10 devote 10
color They are the fruit OF a judlcous but not ct
all striking taste. Reinhari could produce har.
monious scheme Of color but never one OF original.
ity or subtle charm. Neither was his method cali
culated TO HIT him far above the familiar level Of
tine Salon He wen, no further In the development
OF his texture his atmosphere. MS brushing his
style than the average clever Partisan who has
based his pictures from tine immemoral on the
dlcta Of Julan's and other more or less conven-
tional a,eiers The gray light which has dominated
for so many years the typical art Of the Salon was
the light in which Rcinhart painted most OF his
oil pictures There gre some small panel sketches
in this collection which beray a sympathy for true
outdoor effects and In the large composition OF
French fsher-folk grouped OF the foot OF cross
and scanning the for the absent boats there is
a hint of something more sensitive TN the interpre-
disclosed But the truth remains that he was
never intended to be a painter and his work In
color Is intelligent skilfu good. in a word without
being good enough to make him remembered
In his illustrative work Reinhart achieved
fame which ought TO last. He had some OF the
best qualities OF blacka nd white art. especially
that branch OF the art which has been lent to the
celebration of modern life. He was among the
first and he remained among the most accom-
plished commentators the social movements Of
his time. He had eye as keenly trained az his
Rand The post which he occupied on the stan OF
the Harper periodicals gave him nnumeraole op-
portunitcs foster his gifts Of delicate satire For
there has always been satiricaI quality In Mr.
Reinharts work There has always been an UNDER
current of humor In his drawings. His people
were often rather prosaic individuals II was his
duty 10 find them. from time TO time, at the water
ing places Of America. lie fopnd them also with
in the pages of various writers Of fiction. not all OF
them writers given to romance. but Wnetner IN
novel or at White Sulphur Springs this vivacious
observer seized instantly upon the interesting traits
in his model; he saw character, no matter how
difidently it lurked behind the conventionality OF
our costume and manners. The result Is re-
narkabc vitality in all that he drew.
The present exhibJion coVS s many yetr 1s o,
familiar in the magazines decade ara more ago.
The themes are r'presendatVe OF courr,r Iii,
There are sketches OF negro witches. snhiiht. efs
at Fort Monroe, soldiers OF the 'tNli war. rF,N'a
ard SDlu.Sn peasants SWISS railway servants, TER
man and South American personalities. through
out the crowded gathering there - not TYPE when
IS not revealed in his or her fullest individuality.
and while this is due primarily TO the artists close
observation Of peculiarities OF carriag" ana eX-
preston II springs also from MS conSummate ac-
curacy and in all that pertains 70 costume and
environments He realized scene with uncommon
,iNdness He had the knack of making group
expressive at every pon, - ;nat some OF the up
to-date political sketches made IN the last months
of his life are a. true TO life the earlier drawings
upon which n had wreaked himself IA me leisure
OF Newport or Switzerland or France HIS teen
nique was never in itself source OF much delight
There was certain intellectual dryness ABOUT ms
work which kept him from lingering over the
development Of his style. II ne cared 10 he grace
ful poetic niduant ne never showed u. What ne
did care 10 do TO make his pen follow win n
exorable fidelity the outlines o; mis- n2ures, ana IN
the long rum If he had little pure beauty he had
great deal OF forcible. rerNOusiy picturesque
veracify His method was essentially simple Inc
quality Of his line without distinction put lis
irectness its bald .loGuence. could hardly he IN
proved upon In the fullest sense or me term ne
was a realistic draughtsman. His mind was OF
the brightest his temperament was or Inc sayes',
but n. took his subjects with certain seriousness
after All. he would not adorn them he portrayed
them as they were. and sacrificed loNclness sacrl-
feed artistic sweetness for q palpitatins Ner'V
which was perhaps better worth striving for.
The sale these drawings ana paintings VIII tane
place next Wednesday, Thursday ana FRIDAY even
lngs on the afternoons or the same days tne
galleries viii witness the dispersal Of collection
OF Oriental brorzes. porcelans and bric-a-Drac
which occupies one of the upper rooms. IT Is inc
propcrty of Mr.. Kichigoro Suzuki. OF TOXIC, ana
Il contains many excellent objects or the s9.t
familiar in miscellaneous collections sent over oy
japanese gentlemen to tho New-Yor market.