Evening star., 1897-04-03

greater part of Westward Hor' was writ
ten The head of a Puritan by Mr.. Moss
is an extremely effective piece of work,
though it Is quite possible that persons
may consider it a trife lbelous. He also
exhibits composition of graceful nude fig
ures called the Death of the Hamadryad.
X
The only other nude that is included in
the exhibition Is from l.. s. Brumfdfs clever
brush and bears the title of "Reveille Toi."
1t is executed in pastel and the skill with
which. the accessories are handled shows
his Partisan training. 1t is soft and deli
cate coloring, and the textures are rem
dered in an especially able manner. Another
pleasing essay by the same artist is view
of Lafayette Square in its autumn dress.
X
Either by accident or design several of
the best portraits in the exhibition have
been grouped near together in one part of
the hall Among these Juliet Thompson's
likeness of Rebecca Hyde at once attracts
the eye, and it is safe to say that it Is the
most striking portrait in the exhibition. 1t
is a three-quarter-length figure, and pos
sesses a tremendous amount of style. Miss
Hyde wears a large black hat with dropping
plumes, and her low-neck dress of light
filmy- material is of the same color. The
somber tone of her attire is relieved by the
positive color note struck by the red lining
of the fur-trimmed cape which has Slipped
neglgently from her left shoulder. The
carriage of the head and the attitude of the
entire figure are spirited yet full of dig
nifty, and in spite of an occasional uncer-
tainty in the drawing it still remains the
best thing the artist has ever done.
Hanging near by is Bertha E. Perrie's
portrait of a young girl, which, if it is not
as striking as Miss Thompsons chef
d'oeuvre, is in many ways superior to it in
the directness and simplicity of it's ham
ding. There is absolute sincerity in it,
and there has been no painting for effect
alore. There is splendid drawing and mo-
deling in the head and neck. and the face
is a very expressive one. The girl is clad
in a white dress of the utmost simplicity.
and the color scheme is very quiet and
restful
x x
The graceful ease of the woman which
Arna NJ. Sands has portrayed in pastel
shows that she appreciates the value of
pc Sc in portraiture. One hand rests light
ly upon her hip, and in the other, which
hangs al her side, she holds a bunch of
carnations. The modelling of the left hand
is especially good. The rich red back
ground, contrasting sharply with the black
material of the gown, suggested the title.
Rouge ct Notr." Miss Sands also exhibits
a study of head, but it does not come up
to her haf-length figure, which is one of
the best pastels in the exhibition.
Robert Hinckley exhibits but one canvas
this year, an effective portrait of lady in
yellow.
Jane Brigham Curtis, whose work in
pastel has been feature of the exhibitions
for several years back, most decidedly falls
below the high standard that she has set
for herself in the past in her figure of
Guinevere. 1t is the third of the subjects
that she has taken from Ternyson's poems
which are SO rich in pictorial material.
w hle IT has some fine decorative qualities,
in the rich green dress embossed
with golden dragons. it is not as good
Wcrk as she can do, and one turns in pref
erence to the attractive portrait study that
she shows. 1t is likeness of herself and
IS executed III e. straightforward way that
gives 1t peculiar charm.
Alice Archer Sewall also exhibits 4 por-
trait of herself, which is an admirable
likeness. and is handled with great force
and vigor. Her large decoration in pastel
is one of the most original things shown,
both in conception and execution. The