Evening star., 1897-02-13
A RT AND ARTISTS.

The most important picture that Mr. Ed
mund Clarence Messer is now working upon
is a view near Paxson, Va, painted upon
a large canvas. The motive is an excellent
one,and with scarcely any alteration makes
a most pleasing composition. In the fore
ground Is a broad meadow, across which
little brock has worn its way, leaving an
irregular ditch with many intersecting gull
lies. and in the middle distance several tall
trees add to the dignity CT the landscape
The sky is Of misty blue, with here and
there fiecks of rose-colored cloud. The en-
tire scene is enveloped in the softened light
which is peculiar to those days where the
sun shines but family through the haze. The
picture is painted in a very quiet. sober
key. and is very literal transcript of
tho actual scene. Mr.. Messer has recently
acquired a remarkably fine pastel portrait
which the late Renoni Irwin made of him
some years ago, and all the artists who
have seen 1t have praised it without stint,
both on account of the execution and on
account of the likeness.
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Mr.. Harold L. Macdonald has recently
finished a figure study which he has been
making with reference to a large painting
to be called "Art Mourning Over Dead
Civilization In the pastel study, which
he las been making. Art represented by
a female figure, clad in green drapery, is
seated in an attitude of profound sorrow
with her chin resting on her hand. AS
might te expected, the drawing is firm and
strong, and the coloring extremely eff
fective. In another sketch, which gives
idea of the entire composition the back
ground is shown as desolate waste with
ruined temples lit up by the blood red glare
of the setting sun.
Among the pictures recently added to the
collection of old English masters that has
been on exhibition for some time at Fisch-
ers, the portrait of Chas. Earl Gray by
Sir Thomas Lawrence Is particularly fine.
The features are cleanly cut, and the face.
which is of a highly aristocratic type, is
painted with broad telling strokes. A can
vas upon the opposite wall, the portrait of
Chas. James Fox by Sir Joshua Reynolds,
shows an entirely different English type
and Is handled in very different though
no less mastery, manner. The coloring of
the picture is warm and rich, and the scar
let drapery which serves a background
gives it an added brilliancy. THE Old
Mil. Norwich" by Joseph Stannard, is
one OF the best of the landscapes included
in the collection. Besides the early En-
gilsh paintings, there are several other pic
lures tnat have recently been placed on
view at F'ischers. Two of these are land
scapes, one by CaZin and the other by
Wyant. The latter is a small wood interior
with vista In the center, through which
glimpse of distance Is caught, and is
painted in the warm brown and russet
tones that are quite characteristic of the
artist. Perhaps the most striking of the
new pictures is study by Mihaly de Mum
kacsy for a large picture depicting the last
moments OF Mozart. The sketchy style in
which 1t IS painted. IL anything adds to
the strength and boldness Of the study
The most important canvases that Mr..
Robert Hinckley has done lately are the
portraits Of Gen. Schofield, Admiral Porter,
Gen. Sherman and Judge Davis, which
were hung in the Metropolitan Club a short
time ago. Since the completion of those
paintings he has been working upon
portrait of Col Ernst of West Point and
upon a likeness of DIR. Thomas Chatard.
The latter is a hree-quarter-length figure
and shows DIR. Chatard seated in an easy
posture with one hand resting on the arm
of his chair. 1t is a very strong portrait,
and Mr.. Hfnckley thinks of sending 1t to
the exhibition of the society, which opens
at the Cosmos Club on April ). He Is now
at work upon the design for a door hang
ing, and the subject is one that will de-
b.
Boston. represented by statuesque figure
in white, is being crowned by graceful
figure clad in floating red drapery, and be-
meath the painting is the legend, "Bos-
toniae gloria The border of autumn
leaves which surrounds the central compo-
sition helps to make the decorative scheme
a pleasing one.
Mr. R. lie Grand Johnston Is busying
hiynS Itch
he plans to send to the centennial exposi-
ton at Nashville, Tenn. He is also pre-
pairing for his annual exhibition at Fis-
cher's, which Will open on March 1 and
continue for two weeks. His exhibition
promises to be more than usually good,
and the paintings will be to a great extent
direct studies from nature.
X
Beginning Monday and lasting for sew
eral days there will be an interesting ex-
hibition of china painting on view at 1906
G street. Several of the specimens that
are to be shown are by Prof Franz
Schwartz, whose skill in ceramic decoration
is well known here. A vase that will at
tract considerable attention is the work of
Miss George Robertson. Green and gold
are the prcdominating colors in this ar
tstic piece of work, and upon the sides
are two oval spaces containing decoration
IN monotint, one showing a view of the
Rheinstein castle and the other iIlustrat-
ing the old legend of the Lorlei.
Mr.. E. c. Peixoto, who has been in the
city for month or more making drawings
of the new Congressional Library for
Scribner's, has about finished his task, and
has very fine portfolio Of illustrations.
Though he does considerable work in wash,
a large proportion of his drawings are
made in pen and Ink, a medium of which
he has very thorough knowledge. He is
very skillful In handling detail knowing
when to simplify and when to leave out en-
treiy. This is noticeable in the study he
has recently been making of the corridor
containing Simmons decorations In his
drawing of the west main entrance hall he
encountered rather difficult problem, the
translation Of the vividly colored decora-
ticns into their proper values In black and
white. but the result which he reached Is
highly successful.
X
The decorations which Henry Oliver
Walker has painted for the Conversational
Library are now In position In the first
hoor corridor south of the west main en-
trance hall. The general scheme of Mr.
Walkers series ia DOetfcaJ apd In +ho