New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-12-10
ART EXHIBITIONS
OLD MASTERS AT THE UNION LEAGUE
CLUB-THE ALPHA DELTA PHI SHOW

tho Union League Club IL full OF old and dis.
tinsuIshed names Limiting the display to only
sixteen pictures the committee has nevertheless
contrived TO secure a varied effect. The unct.
uous quality OF Ferdinand Boz In vigorous
portrait OF warm tone. liz contras;ed with the
archaic polish Of the younger Pourbus and the
even stronger and purer delicacy OF the Spanish
painter. Coelo. The last mentioned Is. indeed.
the most interesting figure In the show. for his
work Is almost never seen IN this country either
in good or bad examples. The present portrait.
The Wife Of .,dmiral Simon de Cordes," Is a
trhe below his best, but al the same time far
above his worst He died less than ten years
before the birth OF Velazquez. but was sepa-
rated from that great painter as by an immense
gulf Where Velazquez painted living portraits
Coello slowly elaborated mmobile images In
the fat. If the expression may be allowed. And
yet ne Is wonderfully appealing, in his rather
dry. hard way His faces without
charm though the breath Of life seems miss
ing. and his true instinct for beauty Is shown
in the taste with which he painted those broid.
cred stomachers and robes Of the great ladies'
Of the sixteenth century The portrait which
especially provokes our remarks Is lacking In his
most finished quality. There is less sparkle.
less frmness, than in his superb works at
ent. Unfamiliar and unregardcd he may be
in America we do not hesitate 10 say that this
picture has fresher and more individual sig
niicance than anything else in the room
Perhaps We would not be inclined to say this
~ the large portrait OF Catherine Of Portugal"
nv Pierre Mignard were Justly representative
OF the artist but Coello has nothing 10 fear
from comparison with the Frenchman or this
occasion Mignard handling his brush with the
freedom and the elegance which YOU see reflect
cd in his most characteristic portraits, Is Q
painter to regard with enthusiasm. He may be
hopeessly artificial, but at all events he has
power. This sleek. brittle production does not
move ones emotions In 80 slightest degree II
ia a huge school piece hollow and wearisome
one OF the two portraits by Pourous. the head
Of Jacques d'Aigrenont" executed In A similar
vein Of pedantic analysis. is somev hat more at
tractive: but neither this work nor ia COM
panion. the portrait OF Agreements wife. can
take more than a modest. minor position In
fact these three paintings send one back almost
precipitately to the beautiful Coello or the Jolly
"Burgomaster" If Ferdinand Bol The "Por-
trait Of Man" attributed to Franz Has
leaves a dubious impression. There are signs
Of tho masters hand IN the brushwork about
the mans costume. but the face. With It's IN
healthy palior is curiously dispiritng 20 the
student OF Halls on his technical side. We find
nothing impressive. either, in the Landscape
and Cattle" given TO Van der Nede.
The remaining portraits are Of English origin.
Those of Mr. and Mrs Carlisle by Sir Henry
Raeburn. are not in themselves very brilliant,
but they are interesting examples Of
painter comparatively little known here. The
single portrait by Hoppner is also but mildly
Sfrtlx
in the seated portrait Of the Countess OF VIII
ton" by Sir Thomas Lawrence. a very fluent.
well-managed study Of a rather formidable
matron. and in the stately Charity OF the
same artist. This symbolica picture is really
a double portrait The two Miss Newdigates
Of Surrey stand together. giving aims 10 poor
how. The important thing in this work. after
the gracefully modelled heads and the ripe car
nations IN the faces IS the skilful treatment or
the white robes, always a block OK stumohns
to the painter. The long. flowing surfaces are
a bit dirty here and there. but perhaps ome IS
largely responsible AZ bottom Lawrence must
have known what he was about when he paint
cd the canvas for even now his genera! erect
"a beautiful Three landscapes by Constable
come at the close OF our survey The Nrst O.
these no . in the cataogue) Is too NOT ana
brickv IN color in the foreground. The second.
q big picture Is roughly painted. he sky Is 3D.
scurelv modelled. and the design needs puins
together; in spite of It's generous scale the COM
position is empty. The last Of the three IS ex-
actIv what a Constable ought to be- built up
with simplicity and strength. and Kept lthin
bounds as to its color. The meilo"ness ana
sweetness OF this picture make It's two neigh
bors look cruder than ever
The best things in the collection Of American
paintings at the Alpha Delta Phi Club. as was
the case last year and the year before. are the
landscapes Only one figure painter. Mr. Car
roll Beckvith strengthens the company o. t.y
mr. sixty productions His study for the per-
trait 81 a lady is spirited ard skiiful IN
drauyhtsranship and the color is effective Ar.
Cburch's white Fawn" is too steieotyped III
STYLE As we'll as in subject. 10 give any pleasure
Two clever marine painters are represented Mr'
Howard Russell Butler in turbulent out true
study. and Mr. Carlton T. Chapman in an eN-
celent pcture Of two vessels. But the laho',
scane painters carry off the honors. MI bruce
Crana's winter scene Shutdown; the rlSnt
picturesoue Dutch study by Mr. George h 30
CERT: Mr. Lathrops Landscape win Ca'"e
Mr. Kost's "Seaweed CATERERS, Mr. X {
Minors Misty Moonlight. and Mr.. II. W.
Rangers panoramic view Of The Paisaaes
IRON, Ola, Street" are all good pictures. fUl
Of sensitive feeling for nature. ana aoouhui"e
in authoritative workmanship. Yet We "us'
confess that this group OF pictures aal''du'0
no q NAV he does not make an exhibition the
annual shows at this club have so often pos
sessed value that we regret 10 see falling OLE
in the average Of merit. The proportion q
satisfactory pictures Is unduly small II "ou'a
have been better-especiay when the Mario"
limits OF the house are considerable only max
as many canvases had been chosen. Twenty
five or thirty pictures gathered with the utmost
discrimination are more desirable than twice
that number selected with less exacting TASTE
The show is pleasant. but II ought 10 be more &c.
and it is to be hoped that next year hisher