The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-18
Mr.. FORSYTH'S WORKS.
A Review of His Paintings at the Art
Exhibit.

Mr.. Forsyth has this year condescended
to be picturesque and Romantic His large
landscape, an extended view looking along
forest thicket would do for the back
scene of one of Shakspcare's woodland
plays, and would suit an immense canvas
AS it is it gives an idea of huge space dis
lance and wild. glorious solitude, and it has
a quality seen in all good pictures that
makes the picture lover say, why am l
so interested in this picture?" The trees
in the thcket at the right are strange
stately shapes, piled shade above shade
at the left the foliage runs from every key
of deep and rich to light and gay, and
there is a certain dignity it might we'll be
called grandeur in the distance, caused by
the noble forms of the trees there. The
painting called wild Artichokes" recalls
Arthur Partons lake pictures, for although
it portrays the Ohio river the flowing lines
of the hills reach to the waters edge in
closing a wide bend of the stream as still
as a lake and quite romantic in effect. One
of the most interesting of Mr.. Forsyth's
paintings is THE Field of Stubbe' freshly
reaped, and painted in the dry, bright air of
last summers drought. This picture is de
lightful. 1t is in three notes and in three
simple lines. You stand on a. high stubble
wheat nelu ana look across unseen farm
and river below the field to the Kentucky
hills, which form a level horizon. The sim
plicity and unity and the portrayal of dis
lance and of air and sparkling sunshine
in this picture are no common feat i'm paint
ing. To depict air and light is what the
artistic world is now especially interested
in doing The picture lover cannot fail to
observe the evanescent blue of the plain
almost vanishing before the eye can catch
it. on the black-green or gray woods of Mr..
Forsyth's hills. The light smoke of au-
tumn filling the air to the far smoky hills
and just being blown off, the moisture of
morning at the point of its dissipation under
a clear blue sky. are wondrous when ex-
pressed in oil paint on canvas, and whether
this light smokiness or moist radiance in
close meadow thickets, peepng barns or
clumps of golden willows, the air is the
main point of the picture. The three above
mentioned pictures will probably go to New
York after the close of this exhibition, UNI
less sold. Mr.. Forsyth's landscapes are
not compositions they are painted ex-
actly as they look in nature. There is "a
about his thick paint. that shows he has
plenty of paint and plenty of decision.
His hills have solid foundation, his roofs
do not seem to float in the air, but are
tight their walls. His colors Sing in
fiery vibrations of light"
Not so many cows are in the exhibition
as are sometimes seen in such a collection.
There Is often a great deal of cow in the
art world. Art cows! The public had to fall
down in worship of the art calf aforetime.
O the values, the tones, that it expected
to see in that calf until it came to wish
that the art cows would break out OF the
canvas and get in among the values, 1.-The
rightness of values, and destroy them
forever Why the values" should be
painted In the shape of cows. cows drawn
without precision, cows with their heads set
on crooked. cows out of proportion with
the trees and fences around, none could say.
Real COWS, breathing, warm contented
cows enjoying life and the landscape about
them as cows do. are another thing in a
picture and thing TO rejoice over. Per-
haps the public got beyond the COW period
in art, as IL has passed the sawmill period.
Time was when a score of sawmills was
hung every wall Of a picture gallery.
After that came apple gatherings and or
chards Now are offered pure air and