The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1898-11-30
AT The EXHIBIT
This the Last Week of the
Display of Pictures.
A Few Former Contributors Miss
ed-Work of ott-Smith-Study
of Few of the Works.
Communicated.

! hama Art League exhibition. Tonight
and Saturday are the remaining two
| evenings. Both the afternoon and
evening session have been very we'll
attended, as the visitors register
shows. Whatever may have been the
fate OF musical or literary clubs here
in the past, the art league is holding
it own through the years, and instead
OF decline there is growing strength in
it. The numbers in the catalogue may
fiuctuate as people come and go, but
il is a great deal TO hold its own in
spite of absences and removals among
the eXhl oitors. We miss from the cata-
logue this year several names OF. those
who are still with us. Miss Parke is
not represented, nor Mrs. Tucker. and
Mrs. Graham appears but once, while
several others not at all. But at an
other time we shall trust 10 see from
them many productions, while it may
occur that others are resting from pub
lie appearance.
New names, however. are catalogued
among which are Mr.. II. Mott-Smith
Mrs S. S. Kinney Mr. w. Z. Pinkham
T. Chong, Mrs. J. Rothwell, Miss Hof-
man, as we'll as those who are here as
sojourners, Miss Helen Jordan, Mr.. Nc
Cowes and Miss NJ. y. Laughlin. In
fact it is owing to the league that those
excellent pictures of Mott-Smith's We're
painted at all. Arriving on the eve of
the exhibition, its members We're of
course eager that he should be repre-
scented among them, and the artistic
genius was at once stirred not to dis
appoint them. The result is four can
vases, fresh from his brush and alive
with the ability which we are pleased
to welcome in Honolulu. AS Mott
Smith can do these things, we hope
that he will continue to do so, and that
at future exhibition seasons the walls
may be alive with what he can show us
in strong figure painting, as well as in
landscape. Each personal technique is
lesson TO the amateur, and the stu
dent may we'll examine, and learn that
finish is not always enamel smooth
ness, nor the effect which combines in
a whole multitude of details. The
e pluribus unum of a canvas should
consist in union of strength, feeling,
harmony and purpose. rather than de-
lineations with the point of brush.
a student of the old school might stand
aghast at the knobs and burrows and
the pilings on of paint that he could
run his finger in between. But it takes
knowledge TO know how to pile it on.
and yet the whole question is one of
quality rather than quantity. Oh,
mystery is this question of all, and we
have gained a great deal when we nave
learned how little we know The art
league has taught all of us much al
ready. and we are going to be dutiful
and hope that it will continue TO teach
us more all through the year. 1t is
just a trifling disheartening. when one
takes all manner of pains with pic
ture and then have it fall far short OF
the essentials which make a picture.
for there is one condemning feature of
some. and that is. when the apparent
principle. if it shows all through and
through, as painstaking. What, should
not student take pains? Why GER
toothpick, and not have it evident.
The tvro who Immediately go to the
other extreme and begins TO pile on
the pigmant may be ready, but piling
on the agony. until he harms the soul
of the thing and seeks that, whether
his canvas is buried deep with paint
or scraped. so that YOU can see the
threads through.
1t is the soul of the thing that Hitch
cock is seeing more and more. We are
glad that he has given touch to Hilo
to fetch up his household and studio
effects TO come and live among us
again. but if his future work falls
short of his present advance. we shall
want to pack him off TO Olaa again.
10 mediate and fill his canvases with
thoughtfulness like those he has in
! the present exhibition. Bits of street
scene. mountain side. sea. riffs among
/ clouds. sunshine and the vague dim
| ness of weight. all are there, inviting
/ the sightseer and the purchaser TOO. for
/ IT is pleasant TO say that four OF
them are marked sold. They are the
only ones ticketed thus far. but there
are vet four afternoons and two even
ings. and the tardy ones must remem-
Der that the exhibition days are mum
/ bered.
There is much more TO be said about
the pictures, but ii must be said at an
other time and meanwhile the arr
| league doors are open free. and the
neat catalogues are there at their dis
posal.
IS PERFECT.