Evening star., 1898-07-16
ART AND ARTIST

The sessions of the National Educational
| Association which were given over to art
| education attracted a large number of the
| local residents who ara interested in such
matters. and very appreclative audience
| listened to the papers and TO the subse-
| quent discussions at the Luther Memorial
| Church on Monday. Mr.. William Ordway
| Partridge, who was to have made the first
address, was not in the city, and his paper
was read by Mr.. Allen c. Clark The sculp-
| tors subject was THE Function of Art in
| the Education of the American Citizen"
and he touched rather lightly on the diff
| ferent aspects of the question, his paper
| being more in the nature of golden proph-
| ecy than careful exposition of the infiu-
ence which art may exert. His words
struck a popular chord, and he voiced the
| sentiment of a majority of his hearers
when he said, Sanity should be our watch
word" Mr.. Edmund Clarence Messer who
| led the discussion, supported Mr.. Partridge
| in this sentim ent, and he made an earnest
protest against dscadence in art. He dis
cusSed the subject in a very conservative
way pointing out some of the obstacles and
| giving many timely warnings. We hear so
many people speak about the eleVatlng in
| fuencs of art though that much might
be taken for granted, that Mr.. Messer's re-
marks that point are of especial value.
| He emphasized the fact that art is not es-
sentially moral, and that its influence may
be powerful for evil for good if the
| artist has low ideals. Sincerity and earn
estness characterized Mr.. Messer's talk, and
it had the two-fold value of coming from
a painter of ability and one who has had
long experience and much success in the
instruction of Students. Mr.. John S. Clark
of Boston and Mr.. ]. S. Ankeney of Car
thage, Mo-, also helped to make the pro-
gram an interesting one.
Miss Alice Archer Sewall left the city on
| the 11th of the month for York, Me-, where
she has spent previous summers.
Miss Sara Bartle will probably be
| joying the salt breezes of Narragansett
bay before the coming week is far spent,
and she plans to remain there during the
greater part Of the summer, though she
may go some where in the mountains later
on in the season. She will be within easy
striking distance of Newport, where she
stayed last year, and she will thus be
able to carry out several commissions
| which she received last summer at that
center of Fashionable gayety. Miss Bartle
has just finished a likeness of Mrs. Sam
uel T. EmmonS, tiny miniature painted
for locket. and consequently demanding
the most exquisite delicacy of execution.
from an old-fashioned daguerreotype, she
| will work on at odd intervals while she is
away this summer.
"
One of the most striking portraits that
Mr. w. H. Coffin has yet done is the three
qCarter-length figure of Miss Geraldine
Farar, which he finished short time ago.
The head is especially well done, being
painted with broad. firm strokes that ex-
press the modelling in decided way, and
at the same time the artist has preserved
the softness and delicacy of the flesh tex
| ture in quite satisfactory manner. The
way in which the hair is handled is also
worthy of commendation. Miss Farat
wears a pleasant, -mischievous smile,
and her face is alive with expression Mr..
Coffin has placed the figure against deep
| red background, which gives richness and
| splendor to the color scheme. and the eff
fect or the ensemble is extremely GEreea-
bic. The likeness of Mrs. John Patten
Story. which he completed a short time
ago, is by no means as daring n piece of
work as his portrait of Miss Farar but
1t has certain elegance .ind dignity and
is drawn with more than usual care. Mr..
Ccfiin will start soon on three weeks
wheeling trip, which will inciude L.uray,
&c., and he plans to give his time almost
entirely to recreation, with perhaps 1ust
enough sketching to keep MS hand in
The banks of the Eastern branch have
become familiar to the picture-loying public
through the views of this locality which
Mr.. Daniel Rose has exhibited from time
to time, and he still finds interesting sub
Jects there without apparently diminishing
the supply of good material. In one Of
these studies, a rapid sketch in oil, show
Ing a bit of water and a stretch of shore
with well-massed group of trees. there is
particularly nice quality of color. and
though fond of quiet color combinations,
Mr.. Rose seldom fails to make his work
agreeable iE that respect. He has liking
for rather subtle effects in light and shade,
as well as in color and he is now at work
upon subject which involves very deli
cate adjustment of sunlight and shadow.
Though a trif1e lacking in force in its pres
ent unfinished state, the work is full of
artistic feeling and promises to be d sue
cess.
Miss Robertson, who is one of Prof
Schwartz's pupils, showed her skill in the
decoration OF china in the figure which she
exhibited at Veerhoff's during the carly
part of the week. A beautiful girl, clad in
Greek costume, her dark hair bound with
fillets, stands beside fountain with her
water jar The pensive attitude of the fig
d
pleasing harmony of color in the costume
and accessories. Every part of the panel
is painted with the most conscientious care
and close inspection only reveals an ad-
ded delicacy of execution.
X
In the outdoor studies which Mr.. Edgar
Nye has been painting recently he strikes
an entirely new note and introduces in his
work strength of color and solidity that
he has never before shown. His pictures
have always possessed many artistic quail
ties, but his work has gained greatly of
late through his more careful study of ma
ture, and there is accuracy in his rem
dering of colors and tonal relations that
marks great advance. One of the truest
things that he has done this summer is a
glimpse of a sunny roadway which tells
wonderfully in contrast to the dark masses
of foliage which are nearer to the eye. The
same veracty marks large wood interior
that he has been painting, a sketch of a
fence corner in full sunlight, and many
other canvases that have been occupying
his attention.