Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-02-18
A R 7 A ID ARTS S

| the dealers concerned their business
| has been practically at staadstin. Those
| artists who have studios in connection with
| their homes have been able to work on I'M
! interrupted, but many of the downtown
| studios were deserted during the first half
| Oh the week. and the meeting Of the So
| clety OF Washington Artists, chsduied for
| Tuesday evening, was quietly ignored. the
| business of the art stores is always sensi-
| tive to weather conditions, and the lack of
| railroad communication at the first of the
| week helped to bring about state of stag
| nation. 1t was impossible % secure the
works of art which were expected for ex-
| hibition this week. and the dealers could
not ship the pictures that we're due in
| other cities. The delay kept al Fischer's
| the collection of water colOrs by F. Hop
kinSon Smith, and also the portrait Of
! Senator Lodge. which was to have been
sent 10 the large exhibition Of Sargent's
works, announced to open in Boston this
| week.
The prolonged period of exceedingly low
| temperature wrought havoc in Miss Edith
Ogdens studio, ard she has undergone a
most dsheartening experience. During the
cold spell it was impossible to keep her
| very large studio warm enough, and all the
works which were still in clay froze and
cracked in countless places. Thus, in a few
| days, the product of many months labor
was entirely ruined. ThA sculptor thinks
! that she may be able to tore her most
| important work, design for a memorial
monument, but it is so badly damaged that
| she will remodel it as a sketch and not
| undertake to carry it to that degree of
fnlsh at which she first aimed Some of
the sterling points of merit still remain I'M
| changed by the accident: the graceful
grouping of the figures the weil-planped
balance of the large masses, and the
beauty of line are but slightly affected by
the numerous cracks. but the refinement
ana delicacy of detail, which gives Miss
Ogdens work one of its chief charms is
almost entirely destroyed. a portrait head
which she had just finished with the most
CONSCIENTIOUS cons, ana careful study was in
Jured lrretri' yably, and the striking head
OF Athena, which she mad undAr way suf-
fered considerable damage
An interesting group of portraits in
black and white oil, which has been on
We" at I'LL + street, has been attracting
Wel-deserved attention. These paintings
are from the brush of T. V Chominski.
and are the originals for the series of il
Illustrations which accompany Senator
| Hoar's article in the February Scribper.
In grasping the dominant charact ,ristics
OF the men which he has portrayed the
heads are executed in a broad sketchy Uay
that is well adapted to Illustrative pur-
poses. The portraits of John Sherman
James G.. Blaine and Rutherford b. HAYES
are especially interesting from the artistic
standpoint and are excellent Hkenesses as
well. "
In burnt-wood decoration Mr. William
Fuller Curtis has made rapid but steady
advance. and in each new undertaking
mas COPIED with increasingly difficult prob
lens. until he has acquired a complete
mastery over his medium. The mural dec
GRAFTON III four separate panels. which is
MS most recent production Of importance.
Is, entirely apart from it's artistic excel
lence, remarkable achievement in tech
meal handling. To any one familiar with
the difficulties of burnt-wood work the
suppleneSs of this medium in his hands
Is sure 10 BE- source of wonder so skill
ful does he ADAPT his treatment TO the
different textures which he wishes 10 ron
resent. In the drapery one finds broad
Scuiptufesque handling of tn heavy folds
ana IN contrast to this the faces are exc
cuted with SoftneSS and delicacy that
the aftlSt has never previously attained
The square panels placed at the sid4s con-
tam personifications of Life and Death. ana
III tne long, narrow panel in the center
are hSures representing Tragedy Comedy.
Joy and Sorrow. In the Iunette above the
center OF the decoration is the figure of
Nemesis. hoYerlng over all with outstretch-
ca arms The face. half hidden BY the
hood of d dark mantle. is seen in A r,1,.s,-
ferrous half light. but is not awful or r.
peiient, as Mr. Curtis has conceived the
goddess as calm and unmoved a tyne of
Just II relentless, retribution.
Following closely on the sale Of Thomas r.
Clarkes collection of American pictures is
another auction sale of work by the artists
of our own land. The collection of paintings
belonging to William +. Havemeyer were
placed on exhibition in New York city on
February II, and will be sold on the even
ing Of the I'D. While of much less i'm
portance than the Clarke sale the collec-
ton is said to contain many valuable works
OF American art, including good EXAMPLES
OF l. A. Abbey, George H. Boughton Thos
Hovenden, Freer, Inness Minor, PickneH
Quartiey' Shirlaw, Ochtman and many
others. Apropos of the Clarke sale there
Is an interesting newspaper paragraph in
circulation which states that when the we'll
known connoisseur was a young man with
an income of only 81 200 a year he made A
practice OF spending 800 every year for a
single good picture.
Mr.. Gaylord Sangston TruesdelI who
made quite stay in Washington some
years ago and who will be remembered by
many of the local artists has returned to
America after a long sojourn in Europe
His headquarters were in Paris during most
of the time, but for about year previous
to his return to the United States he had
been in London. Since his arrival in New
York he has been fulfilling several commits
sions for portraits, and his striking Swiss
Pastoral" has been placed Oh view in the
rooms of the Commercial Club The artists
plans are not as yet definitely formulated
but he hopes in the near future to visit
Washington and hold exhibition of his
paintings. Mr.. Truesdell is best known
to the public here through his much ad-
mired work called Going to Pasture"
which is owned by the Corcoran Art Gal
lery.
Mr.. Frank Moss has placed on view at
Fischers well studied picture entitled
THE Boat Builder of Clovelly,' a work
which will arouse interest both on account
of its artistic qualities and on account of
the story which attaches to it. The old
sailor in the center of the composition was
the friend and instructor in athletic sports
of the boy Charles Kingsley, and the au-