New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-01-31
ART EXHIBITIONS.
PICTURES BY CLAUDE MONET At Tn.
LOTOS CLUB.

|
| LOTOS CLUB.
Three years ago there was an exh,h,,,.
this city OF fourteen paintings OF Rouen CT"
dral by Claude Monet the noted French i'm.
pressionlst. Ever since then his art ha. -,
in need OF some such rehabilitation as 4, no,,
attempted, In the shape OF miscellaneous Al,
play OF his works at the Lotos Club Juds,,.
from THE Coast Guards House" in this exh,h.
ton, a canvas executed after the Rouen studio.
he has only been confirmed in the manns,,.,.,
and mistakes revealed by that portentous sr,,v.
/ but as the other pictures shown range from ~.
early seventies to the time OF his resre,,.h,.
antl-clmax. they serve the excellent burmese =,
reminding that he has been capable NJ ,n,.,
estlng things Possibly the devotee OF rnnrA,.
sionism would refuse TO admit that any remlna.,
could be necessary. but to the Unparalleled an.
| server Monet is man whose repute must n.
handled with great solcitude II IT Is to endur.
We spare our readers recapitulstion OF IA.
familiar arguments for and against impression.
ISM II may, however, briefly he stated thu,
great art is enriched By all the springs o,
thought and feeling in man. while the art OF N
Monet as we have more than once pointed out.
rejects all those qualities usually classified A
| Imaginative or ideastc, ami bases Itself strict
" on visual impression. The truth Of an un
thinking perception % nature Is the essential
thing. he says It is the great goal to he desired
In so far as the painter thinks at all he nus,
go for optical Illusion alone: the value 81 40
much color. so much light and shade 70 his eye
IS the thing TO be considered.
Tried nv his own touchstone. VI. Monet ha,
fuctuated I'm his art and II may be noted that
he has wavered most when he has stepped out.
side his province. which Is TO paint atmospheric
effects and TO synthetic the minute facts Of
nature rather than to paint large solids In tho
Autumn on the Seine" Of 1874. where delicate
foliage and trembling rushes by the riverside
had TO be represented or in the Plum Bios
SONS" Of the year before, wherein the Hight al.
most diaphanous effect ~ a floral motive de-
manded treatment. his gift OF generalization rose
easily and triumphantly to the occasion. These
pictures are veraclous and they charming
But when in the Early Morning AT Pourviller
Of 1882 the artist had to reckon with the massy
forms Of cliffs observed at too short a distance
FOR their bulk and stern surfaces 10 be yelled
and softened by atmosphere. he was az once
confused and his harmony was lost. The sea In
this Is beautifully rendered color and move
ment being adequately expressed. But the cliffs
are crudely handled. they are unduly aggres-
sive and they spoil the unity of the impression.
They also upset the balance Of the design
Monet has never pretended TO care much for
composition. Sometimes, by a kind ~ happy
accident, through a kind OF instructive impulse
Of selection, he achieves 4 pure and captivating
arrangement Of lines and masses but rule
he leaves what might be called the structure OF
his picture TO Ia 90 care OF itself In the case Of
the Early Morning at Pourville' he discloses
this mood OF Indifference. but We believe the
linear discrepancies would have been counter
balanced and largely obscured II the discord
between the tones in the water and those In the
cliffs had been avoided.
That the rock Is one on which Monet has
frequently suffered shipwreck may be seen
turning TO the FLOATING Ice on the Seine" Of
1881. The wintry note here IL unm!stakable.
the ice I'm the foreground seems literally TO
breathe freezing airs and II the end OF art were
simply the communication of sensation we
should call this masterpiece. But the land
scape forms IN the background are PAINTED with
the incoherence 10 be expected only in the work
OF the merest tyro. The Fog at PourvsMs'
offers similar illustration. The water
painted with great subtlety and fidelity, but
the flaming crest ot color in the background
which is presumably intended TO indicate the
shore. reall5 means nothing beyond a painters
fondness for toying with the resources Of his
palette Examples might be multiplied, The
Cliff Etretat' ratifying our point with special
aptness. Again and again NJ Monet proves
that his work moves on a pivot OF singular
fragity. that the very spoBtaneity and con-
centration Of his view weaken his art at !u
base making IT now successful and now disap-
pointing never suggestive Of the clear unde-
Waiting insight the sure power. 10 which
painter OF genius owes his permanent authority
We can imagine body Of pictures careiuHy
chosen from the productions OF lifetime, which
would give NJ. Monet possibly lasting rank for
such a collection would show his art only in It's
perfect manifestations II would show his light.
his air his color. his draughtsmanshp. his dell.
cacy and his individuality at their best. But
from the proportion OF such pictures IN the pres
ent eXhibition-which contains twer ty.two can
vases-We fear that the selection would have to
he made with ruthless severity. and that even
then an impartial jury would take many days
in making uD its mind. The Autumn on the
Seine" and the Plum Blossoms would be &C
ceptable. so also would be the interesting
Bridge" "a work which recalls Mr.. Whistlers
treatment Of a similar theme). and we would
add the winter on the Seine" and the pctu-
rescue Village. but pictures like the saccharins
"Hoar Frost" the panty "Wheatheid." the
graduated Morning a. Antilles" and the
heavy. awkwardly composed "selle-Isle Sum
shine" only strengthen our conviction tn@
Monet is an uneven artist. OF whose future We
can hardly be sure. Im2ressionsm Itself, more
over, being on trial this ambiguity about one
Of its leading opponents is the more provocative
Of doubt In the mean time We are grateful '@
CHI, II
length. at his best and at his worst.