The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-15
miniatures By KEELING
An Excellent Display of Paintings
in Little at Fiseher's.
Art News of the Week-Nr. Chase's
Trip to New York With His Pu-
pills ut the Pennsylvania Academy
of Fine Arts-PiIgrimages of stu
dents 10 the City of Baltimore.

mere IS at the tIScher gallery tnlS
week an exhibition of miniatures by Nj.
Keeling-seventeen in all-portraying il
terestingly patrician humanity in all
stages from youth to ripe old age. There
is an elegance and style about these
paintings in little of Mr. Keeling which
is the most marked characteristic of his
work They have not the Photographic
look which mars so many of the minia
lures one sees IN these days OF 1.-THE re-
yfval," and there is a quaint prettiness
about some of them which breathes of an
earlier time-the atmosphere of bygone
days when miniature was almost the only
art preservative by which one might have
q small portrait Of sweetheart or loved
one.
1t is pleasant to record marked i'm
provement in Mr.. Keeling's work. His
touch is surer and his color richer than it
was when he last exhibited at Fishers.
1t is something to Mr.. Keelings credit
TO note also that the largest and alto
gether most ambitious miniature-No. 2, a
portrait of Mrs. Hit in party costume
against a Gainsborough backgrounds in
every respect the most skillful and attrac-
tive miniature shown. II is indeed, beau
tiful The flesh tones in No. 5, portrait
of the painters sister, Mrs. Stilson Hutch
ms. are especially good.
The strength vigor. and wholesome color
OF No. IS, the Hon. c. A. Williams, must
be noted. 1t is masculine, forceful, and
distinguished which means much,-for the
conventional miniature of a man more
often looks like some woman in male at
tire, whose baby complexion may pass.
but whose false beard and hair deceives no
one but the family.
No. is a likeness of Mrs. Barclay
Henry. This miniature is most excellent
In color and shows extreme cleverness in
the pose, while the manner in which the
features and hair are made strong in value,
gives the head a real look which is
heightened by the tender delicate treat
ment Of the figure and drapery, most val
liable qualities In a good miniature paint
ing. This introduction of the suggestive
sketch element should never be lost sight
of by the miniature painter, for it is one
OF the supreme qualities which lift his art
out of competition with photography. One
sees much work nowadays which is far
below good photography in artistic quail
tiles and all because the painters are not
sensitive to the higher possibilities OF
their delicate and very charming art.
An interesting paragraph recently print
L
E. F. Andrews generous custom of taking
his pupils at the Corcoran Art School to
Baltimore each year-a sort of annual
April pilgrimage to that art mecca. Moth
ing could be more of an inspiration to the
Young student thsn visit TO the master
pieces In the great Walters gallery. Many
successful artists today here in Washing
ton, and away from here are indebted to
Mr.. Andrews for a start on the high road
III
journey 10 Baltimore with the class as
among the most delightful memories of a
lifetime.
Nj. Chase is wide awake, progressive
man. and IL is just like him to take his
class over TO New York to see the Society
OF American Artists exhibition, where
there is gathered the best New York
work OF the year. No one knows how |
much students learn by simply seeing
good works Of art. They went also to the
Metropolitan Museum TO enjoy the gems
In that wonderful storehouse. The collec- |
ton there is growing SO rapidly that il is
fast becoming one OF the finest In the
world. IL Is not SO rich in examples OF
American art as is our own Corcoran
Gallery, nor is II likely to be- now that |
the Corcoran has turned its energies in
that direction. The article in the New
York paper above referred to is as follows: |
The students OF the Pennsylvania Acad- |
envy of Fine Arts. of Philadelphia. came to
this city yesterday on a special train. and
under the leadership of Mr.. William NJ
Chase, visited the Society of American
Artists Exhibition. in the Fine Arts GAL
lery. They afterward also under the guild |
ance OF Mr.. Chase went to the Metropoli-
ian Museum of Art. This visit was a time
ly one, and set example that might be |
followed with advantage by the New York |
other art educational institutions The |
academy and league students should have |
been taken to the recent Pennsylvania |
Academy exhibition in Philadelphia-the |
best held in this country during this sea- |
SON.
The high estimate placed on the Phila- |
delphia Academy exhibition is perfectly |
just. II a good exhibition, and the |
New York students would have profited |
greatly by a visit TO Philadelphia during |
that exhibition. Many of the pictures from
the Carnegie Annual at Pittsburg were in
cluded in the Philadelphia show II was, al |
together, a very notable display of art
work.
That the painters were not unmindfui OF |
their duty TO Mr.. Evans, the great collect |
or of American pictures, whose recent sale |
in New York did so much toward stimu- |
lating interest in American art, may be |
inferred from this account also from the !
New York Times" of e quiet dinner |
given recently TO Mr.. Evans by group OF |
the more prominent American painters. |
THE dinner projected some weeks ago |
by number of American artists, most of /
whom had canvases in the Evans collec- |
tion sold at auction this past winter, in /
honor OF Mr.. Evans as patron of Ameri |
can art took place on recent evening at |
an uptown club. The date and the de- |
tails of this. dinner were not given TO the !
press. and it was looked upon private /
love feast. The guest of the evening. Mr.. |
Evans. blushingly received the honors ten
dered and the compliments that were |
showered upon him in the various
speeches made. He was also presented |
with handsome piece of silver"
Mr.. shnw's Fine Collections.
This certainly shows a gratifying inter
est in American art by wealthy and cul-
tured New Workers. There are. of course,
few patrons even there whose purchases
OF American pictures reach the generous /
OF either Mr.. Shaw. Mr.. Evans
or Mr.. Clarke but there are many en-
who believe in home talent and
buy their pictures, as the art writer in
the New York Times felicitously puts 1t:
Mr.. Samuel T. Shaw, who gives the
$500 prize for the best figure subject at
the annual exhibition of the Society of
American Artists. has been for many
years a collector of American pictures In
prominence a buyer from the studios
he probably ranks next to Mr. W T.
Evans, whose collection has just gone un-
der the hammer. Mr. Shaw began buying
from pure love of pictures, and his FIRST
purchases adorned the rooms and corridors