New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-02-27
ART EXHIBITIONS.
AMERICAN PICTURES AT THE LOTOs
CLUB-WORKS BY ELIHU VEDDER
Mr. SHINN's PASTELs.

All Of the pictures shown this month the
Lotos Club are by members of that organization.
It is creditabe collection. with landscape paint
ing occupying most Of the space. The few figure
pieces all interesting. They include. indeed in
The Divinity Kuwannon' of Mr. John La Fargo,
one of the most distinguished and beautiful of
American paintings The cOntempatve goddess
is seated the edge of a great rift in a rocky
landscape, with thin waterfall dropping into the
gulf like an iridescent ribbon Merely in the
sensuous charm Of its color the picture is appeal
ing but the great value of the work lies in the
Imaginative power with which il makes a symbol
OF Oriental thought subty eloquent 10 Western
minds. One could not reconstruct philosophy
from this composition, but is nevertheless
transported by il into the presence Of the spiritual
atmosphere OF the East The other paintings in
the group presided over by Mr. LIE Fargo are three
interesting masculine portraits by Mr. Eastman
Johnson Mr.. Irving R Wiles and Mr.. Alphonse
Jongers. and a study Of a girish model, Becky
by Mr. Arthur Dawson, which in IT'S sensitive
quality, contains the promise Of particularly good
work The brilliant 'NightfalI' by Mr.. r. c
Minor IS attractive in itself and is suggestive Of
the width Of his range II recalls, by force Of
contrast the earlier landscape which created
sensation in the Evans sale. That important work
was remarkable for its elowness its elegtac note
This 'NightfalI IS equally successful in an en-
tfrelv different manner: the conception Is holder
and so is the workmanship. Mr. H W. Ranger.
whose great advance has lately excited comment
disappoints US in his Cliff Whppoorwill Road"
buIks awkwardly in the composition Mr.. Ranger
has made a serious study from nature, but ne
has not managed TO do all that IS required OF
hin-he has not made a well balanced picture
Several other outdoor paintings leave favorabie
fmpression-Mr. J. F Murphys Landscape Mr..
Worthington Whittredge's "A Breezy Day MI
G. NJ Bogert's The Storm" and THE Quiet
Stream by Mr. C. Harry Eaton. But the list Is
too long TO be examined in detail The best trlo-
ute that can be paid TO the landscape artists or
the club is to say that they maintain high aver
age.
The Avery Gallery IS filed with paintings, draw
ings REPRODUCTIONS coored by hand, bass-relefs
and bronzes by Mr.. Elhu Vedder. Some OF the
designs are familiar; others are new The exhibit
ton as whole invites the reflection that has risen
whenever this artist has shown original produc-
lions In public. The effect would be much more
pleasing If all the works now H. color were shown
IN reproductions and IN monotone. The upright
panel Love Ever Present exceedingly effective
as design offers a perfect illustration. The color
IN this IS commonplace ufeIess-tn word bad
But translated into monotone the picture would
be admirable When Mr.. Vedder works In black
and white the spectator has nothing between him
and an enthusiastic appreciation Of the original
and stately manner in which the artist develops
his genuinely poetic ideas. The moment color Is
introduced the illusion fades and in pictures ike
'eThe Fair Goddess Fortune or THE Keeper Of
the Threshold" we repealed by dull eathery
flesh painting by erudities and opacities in all the
surfaces The pearl.- tones, the subtle modula-
tons which ask in paintings from the nude
have disappeared In THE Keeper Of the Thresh-
old there was an opportunity for luminous and
lovely color but Mr. vedder missed il. Considera-
ton Of his painted work in short, involves heroic
daduc+tons When these have been made there
remain. however the ingredients OF a notable per-
sanalty the flavor and accent OF work done out
Of something very like inspiration. Whatever else
he NAV lack Mr.. Vedder invariably has qualities
OF design and while his draughtsmanship suffers
from a kind of inertia, that the contours Of the
human form and the folds OF drspery appear too
UAiehtv and 100 labored in his art there is also
present a feeling for beautiful curves, a feeling
which we long 10 see emancipated from the techni-
cal inperfectons that clog and spoil the expression
Of H. II is true that In some OF the smaller paint
inrs like Spanish Smuggiers" and TIE Young
Marsgas' dlHainution Of the scale helps TO mini
rntze the artists weaknesses. but in OF the
pietures those weaknesses are giartngly obvious
We try 10 shut our eyes to thern-no easy task
and 10 enjoy the first idea. the bare outlines OF
what the artist has tried 10 show The little
bass-reliefs and delightful Just because
in them we can grasp very nearly in their purity
Mfr Vedder's gifts for form and invention.
Mr. Everett Shinn is a man whose work
has been observed recently in the pages Of the
illustrated periodicals., but whose original drawings
have not hitherto been made widely known There
were g few in the exhibition at Philadelphia Now
been hung at Bousxod, valadan Co.'S with a
artistic Perhaps Desas and FoEain have given