The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-04

| The Art department OF the Paris Expo
t sition of 1900 has made public list of pic
} lures by American artists which are to b,
exhibited at the exposition next summer
t A survey of the list shows that none of tn,
two score or more professional artists wht
reside in Washington is represented in tn,
exhibit The writer knows Of but one who
submitted pictures TO the jury. and that
one is himself The American picture prod
uct is probably greater than that of any
other country. The jury at best had a ia
tiguing experience, as the number OF pic
lures offered was quite large. A gentle
man who was present during the judging
told the writer that It was distressing to
see how rapidly they did their wOrk-right
and left hands, for yes" and no" moved
so swiftly that the procession of pictures
passed by at the rate of almost one every
two seconds, and said he: Many choice
things were turned down."
Like as not, but as always. the impotent
clamor Of the rejected will subside. and the
dreadful cliques and rings will spread their
pictures before the world at Paris. and
! those who are left out will be forgotten
until such time as they produce something
Of such distinguished excellence as to land
them in the front rank.
At an exhibition like the coming one at
Paris, it is not important that every clever
man who sends a good picture to the jury
should have it hung upon the wall
| What is important however, is that from
| the best American pictures produced in
| the last ten years enough of them should
! be selected to impress the exposition Wis
! itor with the fact that American art is
fast reaching that point in vitality and
power where ii must be clear to the Eng
fish and Continental critics that it is only
matter Of time-and a short time at that
when American pictures will take lead
ing place In the great field of art. A glance
at the names in the present list. and the
strong pictures which bear these names,
cOnyinces one that the excellence of the
representation is undoubted. In the case
Of few of these one may conjecture per-
sonal influence and not alone the merit of
the work won them place in that brilliant
company; but it is safe to believe that
these few will be cared for by the hanging
committee and placed where they will do
the least possible harm.
There never was gathered under one roof
so many choice modern pictures as we're
shown at Chicago IN 1893 The writer. who
was an obscure exhibitor there will never
forget how bewildering were those first few
days in the Art Building at Chicago. The |
matter Of finding pictures and remember |
ing where important things hung was out |
of the question. II took weeks to become |
familiar with the location of rooms and |
sections The writer at that time never |
having been abroad, recognized in this ex-
position the opportunity of a life time, and |
quietly settled down to three months
earnest study Of that extensive and Won
derfully varied collection. There was an
opportunity to compare the art of the ma
tons. The many other buildings with their
interesting exhibits we're only entered
when some friend from out of town arrived
with only a week at his disposal, and was
determined to see the whole show.
Modern ". Ancient Art
The months at Chicago were of untold
to the student beyond the
European trip, which followed three years
later, and which included the Salon in
Paris and the International Exposition at
Berlin. Much was learned, of course. Of
the old masters in the great museums at
London. Paris Berlin. Amsterdam. The
Hague, and in Dresden. but the first con-
Germ of the student is the advanced tech
1ique Of the moderns and to that date
1893, that was seen to greatest advantage |
At Chicago.
Inspiration and much knowledge may be |
gained by study of the old masters, but |
t is useless. purely matter of sentiment
o imagine them greater than the moderns.
[ is illogical. On this earlier art is found
d the advanced schools of today whose | .
earnestness, and good judg-
nent il is unreasonable to deny. There |
s a note of pessimsm and considerable |
hat may be regarded as commercial | .
hrewdness in the extrayagant by high re :
,aTd for the Old masters which obtains | :
oday. The apples that hang over the wall |
re ever the fairest. but in the last ANALYSIS .
carcity does not necessarily imply superior !
uality !
The writer would urge every artist and I
dyanced student to go to Paris this sum !
ler and take a month at least for reveline !
n the picture display month could not Z
e so profitably spent elsewhere. and it will :;
e some years before such another oppor- :;
unity will occur. :,
Among many acknowledged leaders :;
hose pictures &c TO Paris are the follow ::
lg: WinslOw Homer, Robert Blum. :;
harles H. Davis, George de Forest Brush, !
Ohm Sargent, Cecilia BeauX Abbott :.
hayer, William NJ. Chase, Kenyon Cox. I
f. Murphy. Bolton Jones, Childe Has !:
am. the HarrisOns John La Forge, ". L. !
athrop. Robert W. Nonnoh, J. Alden Wier !
Ioratio Walker, c. c. Curren, and that 4
SITS, Innes, Wyant Martin. and Picknell. Z
That names are there left which are ].
tally important? one would like to ask the !.
lndreds Of grumbling artists whose pic I
Tres have been rejected. Have they not b
and pride enough to be glad ]:
lat this brilliant and able company rep !.
sent their native land in this art congress | 4
the world2 =
The larger part of the 175 pictures are
gll-kpOyyu lr,'a of maj bax /
'sent, familiar to the public as prize al
inning pictures during the last ten years, "
nd no longer owned by the artists, but
proved for Paris q
Winslow Homer, George James. Abbott co
hayer, and Wyant are about the only M
imes who have so large a number of pic ar
Tres as four in the collection. Most of tn
lie leading men are represented by two;
any of them by one only. There are but ar
ur pictures in pastel and only seventeen sill
alter colors, and the water colors are all st
liable examples by widely differing Fl
hools. There appears to be no narrow IT.
'ss in this direction, but quality of the
ost advanced and scholarly sort has been
sisted upon. There are six pastels and .,
Dout $50 oils az
Some OF the leading men are absent from 81
e list and one wonders why f. Hopkin- ~
n Smith, Harry Fem. Smedley, Kellar, "a
thast, Ross Turner. J. Appleton Brown "
ton, FarTer and Frederick Deilman the
esident Of the academy; Tryon, who won Sh
2 Carnegie prize last year. Smile, Par ga
., Mowbry, and c. Y. Turner we'll tl
own painters in oil. have nothing there. WI
rhaps OF all these absentees E. L. Henry gu
II be missed most of all Ii is admitted rec
; technique is far from the last word me
that question but his drawing is truer eN
IN George Fuller's and better than many | EN