The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-11

Danish Painter of Marine Pictures.
There is at Veerhoff's Just now "a
most interesting picture exhibition. The
beautiful, little gallery is filled with
some twenty-five canvases by George
Inness, jr. One cannot help experience
ing a thrill of delight-~in the pres
ence of these poetic interpretations of ma
ture so very like the work OF his disiin-
guished father, who is coming TO be re-
garded the greatest of modern land
scapists. This close resemblance in sub
ject and technique between ethe work OF
father and son, while perhaps natural
enough, is positive misfortune to the SON.
1t seems TO be an unwritten Law that how
ever close student a man may be of his
master, his work must not resemble the
master so closely as TO be mistaken for
thai of the teacher. The excellence of the
work may be undoubted. but nevertheless
little value attaches to the pupils work
beyond what might be credited to
good copy. Several Of the-canvases here
shown might easily be accepted as the
work of the elder Inness. This is very
high praise, but one cannot but regret that
it should mean so little. 1t is much the
same as that famous incident of the now
almost forgotten Trouilebert. whose work
so closely resembled Corot that the salon
jury accepted one of his pictures believing
it to he an original Corot. copy or close
imitation Of any master is the yellow
dog of art. 1t has no standing whatey er.
George Inness, jr.. has demonstrated his
mastery over his material, and 1t only re-
mains for him to take a firm stand against
the tide of oblivion to win a place by the
side of his great father. Mr.. Inness jr.,
is fortunate in possessing every possible
advantage in his pursuit OF art, and he will
win If he will but remember that nature
remains full of wide tracts, where the de-
termined man will find new messages quite
as original and lovely as have ever been
tcld. There is a large picture in the COL
lection called Crossing OF a Meadow at
Shutdown, man leading two Jersey
cows.
1t is beautifully treated fine in color.
though not as easy in the drawing as u
work of that Importance should be.
George Inness, jr., has given evidence
of individual possibilities in this picture
as he did years ago in his Man OF Horse
back in the Surf It is probable that if
his energies were turned entirely in this
Observation-Disclosures with animals-he
would win commanding place in the art
of his time, for one can imagine nothing
more attractive than animals painted with
the sentiment. color, quality and tone
which always marked the landscape work
of the elder Inness.
New simmons
The Seats of the Mighty is the title
Of new painting by Marcus Simmons
which is now on exhibition at the Fischer
gallery. This artist paints impossible,
unwholesome, and sometimes unlovely
spectacular landscapes in a manner which
is audacity itself. At times these Sim
mons landscapes reach condition beyond
anything the great Turner ever did. even
IN his most fiighty aud eccentric moments.
The present picture, however, is more
than interesting. The writer believes in
absolutely limitless liberty in the field of
art endeavor. There is no law to hem in
the pioneer. Originality is so precious
that the man who launches out in new and
unexpiored directions VIII find friends to
encourage him. Those academic yard
sticks which one makes such haste to apply
to all conventional art are withheld with
much kindness and patience when it is ap-
parent that the artist is earnestly proceed
ing on some voyage Of discovery Up to
the present one could gather little from
the Simmons pictures beyond a distressing
sense of the truth of the old adage: Fools
rush IN where angels fear to tread. THE
Seats OF the Mighty" is not without some
Simmons discords OF an eye-splittiug va
riety. and it is incomprehensible why, hav-
ing so nearly produced great imaginative
landscape. the artist should insist on GER
tain crudities in the sky and elsewhere
which one would suppose a man of his OBJ
vious ability would not have left and called
finished. A painters signature or a can
vas Is always Supposed to mean that it is
finished. The Seats of the Mighty OBJ
jectively is romantic subject, the objec-
tive matter OF which is conceived with a
grandeur and magnificence quite equal to
Gustaye Dore, whom the composition
strongly suggests. Perched on a precipi-
tous berg is castle Of extraordinary pro-
portions, which looms like the spired bulk
Of some Gothic minister against sky of
red and gold. There are towers and bat
Elements in all that infinite variety which
belonged to the architecture of a domicile
and fortress Of medieval times
There is also mystery about the forms
winch lmpart extraordinary massiveness
TO the pile. Filing out of a noble gate
way over a drawbridge and down a high !
walled winding approach is a procession |
OF brilliant knights and ladies' There is |
no detail. but ones Imagination fills in !
the space from memorie. of such scenes |
in old historic tales read in years long |
gone by. The composition is in the high |
est sense poetic 1t transcends any mere
ly theatrical representation of such a
scene. To realize how far and how SPLEEN
dtdly Simmons has realized in this dream
Of rOmanticism the combined strength
and magnificence of this whole period of |
castles and knights in armor one has ONLY
to recall the timid and altogether made
quate pictures in the CorcOran Gallery
The Knights Departure and Return"
by Thomas Cole. Mr.. Simmons has in
his picture given undoubted evidence of
his imaginative power and genius The
values and contrasts are arranged in his
with simplicity and skill but
in the matter of color he is not sensitive
He pc sists in being theatrical and cheap
when reasonable restraint, humble re-
search. and observation in the great
school of out Of doors would make him
master of unr lifted distinction. Mr.
Simmons would 40 well to remember that
nature never violates ones sense OF har-
nony and fitness and that art which
'corns its mundane origin is never good
The Moran Pictures
Mr.. John V. Sears, in the philadelphia
evening Telegraph, makes this very in
eresting comment on the Moran eo!Iec-
ion of marines, illustrating the marine
history of the United States The pic
ures were widely admired here. where
hey were shown at the Society of Wash