The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-02

| Office of the Secretary,
New York, Nov 10 800.
| Dear Sir: Your attention is called to the fol
| lowing important resolution:
Resolved, That at tie suggestion OF Mr. Harrison
| Morris. Managing Director Of the Pennsylvania
| Academy of the Fine Arts, the picture by the lat.
| Theodore Robinson, purchased for presentation tc
| the Metropolitan Museum, and now in the hands
of the board of control Of the Society of American
| Artists be formally offered TO the Pennsylvania
| Academy Of the Fine Arts for its permanent col
| lection. Adopted October 49, 1890
| The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arss.
| Philadelphia Nov. II. 1900.
Bruce Crane. Esq, Secretary Society American
| Artists, New York:
My Dear Sir: ON behalf OF the Pennsylvania
| Academy OF the Fine Arts ] have the honor. for
mally to accept the presentation by your society
of the painting entitled The Canal by the late
| Theodore Robinson
In doing beg leave TO convey In return our
cordial thanks for the addition to the academy S
| contemporary collection of this work OF gifted
| and aIaen,ed American. and TO express warm APP
| probation of the generous service given to the
art of the nation by the Society OF American Ar
fists. Faithfully yours.
EDWARD HOMER COATES, President.
Note-The picture referred TO in the above res
olution was offered a gilt to the Metropolitan
Museum by the Society OF American Artists and
Others in January. 1899. and was rejected by the
executive committee OF the museum.
BY order OF the Board az Control.
BRUCE CRANE, Sec'y 5. A. 4.
1t remains only to be said that the
trustees of the Metropolitan Museum OF
Art are placed in very ridiculous posi-
ton Those trustees seem to have for
gotten that 1t was these energetic and
advanced artists who took hold Of them
twenty years ago. when they were still
buying sugary Hudson River landscapes
and poor slick copies of the old masters,
I a. fafr mol
tion of sound art. In those early days
they had misgivings even about Innes
and Wyant. Today they are glad to ac-
cept a framed paint rag by those ac-
knowledged masters. IL WAS these pain
tiers who brought them to an Intelligent
understanding of these great men and
surely they might have accepted pic
ture by Theodore Robinson, which came
to them with so high and extraordinary
endorsements of experts. Let us hope
they will be wiser next time. 1t is no
great credit to Philadelphia that she
gladly accepted the picture. Every other
gallery in the country would. have vel
coined such a chance to add SO excellent
work of art to Its collection.
There are a number Of able artists re-
siding in the city VINO did not contribute
anything to the recent very successful ex-
hibition of the Water Color Club at the
Corcoran Some Of these were unable for
good reasons to send anything which they
believed would creditably represent them
at so important a show. They were wise
and will be heard from in another year.
There are others here. however. who hold
aloof from exhibitions and imagine the
absence of their work makes material
difference in the standard and interest in
the show. This a huge conceit and
greater mistake for no exhibition of the
work of local artists is affected by the
absence of any artist, no matter how
prominent he may be. There are enough
others as skiilful to fill up the walls with
quite as good work as the absentee could
send. And the absentees who shrink from
competition with their fellows should re-
member that when they flock by them
selves and refuse to join in the effort
to gain wider recognition for home art.
besides neglecting a plain duty. they are
quietly writing their names in water.
MIR. Parker Mann, who now resides in
New York, and whose place in that circle
of artists who are most active in promot-
ing local art interests here has never
quite been filled, was in the city last
week Mr.. Mann expressed the most en-
phatic admiration for the fine, progress
sive water color exhibition at the Cor
coran Gallery Mr.. Mann was one of the
orignators and the first President OF the
Water Color CLUB. This club was, | be-
lieve, inspired by the New York Water
Color Club, which IS an offshoot from the
old American Water Color Society, very
much as the Society of American Artists
sprang from the National Academy of
Design. I'll, New York club is but eleven
years old while the American was started
over thirty years ago. When the club
began it was radical and exhibited brill
liant, progressive, impressionistic things
in strong contrast to the conservative
things shown at the American. Those
early exhibitions ten years ago were
stunning. Water colors and pastels of
extraordinary quality were shown there
The Influence of the plain air Llen of
France was impressive. No matter in
what direction one turned his eyes, the
walls were ablaze. The students ard
painterfolk found huge enjoyment there. |
But the public failed to appreciate these
things, and the American went along on |
its successful way. insisting on the painter |
being patient, serious, and earnest, rather |
than hilarious and brilliantly clever. |
Tonal things wrought out with skill ard |
artistic sensitiveness were hung at the |
American in a way calculated 20 enhance |
their beauty and not to destroy it. bril- /
liant bizarre things, however mastery. |
are short lived in ones affections, and at
last tone has triumphed. Standing before
those pictures in the New York exhibit
ton last week. | could hardly believe 1t
n club exhibition, so changed is the at
mosphere. There has come to be less
difference in the selection and treatment
of subjects in the two exhibitions.
There were some extraordinary pictures
there, like Herter's Garden of Dreams,
Tor instance, which would give Importance
and distinction to any exhibition OF water
rolors> but on the same sacred line were
pictures by members of the jury and hang
ing committee which must have made
some OF the club members weep and hide
heir heads with shame If they have not
'orgotten the bitter things they used to
say of some of the venerables in the older
irt organizations. Their great. big town
Justly claims to be the centre of the
art activity. and such things
should not be shown at tn. club. How
,yer, ii takes more than one amusingly
weak picture to make a bad exhibition,
ust as truly as 1t takes more than one
swallow to make Il summer; and members
If the club need not feel ashamed of their
exhibition. 1t was a good one, where the
'est of us provincials could study with
pleasure and profit.
The club exhibition in New York was
lotable among other things for its fine
display of flower pictures. For some I'M
inown reason flowers have been received
With scant welcome at the exhibitions in
eccnt years. This is unjust considering
he amount OF the highest kind of art that
resent day painters, like Mrs. Scott. Mrs.
Nichols. Mrs. Dillon, Miss Hardenberg.
md some others put into their work. II
nay be said with truth that nothing in
his years offering at the Fine Arts
Building was more worth studying than