New-York tribune., 1901-11-09
ART EXHIBITIONS
THE NETWORK WATER COLOR CLUB
MR.. SHINN'S PASTELS-NOTES FROM
LONDON-A ROMNEY IN COURT.

AO-NDOAN
The first serious exhibition of the season. that Of
the New York Water Color Club is an unusually
good one. 1t opens to-day at the Fine Arts Buiiu-
ing to remsn on view until December l. and 1t
ought to be popular. The jury OF admission mas
done its work with discretion Only two hundred
and fifty contributions have been accepted; they
have been judCiouslr hung in two roorns-one large
and the other smaIl--and they leave very pleasant
impression. The most conspicuous picture Is MI
Albert Herters "Anenones, profile portrait OF
woman seated against q background OF foliage ana
surrounded with flowers. 1t is perhaps the pest
piece of work that Mr. Herter has thus far pro-
duced color and draughtsmanship are both excel
lent and the artist shows that his touch mas De-
flexible. the hardness which has SO
often spoiled his being scarcely noticeable on
this occa sion. Another artist who exhibits SUD-
stantiaI improvement is Mr.. George r. Barse La
Cigale" and Morning Breeze have much warmer
color than he has hitherto employed. and IN botn
the quality of the painters art seems 10 nave
become richer and deeper. Still third contributor
interests us through having obviously made step
In advance. This is Mrs. Rhoda Holmes Nichois'
who in the very sketchy but at the same time III
dubitably veracious picture, THE Sand Dune
uses purer color and obtains fresher atmosphere
than we have seen in paintings signed by ner
before.
The Water Color Club is one OF the younger ar
tisc organizations Of the city. and we have grown
accustomed to looking in its exhibitions for signs
of new blood. This year. in previous seasons
we are not disappointed. Mr.. William j. kaula IS
the unfamiliar parsonage now, sending three iahd-
'scapes. which If somewhat artificial In color. re-
veal at any rate a new way Of looking at nature
and an engaging element of style. CLOUDS ana
Dunes is a vefitably charming composition anu
although neither the approaching Shower nor
the Low Tide. Ogunqut River" illustrates the
command of material. all three water colo'S
have the merit of introducing SAVIOR OF temPera-
nnent Of original force into the exhibition Sec
ond newcomer Mr. Maurice p. Prendergast, is in
teresting by virtue of what he promises 10 90
than by virtue of actual accomplishment Inc
East River and The Bathers" announce that ne
is irving to depict. after manner of his own Ia
miliar aspects of life among everyday people lie
has not vet learned adequately TO ADJUST the coioF
values In his compositions. BIT there ts a per-
suasive note in these things. hint or lndlVlou'l
clsverness which we hope will some day develop
along important lines. There are several ex-
hibitors Charles L. Bull and f. Mars being most
conspicuous among them who are aiming at ne"
effects presumab bly, with the traditions OF japanese
art in their minds but these inrovators nave not
vet achieved anything that commands serious at
tention Among the well known artists whose wa
ter coors year after year are of substantial sig
nificance in the public appearances OF the cruz we
NAV especially signalize Mr. Charles A Neeohaih'
who has produced in the open Boat marine
which makes up in plcturesquenes7 what II Id'hs
,n truth. Mr. Charles Warren Eaton. whose "tanal
at Bruges' contains some deughttul coioT' MI
Sarah c. Sears. who sends an eIteCuFe i'l.t''
Sketch" Of a mother and her child' MIS- oiaia
Parrish whose
terestinc If rnuddily painted figure piece ana MT
Collin Campbeu Cooper, to whom position OF hohor
has Justly been given for his cathedral az 'h''r
tres a most c-editable essay in the picturesque
hut accurate representation If architectural IorS
There IS the usual assemblaEe Of clever landscape
-. oo,,,, which the two Dutch subjects by MI
charles Gruffe and the Ducks Of Mt A l.
Van I.aer should be explicitly mentioned ou' M
,nsnire on the whole detailed discussion lheie
are two good flower studies by Mrs. Sears ana IN
,hA n
f.o,i,ro Veto also arrest the eye. The exhibition
IN short while In no way remarkanie' lhuS,id'eS
very satisfactory average: and II u foreshaoo"s
the quality of those other displays Of American arr
which are certain TO he made in NeW-forh 'A'7
winter. 1t is auspicious indeed
A. tho gallery Of Roussod. vaIadon &c Co there
,s an exhibition Of ffty-thrae new pastets by MT
Everett shinn whose first works were shown TO
the public not very long ago. There hahes ABOUT
these studies the air of immaturtty Whlch disuh-
p,,ished the earlier pastels Mr. Shinn stiH seems
unable to express the Individual accent of each
,her, that he attacks. There is kind of family
resemblance running through all his pictures
whether they drawn from episodes in the streets
of the Latin Quarter of Paris. from scenes aoout
New-York, from the circus ring ana the opera
house But there is no mistakIug the genuine gilt
that is now clearly proclaimed In this artist WORK
In spite OF all the fumbiing technique ne puts De
fore us in spite Of those obscurites OF form ana OF
light and shade which seem though deliberately
calculated 10 essential deficiencies he does
what many an much his superior in the rudi-
ments often fails to do-he interests us AT the hrSt
glance We may find his workmanship sioveny
and sometimes feeble. we may discern echoes VI
other men in what does; but 1t is PLAIN that he
is doing something with serious airn that ne IS
Iookine at his subjects with keenly intelligent eyes
and that beneath the surface of ratner rlIl.is
cleverness there solid artistic quaHueS "i''ii
should carry him far A sketch hke NO ~ 0N"'''s'
Hoboken' has too much positive vitality in IT,
- ranressnts the scene with too much instructive
ATTITUDE and charm for us to De AT an ANXIOUS
a bout Mr.. Shinn's future But II wouo De d Aii''-
ness on the part of his friends II they were |" III
hin, "a refrain from exhibiting for a time while
nn hant himself to the acquisition of that funda-
mental knowledge which man of his talent can
far less than a mediocrity afford to neglect
Exbibitions in this country will be numerous this
winter The annual show at Pittsburs mas aIreadS
heen opened. The seventy-irst annual eNhioi.oh
Of the PENNSYLVANIA Academy is 10 De opened u
the public on Monday, January 20 the Boston AI'
Club will throw open the doors OF ITS slx'y-hitn IN
exhibition in the same month. and January VIII
also see the opening of the seventy-seVehth hii"'4
exhibition of the National Academy OF Design III
this city. the pictures being displayed III 'ne r'N'
Arts Building.
It would be interesting to know when. II at All
the art lovers in New York are TO be prlVHeseu 10
sna the famous Grasse fragOnards belonging 10 MI
] P Morgan. Those who saw them at Asne" IN
ondon last summer have ever since been keehIS
desirous of there being an ezhbitlon OF t'eih ar
-, -, tbis side of the Atlantic; but there is no
Immediate prospect of the event In fact' 'he
latest announcement is mat hey are To pe shoNn
at the Guildhall in London leXt year 1hey Will
by the way. form par of On important eN',loi'.'
In that place which is to ne composed ol 'ii'isH
and French masterpieces of the eighteenth cen
turv This show ought to oe az much worth cross
ing the ocean to see as the Spanish eXhloiuoh
discussed in these columns only Few months ago
Other London notes are to the erect '',t
Il, ,r.naration at the New Gallery an exhibition OF