The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-03

group of local artists were talking
recently over the prospect of getting i'm
portant pictures from the out of town ex
hibitors for the coming exhibition of the
Society Of Washington Artists. While
the majority of them seemed to think
there would be contributed, owing TO the
prizes and free transportation of art
works a great mass from which it
would be an easy matter to choose
the best. and make fine exhibition. there
were still others less confident. The limit
of size. FIVE by eight feet, placed on con-
tributions which, at the outside, could
be accepted from one artist, was also
discussed. Some one asked, jokingly what
would be done If a picture the size of
veritschacgin's Blown From the Guns
a great picture owned by Mrs. Hearst and
now on exhibition at the Corcoran Gal
lery should be submitted TO the jury of
the Society of Washington Artists? The
reply came promptly from one of the best
known OF the group man who painted
famous picture now. owned by the gal
lery. why, said he, lit would be
blown from the Hemieycle by the sons
of guns.
There is a great deal of good-natured
raillery going on over the exhibition, but
at heart the painters both men and wo-
men, are taking the coming Annual
very seriously. planning and working, ex-
erting themselves to the utmost to make
a SUCCESS of this, the first show of the
local society at the Hemicycle.
There ought to be plenty of pictures:
the Philadelphia and New York Academy
shows Will be over by that time and there
ought to be enough good work available
from those two exhibitions to fl all the
space that can reasonably be spared for
out of town work. II has also been
asked by some doubtful and anxious ones
who do not know the faith and respect
the jury has in local art, What If every
picture sent in from outsiders should be
better than the best work by local artists
submitted at the gallery; would 1t not
then be entirely national and not a local
exhibition Yes, of course; and We would
have to return to strictly local exhibit
lions. as the earlier shows of the society
always were. But there need be no fear
OF any such uplifting calamity-because
there could be no exhibition of American
work which would be high-class and COM
plete IL some strictly local names / could
mention were not In the catalogue. Should
be mistaken and such superior collec-
tion of canysses be brought together. |
venture IL would be an exhibition Of pic
from Paris and London to see.
There is another controlling circum-
stance. The exhibition space in the
Hemicycle is very small compared with
the Fine Arts Societies galleries in New
York where the National Academy Of
Design Is holding forth, and those Of the
Penn Academy. The Vanderbilt gallery
alone, the largest Of the four gal
lefies ia the former show, is at least a
third-ferhaps ne-half-larger than the
Hemicycle here, while there must be
nearly four or Ave times as much wall
space in the Penn Academy, which gives
up two-thirds of it's available picture
hanging space for the annual exhibitions
Of American art.
Here are few figures that are worth
thinking over, which those VINO doubt the
likelihood of the society being able to get
enough good pictures to fill its undeniabIy
small wall space would do well to con-
slider The last exhibition of water colors
st the Connecticut Avenue galleries con-
tanned I89 numbers. The recent exhibition
st the Hemicycle contained 1877 numbers.
The Philadelphia Academy hung In it's
present oil exhibition 2e2 numbers in the
water color section alone and there were
In oil 662 numbers. making 900 exhibits
In all. Compared with this the IS num-