New-York tribune., 1901-12-28
ART EXHIBITIONS.
AMERICAN PICTURES AT THE LOTOS
crUR-A NEW PORTRAIT BY MR..
WHISTLER-MR. AUGUSTINE BIR-
RELL ON ART-RECENT
DISCOVERIES.

RELL ON ART-RECENT
DISCOVERIES.
The first important art exhibition thus far an
nounced for the coming year is that OF the Ma
1ionaI Academy of Design, which will be held at
the Fine Arts Galleries. The pictures nave all
been received and sifted. there VIII De private
view Of them Thursday. January with an
opening reception in the evenine-and en- the so
the show viii be thrown open to the Pubic to
rarrain accessible until February l. At the pres
ent moment there are preparation everywhere
for exhibitions of paintings ana art ooJecls gen
eraIlv in this city, but details concerning them
are not yet forthcoming AS 10 picture sales II
may be said that they promise to be unusually
numerous
~, y,-uu.-o # Evans has arranged at the Lotos
C-1rh a, interesting exhibition of twenty-seven
t,.i- b,, American artists. selected from the
Ir,..;, -ecentlv displayed the Pan-American
1,,oeit;or, IN Buffalo. Some of the works he has
s.c,,-ed for the occasion more than familiar,
ling been shown in New-Yok time ago;
rnt on the whole, 1t is a pleasure them
sqain The collection, though small, is sufficiently
varied ranging from of Mr.. Dewings
o,,isite little panels to Mr. Abbott H. Thayer's i'm
pressive portrait of q stately model in white, and
from the powerful realism of cattle piece by Mr..
Horatio Walker TO she poetic delicacy of land
scapes by Ny. r. c. Minor and the ate Alexander
T. Wyant The conservative but admirable style
of Mr.. Worthington Whittredge is illustrated side
by side with the impresSionism of Mr. j. Alden
Weir, in one Of its more chastened phases Mr..
II. W. Ranger Mr.. r. Swain Clifford, Mr.. G. NJ.
Dewey. Mr.. Henry o. Walker and Mr.. C. H.
Bogert are among the other artists represented.
Though the exhibition lacks the attraction of
Boyelty. it is one of almost uniform excellence,
and is well worth seeing
At the Wunderlich Gallery there may be
for few days of the most interesting
amples OF Mr.. Whistler's later work brought
woman in black, who stands with her back to the
spectator her face slightly turned toward him.
The treatment Of the face is disappointing. The
different planes insufficiently accentuated, and
a kind Of chalky dulness takes the place OF the
living flesh tints which surely not incom-
patible with even the most "decorative'' of por-
traits. But the head is delightfully."- poised. the
black hair striking most picturesque note in the
scheme and the figure is wholly captivating.
Here. If not IN the face. there is the of life.
and in the painting of the dress, which, though
largely black. includes some gray. Mr.. Whistler
is at his happiest The brush work is extraordi-
narily light and deft This is example of mas
terly technique, but and above that is the
distinction Of style which pervades the
The color scheme embraces the simplest elements.
yet It possesses remarkable depth and variety.
Interesting TO artists piece Of painting in the
narrowest sense of the phrase, this work
be Of interest to them, and to the layman,
beautiful picture also. In the same gallery there
is hung souvenir of Whistler's boyhood in the
shape Of a portrait Of him in that period painted
by Sir William Boxall, a Royal Academician noted
in his day, and for years director of the
National Gallery. 1t is well painted canvas. and
It gives a glimpse Of strikingly animated and
winning countenance. the countenance obviously
Of 6 lad of genius.
Mr. Abbey's decorations for the Boston Public
Library will remain exhibition at the American
Art Galleries up and including January l. After
that date there Will be shown in the same place
for a few days elaborate piece of mural deco
ration by Mr. Florian Peixotto
Mr.. Augustine Birrell is known as an author, as
politician and a lawyer. He has not hitherto
been known as a speaker on art. but he ventured
10 appear in that capacity the other day at an
exhibition Of paintings in the Whitechapel Art
Gallery. In declaring the exhibition open he said
that he supposed all his hearers fond of
pictures, and certainly, however disqualified they
nh hit be. they would all assume the attitude of
critics. He knew nothing in the world which was
exposed to criticism picture and yet many
people were absolutely ignorant of the mechanical
processes by which pictures came into existence.
As far they were concerned. pictures might
drop from the sky. That" he remarked, as a
reflection which ought TO make us hesitate before
assume too lightly the province Of critics. The
part which public taste plays in the lives OF
artists IS very lamentable; in fact there prob
ably nothing more painful in the whole of
history. Often there comes a moment in art
lists life when he has 70 choose whether he is
going TO please the public or to follow the in
stincts Of his art. II he chooses TO please us
that is the moment when he is going to the devil"
The public, he went on to say. notoriously liked
a bad picture They We're sentimental All
the artist had to do to paint a forlorn mother
bending empty cot and they were done for
The picture thoroughly bad from artistic
point of view, but they wept and exclaimed,
How beautifulI" Our taste without steady cul-
tvation, was bad, and opinions Of
Two hundred and fifty millions Of people might
prefer a colored oleograph to Of Turner's
landscapes, but they were wrong. quite wrong,
even though their opinion expressed by ballot.
What wanted educated taste and
obtain that they must start by paying attention
to tradition, and he concluded by referring to the
part which exhibitions like that which he was
opening played in exercising the demon of bad
taste"
A standing grievance Of the modern collector is
that if all of the masterpieces of earlier
European art have found permanent places in the
great European galleries. Nevertheless discov.
cries are constantly being made of works by the
masters that for centuries have been either lost
or neglected. Several such finds" have recently
been announced In the palace of Compiegne there
has been brought to light picture finished
sketch in oils which NJ Hofstede de Groot main
tains embodies Rembrandts first idea for his
nowned Supper at Emmaus" In the Louvre This
has been cleaned and taken to the great national
storehouse OF art, where it will ultimately be ex-
hbited in the same room with the picture just
mentioned. In Paris a fine portrait of the Duke
de Coigny has Just been discovered in heap of
old iron in of the State properties. In Rome
Prince Doria-Pamphilt has discovered that the
Study Of Aged Shepherd in his gallery, hith-
erto attributed in the catalogue to IAN Unknown
Artist" bears the signature of Rembrandt with
the date 1sO. This Italian nobeman has also
been restoring in the Church of San Martino. in
Cifnino, a superb Gothic window dating from the