New-York tribune., 1901-05-10
LONDON ART.
TRANSITION PERIOD OF THE NEW
GALLERY WATTS AND WORKS IN
NOTABLE PORTRAITS.

,incipes OF revolt against academic and con
.,,ional art. The dreamers have vanished; there
30 no visions Of imagination and romance; il is
4. me main a smaller Academy, with much prac-
,,cal evidence Of the prosaic art Of the day but
nth no limitations Of what the art of the future
,sv be like when creative impulses are stronger
.,5 painters are filed with finer frenzy for the
,ostry Of nature and life. 1t is not in the New
II Gallery. but in the Dudley Gallery. where the
uork Of the New English Art Club is seen. that
tbs real protest against academic forms and
,ethods is now made; and it is there that pict-
r-e lovers have a sense Of mental refreshment.
even il many Of the experiments are crude and
much Of the technique is faulty
Mr.. Watts still lives And, Academician as he
is he prefers 10 exhibit his works at the New
Gallery. There are four of his pictures at one
s,d Of the West Room three Of them anegories
n paint and the fourth portrait. The veteran
,s not at his best in any of these works. but he
has not lost his individuality, his atmosphere or
his Venetian coloring. The best example is
Greed and Labor" with strongly contrasted
ap1Jres Of q self-centred old man in a red robe
with an expression Of diabolical cunning, and a
self-respecting workman in the prime of life
sinewy in arm. dignifed in pose. and noble in
ssce II is a glimpse OF Adam Bede with a
rniser behind him; and the figures are well
drawn for while Mr.. Watts's sense Of color fails
in his declining years. his hands do not forget
heir cunning. Another work is entitled Stun
ber Of the Ages" with the pride and beauty OF
motherhood contrasted with the helplessness of
childhood. "Triles Light as Air is an exposi-
ton Of the responsibility and grace of child
hood It is a vision Of troop of chubby faced,
round bodied infants, floating and circling in
blue haze without a cloud in the sky or a
much greater work, this group Of pictures would
impart a unique character TO what is in the
main an academic show.
An exceptional feature Of this exhibition is a
series OF eighteen experimental works in tenn
pera-an old time medium momentarily revived.
The best of these is a sketch by Mrs. Adrian
Stokes with the quaint title jug Of Tears"
The story is revealed at a rapid glance and does
not require study. It is the mothers dream Of
her white robed child in Heaven bearing the
vessel Of tears; and how tender and subtle Is
the Interpretation Of II by the mourning heart!
The heartbroken mother must weep no more
for is not the jug OF tears already brinrmng
over? II is quaint work with pathetic sub
ject worthy Of an antique medium. Mrs. Stokes
has q dream world OF her own, where she sighs
or dsports herself and is at home. Mr.. Walter
Crane employs the same medium in The
Mower" and '"The Fountain Of Youth" but
not with equal success. The black winged Great
ure cutting down with the remorseless potency
Of death the little beings among flowers does
not appeal 10 the imagination: and the figure
pouring water into fountain while warriors
and maidens draw near and doves wing their
fight is a decorative study.
Mr.. Alfred Parsons and Mr.. Alfred East have
the best landscapes IN the exhibition. each with
Characteristic technique. harmony Of color and
poetic feeling Mr.. Leslie Thomson has simple
sunset study, in which gold, pale yellow and
faint purple are combined with charming ef-
feet. The details OF the scene are hardly worth
noting: A boat loaded with straw in a slug
gish stream; carts drawn through mire; heavy
bank Of cloud and the sun passing out OF sight.
Il is the problem OF light, solved with a sure
touch that makes this picture interesting. and
the blends OF color help TO bring out the beauty
Of common, prosaic life. Mr.. Edward Stott,
whose pictures are never without charm and
originality. has a lovely work in Loves Twt-
light" A maiden in white stands at the wicket,
with her lover mounted on a dark horse. Tho
fading blue OF the evening sky is setting upon
a quiet village lane, with light in q cottage
window TO match the single Star in the sky.
The restfulness OF the lane, with its hollyhocks
and sunflowers, can be felt, and every effect is
ton has a black haired Diana among the green
willows OF goose pasture; Mr.. George Wether-
bee who is never weary OF graceful idylls, a
poetic Pool Of DIANA" and Mr. Byam Shaw
fantastic study OF the same goddess. There IS
also war picture OF considerable merit by
Mr.. Beadle, with the dry veldt in flames and
the Grenadier Guards dashing through it and
bearing off their dead comrades. Not even IN
the peaceful seciusion Of the New Gallery can
the tragic campaign be kept out of mind
In portraiture this exhibition eXcels. There
are works by two eminent foreigners in places
Of honor for Mr.. Comyns Carr. who selects ana
hangs the pictures, IS a broad minded critic not
In bondage TO academic traditions. M BenJa-
min Constants half length portrait OF Went
worth Blockett Beaumont reveals noble old
man with sver-white hair such as Tintoretu
delighted 70 paint; and the drawing, modelling
and flesh painting have wonderful breadth and
Vigor. N. Dagnan-Bouveret has an equally pro-
sale subject middle aged lady. soberly dressed
in green: and by subtlety Of reticence he com
nands sympathy for staid virtues and unaffect-
ed simplicity OF life Mr.. Sargent has two por-
traits, each pulsating with vitality and suggest
ing suddenly arrested motion. The more brill
iant work is the full length figure Of the Duke or
Portland in black Jacket and brown legglngs,
With collie lying at his feet and another look
ing into his face. with muzzle in his hand The
modelling OF the hands may not be without haW'
1a the face may lack dignity and refinement,
'l there is life in the sparkling eyes, the part
g lips and the mobile well knit figure. The
~ss' moreover. are painted with exceptional
s1i and vivacty. Mr. Sargents second por-
Hat Is forcible presentment OF a woman OF
'uOhg character. Mrs. Garrett Anderson, who
: identified with the medical education of
her sex The brush work of the black cloak is
y rough and hard as TO seem unfinished, but
in he her ble