Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-13

| immoral! 1t was the first time after more
| than sixty years of work that anything or
| mine had been so considered and 1 was
| tempted to write and beg that the picture
| should be destroyed and nothing remem-
| bered excepting my OBJECT with all huhu-
| ity) in presenting it.
&c. F. WATTS"
| The Washington Water Color Clubs ex-
| hibition, which closes next Wednesday az
| ternoon, has now only few more days to
| run. Seven pictures have been sold, which,
| even in comparison to other more important
! out-of-town ANIMALS, is not bad average,
| but the attendance this week has been at
! the best only fair. The sudden cold snap
and the increasing pressure of Christmas
| business is undoubtedly partly accountable
| for this apparent waning interest; but
| whatever the cause, the fact is discourage
! ing, and though it would be as inappro-
| pirate in this column to rail at an unappre-
| ciative public. or to suggest that the same
| paintings exhibited under the auspices OF
| the Bombay Hawaiian or Paris Water
| Color Club would have attracted ten times
as much attention as would be the de-
nouncing of Sabbath breakers to congre-
cation of regular church-goerS, 1t must De
| patent to all that in spite of the best eff
| forts of the artists and our city's natural
| influence Washington can never become
| really an art center until the public is ready
| to cooperate with the workers and give
| literally of its interest, to say nothing OF
| its patronage, to just such worthy local
| shows.
| The Capital Camera Club has been hold
| ing an exhibition of members work in its
| club rooms 1910 f street, this week, which,
| though comprising only 100 exhibits. was
comprehensive and uncommonly interesting.
| The dividing line between artistic and COM
| mercial photography is so wide that 1t is
| self-evident when examples of the two are
| placed side by side but in such an exhibit
| ton, where high standard is maintained
| throughout, the results seem so simple and
natural that they frequently have their
merits overlooked. misty. indistinct print
| no more constitutes an artistic photogra oh
/ than an unntelligible smear of paint makes
| a work of art. Instead, to merit the name,
| 1t must be correct in tone and values have
the light properly distributed and the in
| terest centralized. 1t was these qualities
| which the Camera Clubs work exhibited
| and which made its show an event of artis-
| tic Importance.
/ ]. W. Anderson's two landscapes win
ter" and Road Near Bull Run Battlefield"
W. c. Babcock's August" w. E. Dieffen-
derfer's "a Mountain Village" and H. E.
| Reinecke'S Timer Harbor, Gloucester"
| terpreted by the most skiiful painter The
portrait work also was especially good,
showing character, apparent likeness and
excellent handling of light and shade. A
little head on an Indian girl "Lila-Wa-Ste,"
by Mr. Anderson was dainty and very ar
tistic, and it would have been easy to be-
lieve that Mr.. Babcock's Star Mary" Mr..
Fairman's Madonna of Tears" and Mr.
Thompson's Portrait of a Lady, had been
taken from fine old paintings rather than
life. Miss Helen E. Williams and Mr.. DEF
fenderfer showed admirable genre studies,
and Miss Curry, Mr.. Dillman and Mr.. Eby
were also more than creditably represented.
| This exhibition was merely club affair
side issue as it were, and not intended in
any way to supplant the spring annual.
which is to be held In the hemicycle of the
Corcoran Gallery as usual.
i
Four large panels painted in the poster
style by Miss Susanna Gutherz, were placed
yesterday on the walls of Blackistone's new
| flower shop on F street, as permanent mu-
| raj decorations They are about eight feet
! long by three wide. and are done in oils on
| light decorators canvas. Each presents the
| full-length figure of a beautiful woman clad
| in modish attire and surrounded by a pro-
| fusion of roses. One panel Is given over
! to the American Beauty" one to the La
| France" the third to the Marshal Nell"
| and the fourth to the Bride Rose" though
| other flowers are intermingled with each
Likewise the figures are suggestive of four
| of the leading American actresses, Maude
| Adams, Julia Marlowe, Maxine Elliott and
Blanche Bates The first was painted from
a sketch made quite recently from life, and
the last from photographs furnished by Miss
Bates herself. No real attempt has been
made, however, at portraiture, either with
the actresses or their floral environment
The object was primarily suggestion and
decoration. The color scheme of all is
| charming and the long, sweeping graceful
! lines of the draperies are delightful. There
| is air of distinction and style about
| them-an originality and freshness that pre-
seeming overambitious, and at the same
time inclines one to watch with keen inter-
est for the painters next productions.
x
Miss Bertha e. Perrie is to have an ex-
hibiton of miniatures in her studio, sos
18th street, on the afternoon Of Monday,
December 10, from 2 TO o'clock There
will be in all about twenty of these dainty
| little portraits which Miss Perrie has
painted during the last few years. A num-
Der are of prominent Washingtonians. sew
| eral have been shown in the exhibitions of
| the American Society of Miniature Paint
| ers in New York, and all will be found to
| be vastly interesting and sincerely meri-
torious
| Mr.. Hobart Nichols, who, by the way, has
recently succeeded Mr.. Holmes as chair
| man of the art committee of the Cosmos
| Club, was notified this week of the sale of
| his autumn landscape in the New York
| Water Color Clubs exhibition which has
| just closed. This was a small. simple COM
position, showing a few trees In fall dress,
| the originals Of which may be found but
a short distance from the painters Hol-
mead avenue home. Mr.. Nichols has at
present number of interesting canvases
in various states of progression In his
studio, among which one of a lighthouse
set on a grass-grown hill is most nearly
completed and very charming. 1t is motif
that he found last summer In Maine which,
though commonplace, is far from exhaust
! ed. The observer stands not stones throw
away from the group of gray buildings
huddled together onthe brow of the hill from