The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-14
LOTOS CLUB EXHIBITION.

by Alexander II. Wyant. Gathered to-
ge,her by Mr.. William T. Evans. mostly
from private collections, they pre- ent
examples unfamiliar to many people, and
In widening our acquaintance with the
artists work establish on a still surer basis
the estimation in which il must be held.
Strongly influenced in his attitude toward
nature by Wordsworth. Wyant was in his
own vehicle of expression a lyric poet
though more subjective one than the poet
OF Grasmere. Ii was a mood of tn, land
scape that he sought to express in other
words. moods of his own spirit with which
he infused the scene before him. And
his moods were characterized by intensity
rather than 10y variety or range. Coming
late to his ife's work and always conscious
Of the short time left him in which to utter
what was in him, he not only lrked with
most unremitting labor. but also concen-
traied the scope Of his Imagination. So
while his range is Less than that Of lnness
its note il more poignant.
In collect Oh lac this one seems to b.
able to istr,Dute the pictures into w or
three grolps each OF which more or les
closely reflects ths expression of sing,
mood. There IL, for extnple . his happy
oHe wherein he I'm IL splica or the almos
perpetual physical suffering or discomfort
under which he laporei. viewing the seen,
before him As an earthly paradise, An Eden
OF tender loneliness in which the tire,
spirit can find refuge, Such ara thoss
three beautiful IAN escapes. very alike In
feeling that are hanging among Mr.. George
4. Hearn's pictures at the Union lie gu,
Club vistas Of the Adirondack forests.
eXquisitely delicate in color, full of mystery
Of atmosphere, iinpregnated with a pen
Sive Joyousness and yet large and ample
in their nv alton To the imagination We
shall iini tnis same feeling, very Inherently
expressed. in Connecticut Valley" in the
L. os Club gallery. This ia laler picture
and seems TO represent maturer attitude
OF mind. Instead OF the delicate searching
spirit, peerlng forth upon nature al no.j
wlstfuIy, one Is conscious of more com.
posture and of a more ample control OF the
subject and the sentiment. There is u
greater degree of selection anu acrange
meat In the composition and Of more a.
sured conviction Of feeling.
Tins large .reniy Ieappears in A Noun
tam fas, ure, lovely example OF Lls
more coloru! pictures. IN when there 1t
| a genial E,mvency Of illumins ion and d
Spacious u s,tuin.s.. Again, IN Lands ape
-keene Valley" with lls r ok, buubAi9
down between NOISY roths and ferns,
and riminod with slender trees that benu
Io"ard one another across tie water.
on" fnds one - Sill in rctItat that inv tie
tie soul To lnker and imInerse Itself N
the io' eAness OF the spot. On the other
hand. III that remarkable picture -Sunit
vale, the foreground IL rugged ana III
shadow. tie valley lies spot of golden
Sunshine, gird' q with the bare, ina, ssi bls
mountains that los. their crests in tie
| Glands HpI,A "a ba l.p.l 81,
quiet life and the souls need of strenuous
"ndeaNor. ~" 'WO NOW between which
the art IT. Want o.lIllated,
We ct 9TH lIinpse- here Of the strong
man.l.''s, at war IN his nature. H.
| the Autumn al Arkville," for example
how Wig, rouHly the broken fore round
| and the lie up clouds have been attacke {;
cvidertlv wi h Nals epthu ia-n TO-
tho bold. la dy ola acter # the scene
Again, IL A Fro,'y NorninR" and -Soii-
| tue. bot" e vi ici ave an echo Of Home
Martins ,Iiii there L. n certain Gust.ri
| 81 feeling OF o ie who could Giveet lin
self Of l. Dir am at MIl. and RICHLY face
the stalk zig iiicarce cf the facts. Then,
| In N'awn.' vi h its cool, rich foreground,
| stepped in moi ture and l., sky, ul.iverii 2
vi IA PURE: fresh light how the artist hGa
strirred hi nsef II ersonal references
aud wholly given himself up to the hushed
| snle'nHitv of tie hour.
Ii IL l. tarestlng TO compare this absorp-
t,o' q sell Win inc lettlng loose 81 sell IL
| the No Mans Land, where he has taken
hai d in the conflict of the clouds, leapir q
IN. as II We're, and strikil x out with his
| hluhh as II each stroke released a porto.
| ol his own r"nt-up agitation. Yet. after
| all. perhaps, there Is In this picture more
when we compare it with -Nightfan" al d
Approaching storm" II is in these.
more than in any others Of the prese,
collection. that the note of poignancy l.,
struck. The former il wonderfully true
| III its suggestion of the plerome.. ON. and
II Is ste"ped with a feelii & of elevated
| melancholy. with a seise of pain slibdued
| or OF calm - Intense as to border upoi.
pain, that reflect III extraordinary full ess
| the beheoloton Of nature on a tired soul
And IN Al preaching Storm" one cannot
| miss the inastarfulness of the pai ii. z;
! the penetrabiity of the lowering, purple
| sky and the distribution Of the light 2,
| at once broad and subtle nor IL il possible.
| TO escape the tremendous impressivei es.,
| ot this solitary rock, rooted firmly In the
earth. aloLe amid the gathering gloom
hoIu'R the last gleam of light
| II was thus that Wyant's own spirit re-
manned stanch. k,ndcd with inspirations
| while the shadows of the end were creep
ing round him, and the one cry Of his soul
was for little space more N which To work
| out the thing lie longed to do That de-
spite his too brief career, manhood reached
| before re- had seen picture and so many
years spent IN acquiring the language pi
expression, D" atCOmpl. she'd in an iuCrcd-
| ibv short time such a number of MASTER
pieces II que to the manhood that underlay
| his gentle, rCctical nature. His maun'r
| of painting illustrates il. Closely aualyti-
| cal u his study he mastered the rendering
| 0l I rin and construC ton; then set liri-
| sell to eliminate all but what was essen
| tial and tocNpr,ss this with ever increasing
breadth and freedom. II IL in tie fore
grounds Of lis pictures that We shall find
such evidence of this phase of lis crafts
manslip. with the b0ldcst kind of SYM
thesis he option 2 = the facts and charaC-
| ter OF the spot; i,d yet A. the ,v. pcnc-
trates T." darkest parts and roan.s over
| IL" whol" field of View, IL is arrested con-
| tinuallv with surprises Of interest Often.
| however, not 10y any actual detail. but hv
| suggestion, so that our Imagination dis
| covers for itself the imprc ssion of detail.
and. wandering over the scene, comes urou
what We should expect to find in such n
place. We experience at once the COM
| sfiousnoss and the unconsciousncsS of
details that we do in the course of wall,
| in the country. Not every poet IA n,or
| suggests the former: morn often tli,v ah-
| sorb US in tho general aspect Of the Sccno
| But WANT, perhaps from his sy,rpa,ry
with Wordsworth. never wholly loses touch
of the beauty that exists in the little things
Of NATURE. Hence nonr moro humanity
| L.. Il IL