New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1902-11-26
ART EXHIBITIONS.
THE NETWORK WATER COLOR CLUE
PORTRAITS BY MR.. J. W. ALEX
AMBER - THREE COLLEC-
TONS OF DRAWINGS.

IIONS AJE Dfh<A w A-NNI'7-
The exhibition Of the New-York Water Color
Club, at the Fine Arts Building is very agree
able affair one approaches II through an aisle
which has been formed in the south gallery by the
erection Of lofty screens, about which good deal
of LEAKAGE has been hung in decorative tashlon'
and against which some interesting little pieces
Of sculpture by Mr.. Hartley. Mr.. Kendall, MI
MacNen and Mr.. Harvey have been placed In
the small central gallery the display Of water
colors is accompanied by number Of miniatures
u the Vanderbilt Gallery the greater number OF
the three hundred and more pictures are shown
As on previous occasions. the exhibition makes It's
appeal chiefly through works Of average excel
Ience but here and there an artist lifts himself
head and shoulders above the general plane. Mr..
~ Fargo does this with three water colors which
may not be q brilliant some OF his little mas
terpieces ia this medium have accustomed US TO
expect, but he is. Of course, always individual,
and In one Of his contributions the small full
length Of serni-nude Ceylonese girl. his technical
power shows Itself almost In its finest estate tri-
umphing over the unloyely character Of his model
Grouped together are fifteen or eighteen
studies by 1Ir. Winslow Homer. made chiefly IN
Cuba and Bermuda These vary IN quality. The
Wreck on the English Coast" dated 1881. seems
almost feeble and certainly little woolly along
side the later water colors, Ike Hogs and Cedars,
snd the other Southern subjects. But fortunately
the broad and brilliant examples are in the ma
5ority, and the collection a whole delights US
with its simplicity ana directness. It's vivid light
shade. ts technical strength and its beauty OF
style.
The rest Of the exhibits here may not equal IN
originality ard power the works OF the veterans
3ust cited but on the other hand, they amply Illus
frate the facility and cleverness In which the
school is rich II is interesting to note that IN
4he main our water colorists adhere to conserva-
4tve lines. Here and there an effort may be
shade 10 break away from the latter. Mr. c. L.
Fs,ll In THE Water Moccasin" and Flight OF
FElarninsoes" eululates with some quaintness,
with no great success otherwise, the style OF the
Japanese. Miss n L. Stowel and Miss Ada II
Kent make similar efforts with less promising re-
suits Only one OF these adventurous expert
rnenters z. Mars. seems TO be really accomplish
4ng ANYTHING, and that individual counteracIs ule
favorable impression left by the woman feao-
ing" e plausible mixture Of Boutet de Monvel and
lsran through sending several other things that
sre crude and weak. These few names exhaust
4he list Of advanced" water colorists in the show
The characteristic picture is such landscape as
afr T. b Wiiams's after Storm" such dainty
fantasy as Mr.. c. c. Curran sends in his Rain,
~, We find # In such a solid piece of workmanship
IS Miss MacChesney's Head Of Old Habitant'
We find few other pictures calling for special no
fice hardly any beyond Mr.. Brtnkerhons Corsl'
q viva cious figure study; Mr.. Gruppe's October
Morning in Laren'; Miss z. n. CampbeHs plctur-
s.oue .cvollendam Fisherman; Mr. Gardner-So-
r,er's delicate Portrait Miss Hart: Mr. H b
EnelFs finely colored "Old Schooner; MI {. =
Coopers striking architectural study. stairway
Chateau. BlOis"- Mr. OlnShE STUDY Ol a AHoS
figure in sylvan scene. Troubling the Water,
and Miss A. H. Platt's Shadows" a work pecul-
4arlv excellent In tone and drawing and in the re-
strained expression Of a tender sentiment But
while there are not many conspicuous pictures to
he enumerated. there are numbers which are pleas
ing in motive and competent in execution
In an exhibition Of portraits at the Durand-Ruel
galleries Mr.. John W Alexander has brought to-
sether a number of canvases which we have seen
elsewhere more than once. and several that are
new. He IS accomplished painter, capable OF
some delightful effects and OF others too artificial
to command admiration At his best, as in the
beautiful design entitled Autumn he exploits the
linear charm ir feminine forms with remarkable
fueucy, and is decorative without sacrificing the
spontaneous movement and free atmosphere Of
nature In one or two OF his portraits, particular
" the one lent by M Hastings, canvas abound
ing IN elegance and most effectively lighted he
repeats this note Of vitality and truth The pcr-
Of Dr. Patton, too. is a straightforward and
admirable production But too often MI Alex
znder seems aiming at rather mereutctous
though nomentariIy attractive convention In
the upper part Of the canvas he poses his sitters
head and shoulders finding always good attitude
ard setting IL forth with real ability but the rest
Of the aeure seems TO serve him only excuse
for a decorative arrangement % draperies, and II
this makes uneasy in the presence Of single
portrait by him contributed 10 miscellaneous ex-
hibtiou. Il becomes positively alarming when he
zives Us a roonDfuI OF the sort Of thing We
SEE then that for style he substituting,
long ago feared be would mannerism II is
an enormously clever, clever that regret the
moro M Alexanders addiction to his present line.
Surely painter OF his gifts does not need 10 de-
pend upon trivial and even mechanical effects II
Seems a Pity that portrait good in modelling
as his portrait Rodin should be so tricky in its
Illumination It seems pity that paintings 50
charming in motive, so deft in handling, as the
Study In Green" or "A Rose - should be spoiled
-haa14 aaSl fv+g A
rros5uctton Of q work so fine in composition and
80 lovely in color the Autumn ought not to
1nper1l his reputation by turning out shallow and
merely facils portraits.
At the Knoedler Gallery Mr.. Walter MacEwen