The sun., 1902-02-23
AMONG THE PAINTERS.

There would be few things more amusin g
In connection with pictures. II 1t were not
at times exasperating than the tendency
among a large class OF American picture
buyers 20 ignore the work Of American
painters, even when It Is good work. and
turn with welcome TO inferior productions
Of foreign talent. Needs not 10 tarry
over the quibble as TO american art or
foreign art;- those who hold that art has
no nationality may have their say. Artists
assuredly have nationality; but as TO Ameri-
can artists, In the eyes Of many picture
buyers their nationality is held against
them as artists, while the character OF
quality Of their art is not even considered.
The highly successful sale Of Thomas B.
Clarkes collection OF American paintings
three wears ago gave temporary flip TO
the prices Of American pictures and the
recent sale Of n Martin and a Ryder at
higher figures than upon their last previous
appearance was gratifying. But large
part of the gain made at the Clarke sale
has since been lost. and the Martin-Ryder
sales were tho exceptions emphasizing the
general rule.
Al successful public sale following
the appreciation IN prices Of the Clarke
auction, r. bert Miner sat among the on
lockers In Chickering Hall, and the limpid
joy with which his eyes were brimming &
was not to he suppressed when the museums
entered the competition for some Of his
best works and bought them at record
prices. MIR. Kirby at the euct onser's
desk was as happy as the artist at the
recognition which the good paintings had
at last met, and his smiling congratulations
were seconded by the applause OF enthusi-
astic spectators. The bearing Of which
latter observation. however, lies IN the
application Of It; and In applying il Il is 10
be noted, with sadness, that the applause
which Is an occasional diversion at New
York picture auctions comes usually from
the people who do not buy. but who come
TO see paintings which they admire sold 70
others. The feelings Of Mr.. Minor would
probably have found kin in the emotions
of Martin, could the figures Of the Milllken
sale, or anything like them. have greeted
his work before his death.
But Martin had to do his painting, like
many another American artist. with the
certainty that its chances Of appreciation
expressed in dollars were remote, while
the works Of lesser foreigners were as
certain - be purchased here on-hand. at
prices above their comparative value.
The dealers in general have long fostered
this taste in the public and too many Of
them do so more or less yet, the artists
will tell YOU. Only the other day, an auc-
tioneer In one of the most conspicuous
OF auction rooms. carried this process OF
encoura ging a dependence upon the foreign
element 20 an extreme perilously close TO
q absurdity. He went beyond the foreign
picture, to foreign opinion ,l,; as giving added
painting. and he paused in crying the bids
to say. impresslvely:
There was an Englishman here last
night. He was a friend Of Whistler's. He
g. "a this was a very strong painting
10. ff,V.A fNst "a lrp1
expectantly for more liberal bids. And
from the lessons Of experience in picture
selling he was perfectly justified in ex-
pecting them and In taking this course
10 induce them. The state of art apprecia-
tion among buyers inferred by these tac-
tics, however, is a subject for nothing be-
tween hilarity and weeping
Bolton Jones had this condition OF mind
on the part OF SO many picture buyers
brought home TO him In two concrete in
stancas, than which nothing can better en-
phasize It's existence. its virulence, OF it's
ridcul1usness A dealer-and he was one
Of the Leading ones In New York-who
liked TO sell American paintings and tried
to do 80 upon opportunity, was visited by a
woman who after looking around his gallery
picked out one OF Mr.. Jone's's Landscape
and ordered Il sent TO her home She had
admired the painting so greatly that the
dealer was pleased, and he thought that
one who 80 much liked an American work
would like Il all the more II she knew the
locality OF its subject. So he observed
to his customer who had come Ia her car
rage that the painting was a picturesque
Bit Of Jersey.
DO you mean the lsle OF JerscyY' she
asked. as she looked again admiringly at
the Oinvas.
.Oh, no, New jersey was the reply,
and before the man got a chance TO say
more he was cut short by his patron, who
turned her back upon the picture and faced
him with the severely abrupt declaration
that she wouldn't have IL in her house
On another occasion Jones caught IL In a
different quarter and from the other sex
1t was on the visit OF the French painter
Renouf TO New York. Renouf painted
among other things the familiar Helping
Hand 80 often illustrated. In which a
child is aiding fisherman al the oar. whns