Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-28
ART NOTES

l
The exhibition Of paintings by Mr. Max
Weyl. held In Mr.. e. L. Morse's studio. has
been the chief event of interest this week
| and proved one Of the pleasantest occur
rences Of the season. Never were pictures
| seen under more suspicious conditions and
seldom are they ever seen in such accord
| with their surroundings. To measure up to
| the impressive dignity and perfect appoint
ments Of the room in which they were
| hung was, in itself. test of merit. yet
nothing was more striking than the abso-
| lutte harmony of the paintings and environ
| ment.
| The feeling which is prevalent in the ma
| jority of exhibitions that the pictures are
| oppressively ION view" was entirely absent
the seventeen canvases which constituted
1 the collection being distributed along the
| lengthy east and west walls In a manner
! suggesting permanenCe. Each seemed to
| have rightful claim to it's own position,
| and none interfered in the smallest measure
| with the prerogatives of its neighbors. 1t
| IS some time since SO comprehensive col
| lection of Mr.. WeylS work has been seen
| and even those who know his paintings best
| found in the exhibition certain heretofore
| undiscovered qualities.
The remarkable facility of the painter
1
| both. subjects and manner of expression,
! for. while each canvas bore the unnista ka-
pie stamp of the same author, they were
| In themselves widely diverse. They were
| all strong but at the same time possessed
| mellow richness which is rarely to be
| found in the works of the modern school.
| Technique was entirely SubServient to re-
| suit. 1t was not matter of mere render
| Ing. The painter was lost in the painting
| and thereby his work gained a deem i'm
! presslVeness which conscious effort, no mat
| ter how skillful. could never have attained
t nus pictures were in every case transla-
| tons of nature interpreted with such
| clearness and understanding that they
were ineligible to lay and painter folk
| alike: and none who saw them could fail
| to appreciate their merits as well as feel a
| sincere respect for the genius Of the man
| who wrought them.
| The exhibition Of Japanese prints which
mas been held in the Hemicycle Of the Cor
coran Gallery for the past fortnight closed
today. 1t has attracted considerable at
tention though awakened far less enthus-
| iasm than collections of work of the mod
ern school which have been shown in the
same gallery. The majority of persons. It
! is safe to say, who visit such exhibitions
try to discover in the prints an interest and
value which they do not possess, and hence
| find them tedious and Disappointing This
arises principally from a lack of under
standing of the original function of the
print, which was neither more or less than
that OF our modern birthday cards of Illus
.trated papers. They must be valued for
| their harmonious coloring and grace and
beauty of line or not at all; remembering
meanwhile that there are poor prints as
well as good ones, just as there are both
inferior and superior paintings. The COL
lection exhibited by Mr.. Matsumoto COM
prlsed both varieties, but was thoroughly
interesting and had apparently been inteIli-
gently collected. Mr.. Matsumoto ia not
however primarily collector, but a pub
Usher. He Is engaged in the work of is
suing japanese picture books-volumes of
designs, examples Of school work, etc-in.
America for American use, and it is in the
interest or this important and unique work
that he has made this collection.
The painting by John s. Sargent, en-
| titled THE Oyster Gatherers," which occu-
pied the position of honor in the recent ex-
hibition of the Society Of Washington Ar
| lists. has been placed by its owner, tenn
| porarily, in the loan collection at the Cor
coran Gallery. It is one Of the great paint
ers earlier works. and may be counted
among those which first manifested to the
world his uncommon strength and ability
and helped to win for him recognition and
distinction.
X X
A portrait which Mr.. Harold Macdonald
has just painted Of General Ludington Is
now exhibition at veerhoffs. It is well
constructed and strongly modelled. and car
ries with 1t the conviction Of being a good
likeness The color Is excellent and the
military full-dress uniform is painted with
consummate skill.
x X
Miss Mnpden ic
Lucien Powell her fellow artist, which
promises to be an excellent likeness and a
strong work. She has also made recently
two little portrait studies-one of an old
man, the other Of a young girl, which are
wonderfully clever and charming. The for
mer is in red chalk, the latter in crayon,
and both are intensely artistic in rendering
Each is as carefully studied as a larger,
more serious work. yet possesses the infor-
mality of a sketch. There is moreover
something delightful in the clear-cut senst-
tive lines and delicate but viriIe modelling
of these little portraits which neither
study nor technical skill alone could pro-
duce; and it Is this indescribab!e some
thing which marks these little portraits as
extraordinary and sets them far above the
average accomplishment.
Mr.. R. LeGrand Johnston is so well
| that many will learn with surprise that he
is at present engaged in painting portrait.
1t is of a young woman with auburn hair
and brown eyes, and Is sincere, simple and
characteristic He has also just begun an
Interesting landscape study. A medium
sized canvas, which is about evenly divided
by a broad stretch of pasture land and q
soft gray clouded sky. the union of which
is partly concealed by line of woods to
the left-hand side. A flock OF sheep and a
little house near the bordering woodland
give a living interest to the composition.
which Is otherwise extremely simple, but 1t
Is from the low-toned harmonious coloring
that the picture derives Its sentiment and
special charm. The field Is overgrown
with many-hued sedge grass. and the dis
tant foliage has been tinted by the early
frost; while In the air Is that restful quiet
which betokens the close of day and the de-
parture of summer. The theme Is one
which Mr.. Johnston found near his home in
Beltsville, and 1t Is one Of a class which he
Is always most fortunate in reproducing