Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-07

hlplt1ons. there has been little activity in
local art circles this week. The Indian
summer days, while enticing the landscape
painters into the nearby country. have not
been conducive to indoor endeavor Several
more one-man exhibits have been scheduled
by local dealers for the first of the year
but none for the immediate future; and
though the majority of the artists are in
town, several have postponed reopening
their studios.
At Veerhoff's gallery there is now on ex-
hibition a portrait of Miss Benjamin which
Mr.. Spencer Nichols has just finished 1t
is large and interesting canvas vigorous
ly painted and indicative of unusual skill
The sitter is pictured in white gown and
hat seated upon low and inconspicuous
divar. Her right hand grasps the handle
of a dainty parasol and her left rests on the
arm of the couch A three-quarter view of
the face is given. and the pose is alert and
upright. dull, rich tapestry forms the
background, and the general scheme is in
teresting and decorative. in it's execution
bold, free handling is displayed, and though
there as suggestion of Sargent'S influence
1t is Individual and stands distinctly on its
own merits. The background, the white
feather in the hat and the lace yoke of the
gown are more than cleverly interpreted
and a whole it must be considered a
strikingly meritorious performance.
A plaster statuette of a woman seated
with her chin in her hand in apparent medi-
tation and entitled The Seeker has re-
Gently been placed exhibition in the
lower loan room at the Corcoran Gallery
1t is the work of Miss Edith Hope Ogden,
who was formerly the instructor of the
sculpture class of the Corcoran School, and
is the original model for life-size statue
designed for the woman's building at the
ST. Louis exposition. Mr.. ST Gaudens, Mr..
French and others approved and commend
ed it,, but before 1t was enlarged the man.
ayers of the fair determined to altogether
abandon the scheme for the erection of
such building. The thought expressed by
the figure is of womanknd seeking the
truth-a solution to the many perpleXing
problems of the day, among which her own
place, work and destiny not the least
1t is strongly modelled and expressive and
should win fresh honors for it's author as
well as a place for itself wherever and
whenever it is shown
Mr.. and Mrs. Carl Smith have reopened
their Mt. Pleasant home and studio after
three months absence abroad. Mrs. Smith
spent the entire time in Paris where she
has many friends, but Mr. Smith was for
several weeks in a quaint old town In HoI-
land which abounded in paintable themes.
From thence he has brought back with him
a number of exceedingly attractive genre
studies which set forth the homey whole
some life of the Dutch peasants One pic
lures two women seated by window knit
ting, another gives family group gather
ed around a rude supper table, whereas
third shows a bevy of girls working and
chatting in coy corner. All are spirited
and thoughtful, and in color and compost
ton most charming. While in Paris Mr..
Smith made a number OF COPIES in the
Louvre for future reference, besides work
ing from models and sketchng out of doors
when the weather permitted Among the
studio work which he did there are two
paintings of a mother and child which are
specially notable. Though peasant. the
mothers face is full of refinement gentle
beauty and real womanliness, and the baby
on her knee possesses all the inherent charm
of helpless infancy. 1t is real mother and
| truth and without purpOseful sentiment
and therefore as a painting and picture
more worthy and more appealing.
| A bronze portrait bust of the late Rev
| DIR. Sunderland by Mr.. U. S. j. Dunbar is
| now on exhibition in Karr's window on
| F street. 1t is not only good likeness
| of the eminent clergyman, but an admira BILE
| work, and makes one regret that the soulp-
| tor is not able to give all of his time to his
| art.
X
In McCrearys gallery there are now on
exhibition a number Of interesting pictures
among which sunny landscape by Mr..
Child, head by Mrs. Child, entitled "Tur-
| quoise and Ivory and a marine by Mr..
| Hilliard are most notable. The first two
have been seen at the local exhibitions and
already highly commended, but the-last
has been but recently finished This repro
duces picturesque scene of the English
coast. where Mr.. billiard spent a part Of