Evening star., 1903-07-25
ART NOTES

In the recent death of James McNell
Whistler the art world sustained a serious
loss Belonging to no school, the follower
of none he won. against a bitter current OF
adverse criticism a place which no living
painter can fill AS etcher. many De-
Iieye he has had no equal. and as a painter
he ranked with the foremost. He was born
in Lowell, Mass. in 1884. and when lad
received an appointment to the Military
Academy at West Point. Pictures were to
him. however. more than books or tactlcs
and the Academy this spring exhibited with
pride drawings-portrait sketches or MS
classmates and illustrations of Dickens
vritings-made unlawfully during study
hours by the lad who later dropped on
account of poor scholarship. For num-
ber of years during his early manhood Mr..
Whistler resided in Washington. and it was
in this city that his artistic career may be
said to have begun. Indeed 1T was only
when his cauStic wit and clever pencil
obliged him to summariy surrender his po-
sition as craftsman in the coast survey
that he determined to go abroad. The dare
de vii INDEPENDENT eCcentricity of those ear
lier years however. followed him and in
creased with years and each hard knock
until there is something almost pitiful In
the history of his long middle life period
admiration for his work. but needlessly
made enemies instead Of friends. There Is
little doubt. however. that the great little
man found compensation in his work. for
from first to last he was an artist. His In
tensely artistic. sensitive temperament Is
seen in even his slightest drawing. and 1t Is
this which in large measure distinguishes
all his work. In his later years. when his
reputation was assured and the smart OF
unjust criticism was in part forgotten. he
smiled contemptuously more than once
when the ignorant waxed enthusiastic over
an inferior work bearing his signature. but
he Is said to have never stopped to COM
mercialism. In the Boston Museum OF Fine
Arts there are two portraits In oils which
admirably set forth his unusual ability as
a painter and in the print division of the
Library of Congress there Is now on exhi-
bition a comprehensive collection OF his
etchings.
A portrait of Whistler, by Bodinl, which
was recently exhibited in the New Gallery.
London, has attracted. by it's merit con.
siderable attention 1T is a marvellous
character study which almost borders on
caricature" says a London critic. THE
ruffied hair with the characteristic white
lock, the nervous. thin fingers. the slightly
malicious expression, the whole pose, de-
note the man whose cutting sarcasm and
caustc wit have. after a prolonged strug-
gle succeeded in silencing all hostile crit
icism."
Much interest has been felt in the an
nCuncement that Mrs. Harriet Lane john
ston had bequeathed her collection of paint
ings and historic documents to the Cor
coran Gallery of Art, for. aside from the
value of the gift, 1t seemed recognition
of the real purpose and character of the
Gallery. In order to accept the bequest,
however, it now appears that the trustees
Will have to comply with conditions which
may be deemed unwlse If not impossible.
The collection consists of about sixteen
paintings among which are a portrait of
| Lady Essex as Juliet, by Lawrence; Mrs
| Raymond, by Reynolds: Miss Kirkpatrick
| by Romney: Mrs. Murray, by Beechy: a
| Madonna and Child. by Correggio; valley
Farm" by Constable, and picture of King
| Edward the Prince of Wales, with his
| suite and President Buchanan, with his
| abinet, at Washington's tomb at Mt. Yer
| non, by Rossiter: of two or three marble
| busts. few miniatures and such interest
| ing documents the correspondence be-
| tween Queen Victoria and President Buch-
anan upon the occasion of the prince s
| visit To obtain these however. the trus-
! tees must In accordance with the Will or
| the donor. erect an annex to the Gallery in
| which they may be housed. in which there
| shall be artificial heat and for which
! ample protection against the heat OF sum-
| time that a National Gallery be established
by the government the entire collection Is
| to be transferred from the Corcoran to the
National Gallery. This seems little un-
| reasonable, though. the teStatOr sug-
| gests the erection of such an annex might
lead to the reception of similar and more
| valuable bequeStS.
| At present there seems more reason TO
| hope for the establishment of National
Gallery in Washington than commonly.
| Not that any definite step has been taken.
| but because the idea seems to be taking
| firmer hold of the people of the United
| States, both here and elsewhere. Some
| thought is apparently being given to it by
| the workers of several leading cities, and
| there is no doubt that soon as the i'm
portance of such a gallery is realized 1t
| will become a fact.
| Mr.. r. n. Busey has just finished a por-
| trait of the late Major Powell for the geo.
! logical survey which has been pronounced
an excellent likeness. 1t painted in
the building occupied by the survey from
| photographs and the memory of Major
| Powel's friends and for this type of por-
! trait it is above the ordinary showing Wig
| orous technique, good color and strong
| modelling.
Mr.. Max Weyl has been painting some
| very charming out-of-d door pictures since
! the summer days began. One shows bit
| of woods through witch the observer looks
| over bright, sunny meadows; another pic
| lures a great gnarled oak, heavy with fol-
| iage, in cool. rocky hollow; and third
| gives a glimpse of the Potomac lowlands.
| All are fresh, individual and vigorous and
| seem to have been executed with that en-
| thusastic love Of nature which character
| ICES the painters best work.
| GE
| *
A collection Of paintings by William T.
| Richards and his daughter make an ap-
propriate summer exhibition in the veer-
hoff gallery. The most of Mr.. Richards
canvases are Interpretations of the sea off
| Newport, where the spainter has for many
| years had a home, and where upon his re-
| turn from Europe In the fall he Is to build
| an ideal seaside palace 10n archipelago
| recently ceded to him by the state of Rhode
Island u IS
i