New-York tribune., 1903-04-16
4 Paris PICTURE FAIR.
"Maternity" the Keynote of This
Years Salon.

Especial to The Newyork Tribune by French Cable,
Copyright: 1903: BY The Tribune AssociauonD
Paris, April 15.-The first Of the two grand
picture fairs of the Partisan year-the Salon
Of the National Society Of Fine Arts, which, un-
der the presidency of Carolus-Duran, opened
its doors to the public to-day in the western
half Of the Palace of the Champs Eiysees-is
neither better nor worse than its twelve prede-
cessors but attracted this afternoon, despite the
shower Of rain and sleet. a greater number of
visitors than ever before The Salon contains
1856 oil paintings, $500 pastel drawings and
800 works of sculpture, besides many objects
OF art and architectural designs. 1t is worthy
Of note that Of the 522 painters who exhibit oil
paintings no less than forty-one are Americans.
Indeed, Americans far outnumber all other non
French painters put together.
The keynote OF the Salon this year is struck
by that virile painter of life and humanity AL
fred Roll. who gives what may Unhesitatingly
be pronounced the masterpiece of his career in
a canvas called Maternity" a picture that
would delight the heart of Theodore Roosevelt,
for it is vertable object lesson in popularizing
the arguments of Mr. Roosevelt, OF Mrs. Van
Worst, Of NJ. Brieux, OF NJ. d'Estournelles de
Constant, of all in the New and in the Old
World who denounce the shirkng Of marital
obligations the great national peril Of our
TIME. NJ. Rolls picture elected from Waldeck-
the dwelling Of every newly married couple il
France. NJ Rolls Maternity represents a
young mother wearing red gown, gazing at
her infant in a cradle. The womans fair half
face reveals exquisite tenderness a candle is
held in her right hand, and the candle light is
shaded from the child's face by the mothers
left hand, causing wondrous effect of light
and luminosity.
The same subject, Maternity" is taken up
o+1Jra with IL
rnier-Iike treatment, by Jean Weber. the prince
of modern caricaturists, who in a small. radiant
canvas depicts a peasants cottage, a young
mother reclining in bed. while a nurse holds up
10 the delighted father, grandparents and
brood of merry faced children q newly born
babe Even the frisky little chocolate colored
noodle shifts and barks with joy The same
congerial theme is further developed by Jacques
Blanche in his brilliant family portrait Of the
Franco American symbolist poet Viele Griffin,
seated, book in hand, in park beneath oak
trees beside his wife. About these happy par
en+s are grouped in affectionate attitudes their
fo,1- daughters One OF the finest pictures also
is Lucien Simons's portrait Of a young mother
tastefuIIy attired in white and gray figured
dress and black hat. with her three children
standing or sitting in a room full Of life and
sunlight
The Salon contains, as usual, kilometres OF
uuiutereSting canVaSeS nuBe, HltoA4-SIeS9' ~
oratiye or historical giants. now and then in
+e-spersed with bewildering flashes Of ultra
;,,nressiouist deIiriurn. Among the gems should
ba mentioned the delightful white powdered
Ar5alrsian dancing girls and bronzed peasants
bv Ignacio Zuloaga, young Spanish painter
who has suddenly captured the Parlslan fancy
note also among the gems BesnaTds S raolaLI
girls bathing, veritable twentieth century
| Fra ragonards; also small, luminous descriptive
! Descent from the Cross, by CASTOR Latouches.
| The stern. rugged portrait Of James Gordon
| Bennett by Gervex lends austerity 20 room
! No. II sargent's portrait of the three MISSES
! 15un+er exhibited last year at the Royal Acao-
| eynx, is not considered here as holding It's own
| with Sargents best work There is an adIIlliaol7
! nortrait of Miss Bessie Abbott, OF the opera
bv Claude Marlef a portraitist steadily gaining
! in favor There is a capital portrait OF the ia
risian caricaturist Sem by Boldini; also one OF
! CocueIin by Louis Picard
| Anong the most successful American works
are Walter Gays interiors, Childe Hassam
skatches Of Naples and Of country scene near
gloucester Mass. and those of Alfred Maurel'
! = ,o,,rg American who this year comes prom
,rert1,, 70 the front with his Partisan pictures
oF landing at the Bullier ball and an lh'eIIoi
~ a calico shop; Frederic Frieseke' Win his
! half dozen pictures, especially a WoHIAh III d
white DRESS in a white roomr leanlns On
| white sunshade; Eugene van FeHolia1i
sketches, including the FACADE OF 81 MAI Il D.
| which IS half concealed by waving eApaiASe' p'al
20 italian flags; Elisabeth Nourses Brittany
| .4o-ars Alexander Harrison's marines, Flor
/ - vs+e with her impressive landscapes.
strongly drawn and delicately coiored; George
TTowIsnd-s soft dreamy valley. with opal-hke'
,-f6escent sheep grouped in the centre; John
+,aal,,sgers female portraits and Lucie Rob
t,-s.s feminine studies. Carolus-Duran eAhlolts
nanel of radiant portraits inciualns ruli
length one of an American woman AiIS Chafies
f1ei-i -. ,, - :, receiving his numerous friends.
the ~ ..oras of American residents OF
qo'. nna. ~ front Of the portrait Of the three
raI.s . tI,n+er painted by his pupil. John sar-
Mizs Al-s - whom carolus-Duran is SO Justly
/