New-York tribune., 1903-04-30
IN PALACE OF FINE ARTS.
Gems of Nesc French Salon Er-
hibitiOn.


in the Palace of Fine Arts. contains five thou
sand numbers, OF which eighteen hundred are
oil paintings and eight hundred works OF
SCULPTURE Sixty-two Americans, Of whom thlr-
teen are women exhibit oil paintings, ana
there are ten American sculptors, two OF Whom
are of the fair sex. The general Level OF eA-
cellence approaches high standard Inc
tendency toward nodernity in the best sense OF
the word is more marked than hitherto IN
deed, the artists of the two great rival Salons
the Champs Elysees and the Champ de Mars,
this year turn out the same class OF work. ana
there is no longer any valid reason why 'heS
should not foin forces and amalgamate-
One Of the finest and certainly the most beau
tiful of the pictures in the salon is THE Bene-
dictfon in the Convent of Beaune,' by Joseph
Bail. to whom last year for his LaceInakerS
was awarded the medal of honor. which Is the
blue ribbon Of French art. Twelve young NUNS
clad in white, and wearing tall. white pointed
cans stand reverently around a table covered
with white cloth and set for MONDAY meal
and ar elder Sister pronounces grace. An his
toric Burgundian picture in red tones gives
mellow warmth to the background, while flood
of brilliant summer daylight, pouring in from
side windows illuninates the figures and the
still life on the table. 1t is the finest picture
Joseph Bail has yet painted, and Leading paint
ors declare that it is superior to any work OF
ifs kind either in the Louvre or the LuXem-
bourg 1t is a picture that should go 10 the
Metropolitan Museum of New-1ork
II was amusing to note at the private view
Yesterday with what interest NJ Combes. the
Prime Minister who has been carrying out the
association laws against the recalcitrant con-
vents with relentless severity. admired Nj.
Balls picture, portraying phase of life rapid
Iy disappearing from France
There are three remarkable works in the
salon which are already being eagerly dis
cllssed by the jury for the award Of this years
medal of honor. The most important and. TO
nv mind best of the three is large trlptych
decorative panel the three seasons summer,
spring and autumn painted for the Capitol at
Toulouse bv Henri Martin. It is a masterpiece,
superh in composition beautiful in color and
sentiment Then comes full length portrait
Of a lady in a ball dress. wrapped in sheeny
silver and a black mantle, painted by Marcel
Tsssche+ The only colors are pearl grays
whites and blacks with here and there slight
dashes Of deep crimson. white and black
GREYHOUND caresses the lady's hand 1t is
work of great brilliancy and distinction, and Is
inst the way in which fashionable beauties de-
light to see themselves portrayed. The third
work which competes for the medal of honor
&c = nortrait of General Andre. Minister of War,
nv Gabriel Ferrier, strong, conscientious
work full of decision and character. 1t is
rlaced in the same room with Chartran's por-
trait of President Roosevelt, with which 1t Of
fers a striking contrast Chartran mas re-
touched the portrait since his return to Paris
The technique is faultless. the green leaves IN
the background are pleasing, but the impress
sion here is that the details. particularly of the
coat and the trousers with ironed creases, are
too carefully elaborated, and that the strong
character Of President Roosevelt the states
man. the head of a great nation, is not sufh-
ciently prominent
Niagara Falls is admirably painted by Paul
Jobert an artist attached to the Ministry OF
Marine who also exhibits a remarkable mid
Atlantic view with a huge swelling wave or
dark sombre blue, Illuminated by the moon
NJ Jobert gives prominence to the Horseshoe
Falls. with the green coloring accentuated by
clouds OF foam.
One of the finest pictures IN the salon is Of
three nvnnphs toying ankle deep in a stream
under a cascade by moonlight. painted by Paul
Cnabas A delicious picture Of female heads or
smiling children. painted by ChayIlery. is
greatly admired. A painting Of two young girls
waltzing with each other is exceedingly clever;
SO are Dewambez's exquisite colorings Ihere
are nudes. modest and captivating. by Raphael
Collin and by Robert -Fleury. A small picture
Of a Sicilian girl, with red shawl amidst the
branches Of an orange tree with red oranges.
nain+ed bv Very is exquisite; IS the head OF
q Young woman by RideI.
The American pictures make an unusually
good show. Seymour Thomas makes a decloeo
hit with a portrait of lady in russet brown
with a brown greyhound. drawn with Velas-
ouezlilxe distinction. It is one of the best por-
traits in the salon. Mr.. Weeks retains the Iore-
most nIace among the Orientalists, with MS su-
nerh ticture of a princess OF Bengal entertain
ing prince of Persia IN whlte nlaTpie Iairns b
ing the Arabian Nights legend OF the ehcAd!ite1
horse Mr. Hitchcock exhibits Deautliui
J,o,,ng mother with an infant deIicately palhIeu
In the soft Dutch style against an appiei ti 40
with an old woman and a child painted against
n strong light from window MISS susan 9tI9
watkins's Interiors have excellent Qudl!IsS'
Miss Dickson exhibits female heao ana an
.sIr-d ~ a Novel :" a young woman in a dress
OF soft gray light with an expression VI ,S@a1i
ness as she closes her finished romance. & TLa.
lam Horton has excellent picture oL @t4SeP
browsing In q grove Illuminated by warm sun
hight Henry S. Bisbing has an admirable plct-
tre of sheep driven by shepherd anu d pIaCh
sheen dog Miss Green's Decision Is pIeaS!Hs'
Lionel walden's foaning sea with rays q ua1
zlfng sunlight, Gihon's dark ana dreamy Is-lIu
scapes Miss Imogen Coulters Sonata
woman playing the piano. In color tones winch
are suggestive of John Alexander; MISS t.eLl-
sens distinguished portrait OF Iady. Win an "a
omen air background: Dufner's portraits ana
landscapes Aston knights broad, enectlVe
stream of water beside a mill. with an aller-
noon moon in the sky; George AIDS DAINTY
young women looking ar miniatures, MISS ran
sferro's important study or atmosphere a
woman selecting garments from wardrobe, a
girl In a white dress playing piano near
Ia rye bush Of white daisies. by Henry save;
clever interior by Edward Fulde; a portrait OF
Mile Colnbes daughter of the French Premier,
tainted by the Marquise de Wentworth; view
OF the Seine at Paris by Boggs; a snow enect
On the river LONG by Perter Gross. are "a, an eA-