Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-16
! ART NOTES


| painted from photograph, supplemented
| by the artists memory of his old acquaint-
| ance, and has been pronounced by Mr..
| Merrick's former associates eminently
satisfactory. 1t is understood that the por
| trait is to pass into the possession of the
| Post, but Mr. Mosers object in painting it
was primarily to demonstrate the artistic
| possibilities of such work. In the second
room quite a collection of water colors,
| few pencil sketches and a sheet of charm
| ing little monotypes were displayed. 1t is
not often that SO much good material is to
| be found in such an off-hand, one-man
| show, and never probably was the painters
| skill more definitely demonstrated.
| larger number of subtle effects than usual
were shown-nocturnes, twilightS and rainy
days-fitting Impressions which could only
| be reproduced by interpretive suggestion.
Pictures which were full of meaning and
sentiment and yet were admirably render
ed. In all the work there was no trace OF
effort or commercialiSm. Each seemed to
manifest pleasure in it's execution and to
have had a reason for existence. What is
| more. they were water colors, not imitation
pastels or oils and demonstrated the power
and charm of that medium s individual at
tributes.
Two oriental volumes, known as "Bo
Leaf Books which. aside from their an
tiquity and rarity, have a special artistic
| interest, have recently been placed on ex-
hibition in the northwest gallery of the
Library of Congress. These volumes, one
of which is of Japanese and the other Of
Chinese origin, show pictures of the
Rakaus, or SANITY Disciples of Buddha"
painted with marvellous deHcacy on skele-
tonized leaves of the sacred DO tree. The
foliage of this tree resembles that of our
common poplar tree, the apex of each leaf
being, however, somewhat more slender
and tapering and the general outline more
graceful Those in the books from
three to five inches in length. ashy-brown
in color and of smooth even SURFACE. Each
is mounted with the utmost care the
dark-colored paper constituting the right
hand pages, the books being folders bound
in hardwood. undecorat ted boards. In the
Japanese volume there are nineteen of
these leaf pictures, whereas in the Chinese
edition there are only sixteen. The former
however. are smaller and less colorful, the
Japanese portraits being rendered with
low harmonious tones and the Chinese
with the bright primary tints of which that
people are so fond. The first, perhaps,
demonstrates the more artistic feeling and
the latter the more perfect craft. Both
however, are remarkable examples of the
oriental art, and in spite of their grotesque-
ness carry with them a conviction of re-
l1gious fervor. These, with a third volume
showing paintings of the same disciples on
heavy white silk, have been loaned by Miss
e. R. Scidmore and it is believed that in
no other western city. except Paris, are
similar volumes on public exhibition.
X
!. x
A valuable addition has just been made
to the art reading room of the Congress
sional Library in a rack of current art
magazines. These, heretofore, have been
kept In the periodical room and, on account
of their special value, on shelves beyond the
reach of readers. Now. however, they are
thoroughly accessible to all and can be
rapidly reviewed. 1t is today, indeed, only
the overwhelming number which will dis
tract or disturb the reader, for the covers of
no less than ninety of these magazines go
toward making up a delightful but bewil-
dering spectacle. OF this number of course
large number are French. German and
Dutch publications, and a good percentage
come from Great Britain, but yet a surpris-
ing number will be found to have been
printed on this side of the Atlantic Such
opportunities as these for browsing in
pleasant pastures were heretofore unknown
and certainly could never have been offered
under more suspicious conditions
X X
OF no small interest, yet far from gen
orally known. is the fact that there is and
has been for many years in the Fine Arts
Museum of Bristol. England, collection of
portraits of men and women whose names
are closely identified with the early history
of the United States. These are by James
Sharples an English painter who with his
wife made two extended visits to this coun-
try in 1876 and 1909. Upon the first occasion
they went directly to Philadelphia, where
Congress was then assembled. and where
they were both kept more than busy MAX
ing and copying portraits of the prominent
raop1a Thaca Mr. Sharples did In paSta1
for a ridiculously small amount, and his
wife copied in the same medium for less,
times without number, for admiring rela-
tives and friends. In making a portrait 1t
was the painters custom to preserve either
the original or replica for himself, and
in this way he amassed, finally, quite a col
lection. His wife, who was many years his
Junior, founded after his death the Fine
death her husbands paintings were left.
Portraits of Washington and Martha
Washington, of Adams, Jefferson and
Madison, of Gouverneur Morris and other
equally celebrated Americans are included
in the collection. besides ILLNESSES Of Louis
Philippe and his three brothers who at
that time, with Talleyrand, We're in exile
here That these American portraits are
still held in esteem at Bristol was testified
this week by a letter from the director of
the academy to the director of the print
division of the Library of Congress incIos-
ing photographs of three which are sun
rection.
Again Washington girl has won
scholarship in the New York Art Students
League. This time it is Miss Ruth Heilprin
of the Corcoran School. who formerly was
pupil of the local Art League. The COM
petition was open to students of every
school and competing drawings were sent
in from all parts of the country. 1t was,
therefore. no small honor to receive the
second award of the several given.
1t is reported upon good authority that
Colin Campbell Cooper of Philadelphia,
whose picture of the "Sky-scrapers" made
hit at the recent exhibition Of the Ameri-
can Water Color Society. carrying Off the
Evans prize and finding a purchaser at
$500, is coming to Washington the first of
next week for short visit In a way this
is to be a business trip. for Mr.. Cooper in
tends to spend the most of his time making
sketches of the environments of the city.
Washington at this time Of the year pre-
sents picturesque themes on every side. and
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