Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-21
ART NOTES

A'AeA w wa WHICH, iS " pc hCiu III las SNANAo
on the afternoons of the coming week. This
is the first exhibition to be held in Mr..
Morses new studio. and 1t seems specially
fitting that 1t should be OF the work of Mr.
Weyl, who Is commonly considered the dean
of the artist corps and the most distinctively
Washingtonian OF all the local painters. not
only having resided here for ever forty
years. but having pictured alr-o-t. ,xciu-
sively the country in this vicinity.
$50 X
Mr.. Weyl came to America from Ger
many in 1855 and to Washington abouH ten
years later. According to the usual ac-
ceptance of the term he is self-taught, hav-
ing gone directly to Nature and the works
of the masters for inspiration and instruc-
tion. He took up painting at first as re-
creation. but later gave up all other BUSH
ness for it. Since 1883 he has exhibited in
the New York Academy; and in 1891 the
Corcoran Gallery purchased one of his pic
lures for its permanent collection. His
work ranks now with the best of the day
and 1t Is safe to prophesy that 1t Will In
years to come be even higher esteemed
than now. Like all who have excelled he
has had something to say and has known
how to say t-and,- what Is more has found
pleasure in expression. Every phase Of
nature has appealed to him and the in
depreciation of her varying moods has been
an unending delight. Along the shores OF
the Potomac. over the hills to the north
and through the woods to the west of the
city Mr.. Weyl has sketched and studied
for the past thirty years or more, yet to-
day he declares the paintable themes in
these quarters quite exhaustless and I'M
rtvaled In artistic beauty. AS champion
OF the so-called familiar landscape" none
more ardent can be found, and In this he
may be truly termed an exponent of the
Barbizon school and follower of 1nness;
but 1t should at the same time be remem-
bered that he has developed a style which
canvases which will constitute the collec-
ton exhibited next week are all among his
latest paintings and his best In compost
ton the majority will be found extremely
simple and in handling free. forceful and
direct A specially attractive one of these
shows the pathway which runs from Low
ers' Lane, in Georgetown, under arched
trees and by a rambling stone wall back
Of the Boyce estate to the old mill on Rock
creek; another is q view across Twin
Oaks" Mrs. Hubbards country home, when
the trees were mantled in crimson and
gold. and third gives stretch OF the pic
turesque Potomac lowlands, with Analos-
tan Island marking the sky line and riv-
er's boundary. Two or three are autumnal
scenes, rich with 1ustrous color yet low
toned and harmonious: some are summer
pictures. green, warm and sunny, while
others perpetuate the gentle browns and
grays of early winter. The smallest can
vas Is d CHARMING little SuIlSel, dHu ouc
of the richest in tonal qualities is a golden
after-glow reflected in an evenly clouded
sky and on smooth bit of water. All are
interesting and each possesses peculiar
charm.
Mr.. Morse's new studio is becoming quite
a center of artistic activity. Not only do
several Of the artists meet there twice a
week and work together deriving inspira-
ton through the Fellowship and harmo-
NOUS surroundings, but musicians of more
than local repute have already been heard
within its walls, and, lastly this afternoon
it was loaned to Miss Marie shedlock for
one of her delightful series Of public reci-
tations. t.J>s1
Mr.. Morse himself has been experiment.
ing lately with. the Raffaelli paint sticks,
making in this new medium a quaint out
of-door portrait study with uncommon skill
-, X
During the early part of this week a COL
lection of japanese colored prints, old pot
teries bronZes ETC., was exhibited in
Sloan's auction rooms prior to it's sale. The
prints were generally in poor condition
and of little value, though few of those
attributed to Hokusai were interesting, and
group of eleven water colors of the mod
ern school by Hasegawa which were
shown with them exhibited principally the
loss of old ideals and the poorest type of
the later-day work. the potteries and
bronzes aside from commercial value were
pleasing and artistic, but in the entire col
lection there was nothing Of extraordinary
worth or importance.
X
On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
afternoons an exhibition of drawings, wa
ter colors and prints was held in the BAN
quet hall Of the Arlington Hotel by the
Press Artists League, an organization nom
inally composed Of newspaper and magazine
illustrators from various parts Of the United
States, with headquarters in New York
The material which makes up the exhibit
tons held under, the auspices of the league
| Is supposedly contributed by its members,
and the proceeds from the sale of the same
are said to be devoted to the purchase of
scholarships for INDECENT art stucents. The
first exhibition held by this organization
occurred last winter in the Waldorf-Asto-
ria, in New York, where in less than a
month the exhibition shown at the Airing
ton will be placed on view. From the first
exhibition 1t is said that sufficient funds
were realized to establish q scholarship in
Cincinnati and two in New York, and the
avowed purpose of the approa ching one is
to increase this number. Thus far the
aims and object Of the Press Artists
League seemed commendable, but, turning
to the exhibition. one was swiftly disillu
s1onfzed.
OF the five hundred exhibits only about
one-fourth were ever used or intended for
reproduction, the bulk Of that number he
Ing made up Of second-rate water colors Of
the poorest commercial type. The variety
which Is manufactured in wholesale GUAM
titles and retailed by the side-street deal
ers as bargains at five or ten dollars: a
type we'll known to all picture buyers the
earmarks of which are quite unmistak-
able. In the entire collection but one INV
Hencke) seemed to have a single spark Of
value as a work of art or to signify any
artistic feeling on the part of the painter
Had they been feeble efforts, Students
work or amateurs experiments. they would
have been pardonable but they were plain
ly none of these, and. if done by newspaper
artists at all. were by those who prima riIy
were engaged in the production of COM
mercial water colors. The black and white
work was better. a few clever drawings
being shown among a mass Of mediocre H.
Illustrations. Indeed. from first to last. the
exhibition was disgrace to the artists
whom 1t was supposed to represent and lit
tie short of an insult, to the people of
Washington to- whom it was not simply of
fered, but forced upon. For, within the
last fortnight, the management of the
rress Artists League has approached
through the mails and it's personal repre-
sentatives the majority Of those persons