New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-11-05
ART EXHIBITIONS.
More Etchings By Whistler at the
Groier Club.

or. than ordinary significance has
TiOa = urAtstIer's memory by the Groner
been -. 1ons after his death thai oreAn4%at o.
C41s. % make such an exhibition OF ms e'O..0
:. had not previously been heio ellher IA us
WI" w.. ar abroad. The idea was not SIMPLY -
eo- ~. exhibition as complete as posslOie' 0u' -
n-AAe e many states OF the different plates as
fAoN . .-rraa and TO illustrate, through the IN
CO. - ~ several impressions OF a given etchihs'
g. .-,no-tance attaching TO the printer 5 worn -
- ia Of art-a matter which meant HlUCn !"
LIE The latter produced in the course OF MS
" coreer something over four hundred etehihes-
loNs .ouso,,on as the Groier Club had in MIND
eSS ,--1a.a5 IN swell the number OF actual prints
" a--bere from six hundred TO seven hunoreo'
- ,ot be displayed al Al once II was oIVloeo'
S-,e,,a into two sections. the nrst OF WHICH,
-. che record down TO the earlier Venetian
7rl1s-s sLCzv, last spring Now the club brings
ps -. second section and affords the stu
- rare opportunity 10 survey some OF the most
--.e.,ns phases Of Whlster's Development as an
etcher. -. ,,z,, 80
E,verv great artist finds his style oroaoenlng as
-. goes on This Is true not only OF q master
- 1-.,asouez who starts his career with fluent
- and moves on toward KIND OF natural e.
s-.sence II IS true, also. OF master HAe 1AsfS'
- uborr breadth OF style would seem 10 DC .lae-
..sthle 81 any period OF his NE because "a 'He
- ,sture of his art The famous french c1asS4
tst worshipped pure line down TO the Gay OF I1s
- a. he had worshipped II in his youth. out
-, hssore the end came he had MADE MS own
,,-s as subtle az It was pure as powerful As l.
-.s excuisite Some OF the portraits OF ms ma
-.+v stand IN relation to his earlier works IN the
- s,bers somewhat as the portraits painted Dy
z.,brandI In his golden age stand to those o. niS
- manhood n short. there are oiherent ways
- broadening Whister's way was pecuIiaT' li1ss-
much as he was inclined 10 drive tandem SO ~
n..k IN carrying on his work with the neeo4e'
xs began with exercises both in line aho IN tone
HsG
sr,s n have drawn more persistenuy upon the
e-S. Of these resources than upon the secoho4 yet
as ouy in the latest years OF his ACTIVITY as az
strhar that he ceased 10 interest nlIIseH III LOse
-icb masses OF color which loom here ana there
amid his prints with charm all their own Ihelr
-+ss re nav note are superbly illustrated at
the Grouer Club, where many rare and beautfu4
,vnresstous have been obtained for this important
,oas,on We nay cite especially from among
the Venetian plates THE Doorway" The Ira
gbstto" The Beggars' and the Furnace Noe
~u-ne" in sl OF which the beauty Of pure line is
matched By the beauty OF warm tone Of luminous
SHADOWS fairly painted with the needle. In these
-stss enc aspect OF Whistler's broadening is clear
" disclosed: his tone IS finer and mellower; IN
mates ike tie Furnace Eocturne' Il Is almost
polden sun later he put at least two similar
achievements to his credit when he executed N
holland the .rNocturne: Dance House" and The
Nj" In the second Of these two etchngs par
ticulariy be produced one OF the finest effects to
be found In al the long line Of his plates. The
NH" has something OF the intimate charm OF an
interior by one Of the Little Old Masters OF the
Low Countries with an atmosphere and a dis
tnction Of style that are al WhistleTs. But while
these tonaI masterpieces are numerous enough to
show that he lost his interest in the side OF
etching that they Illustrate, and was capable OF
successfully exploiting Il down very nearly TO the
close OF his career the most characteristic note
that he struck in his later prime must be sought
elsewhere.
The salient event n the history OF bis growth as
etcher is his transition from & rather close
method Of linear statement 10 freely synthetic
His line al the beginning, both n the early French
set and II the Thames series. has been bold and
elastic. and st the same tine almost full n
many instances as the line OF n engraver. II he
had q contour 70 draw he drew Il, II q sense. from
TOP 70 bottom When the change IN his method
came Il manifested in Iooser more steno-
graphic touch This Is tho touch that you see in
the bulk OF the etchings exhibition at the
GroHer Club. The merit Of such OF the Venetian
plates The Little Mast The Bridge" The
Riva" and The Rialto" lies IN the delicacy and
precision with which the artist skins the copper.
leaving lacelike wonder Of minute strokes. the
least one Of which Is contrtbutory to the broad
effect OF the whole. Tone is there but not as it
Is present n the glowing studies we have cited
above and sometimes It is seriously sacrificed TO
the dryer light IN which Whistler had come TO
prefer to see his subject The Bridge pertinentIy
illustrates this point Somehow the varied ele-
ments composing this picture the houses and
figures and a.. the little irregularities Of form that
60 10 make up the design. lose q little as though
the artist Indifferent 10 the distribution Of his
light and shade There are episodes IN the scheme
that are not represented IN sufficient relief and
the effect Is tr1he thin But even IN this plate
there are 7assages IN the indication Of q figure
say, which show how Whistler was growing in
mastery over the needle. how he made il do any
thing that he wanted Il to do and, in reducing
subject 10 its simplest terms, reduced II 10 those
which were. after all the most expressive. This
is the story II nutshell OF the best Of his later
works.
Il Is important 10 recognize that there Is best
here that not al OF his later studies are Of equal
interest value. II Is the fashion IN some quar-
tiers 10 acclaim every inch Of copper that he ever
scratched absolutely priceless No master Is
ever well served by this sort Of euIogy. Whistler.
10 tel the truth, made many etchings Of which the
most that can Justly be said is that they give Us
DTS CT architecture, what not. deity sketched.
NO doubt the dettness Is interesting than the
same quality is IN many another etcher There Is
Always Wh-ster's style with which to reckon. But
even when We have reckoued with his style there
ls 10 occasion for our regarding every one Of the
!ater English and French pieces with enthusiasm.
LEI Us save that for things ike the Rue de Seine
OF Ike the Mother and Child: Cameo No l."
WHICH despite some feeble modelling that it con-
ans IS one Of the Ioveliest things he ever drew
N lane VIII suffer no dimlnUtiou when the
e-S11 Is finally sifted from his etched work When
a. deductions have been made from the present
--o4-on II leaves The spectator conscious of but
&c tnilg' that he has come In contact with the
spiI' o. man OF genius. II does this. We may
So-' me more effectively because the cases have
- - !uolclously hlIed The GroIier Club has
-4AHly well carried out It's intention Of show
- s'e@t etcher a. fuA length and the best
poss1ne advantage