New-York tribune., 1905-03-08
ART EXHIBITIONS.
Etchings, Paintings and Some
antiquities.

MT Joseph Penne is to-day widely known
as an illustrator In black and white than an
etcher but the delightful quality of his early work
with the needle is well remembered In some quar-
ters at least, and those who remember it bound
70 turn with special interest his exhibition at the
Aeppel Gallery. It consists of nearly thirty plates
recently executed In New-York and forty made in
LONDON. where the artist has lived for many years
me etchings by him which remember with
pleasure are those which he long ago produced in
Philadelphia and in Italy They are the work of
an accomplished craftsman, who doubtless profted
ny the example Of Whistler. but who added to an
instructive technical aptitude thoroughly personal
feeling for the picturesque Architecture. as Mr.
Fennell sketched it in those days served him
basis for charming effects of line and for studies
or light and shade which were at times positively
brilliant He had too, an admirable faculty for de-
sign; half the charm of his etchings resided the
pictorial elements he brought into them. He has
not entirely lost the ability which excited so
much admiration. but it is made plain by the exhi-
oltlon at the Keppe Gallery that something-per-
maps ms absorption in pen draughtsmanship-has
unfortunately affected his art etcher.
The duty Of the illustrator is to put forth sketches
that will look we'll the page. No under
stands this better than Mr. Penneu On the other
nand' If we are to Judge from these etchings
Of his he has got into the habit using the needle
precisely as he the pen, which is to say that
he no longer preserves in the province OF etching.
except on very rare occasions the special note
which is characteristic of that province. Once,
among the English plates we find piece of work
which for linear excellence might have been done
In his earlier period. We refer to the Somerset
mouse CNo 62), a capital composition. handled
with just the deftness and restraint which
ciate with the best of the Italian plates mentioned
above. But for the rest. we can only say that
the artists merit is confined to giving faithful
port OF the physognomy Of his subject. We can
imagine The Garrick Theatre (No. 56). 1.-THE
house Where Whistler Died. (No &c., and indeed
almost any Of these studies. figuring most USE
FULLY in a book London. We cannot imagine
the collector who loves etching for its own sake.
Inc work in every case is overdone; there is no
sign mere OF that tact in omission which was for
merry as much matter of course with Mr.. Pen
nell as with Whistler. If he dsappoints us in his
english scenes, he disappoints even more in his
studies Of the tall buildings of New-York Ignor-
ing the obvious fact that their picturesqueness is
question Of mass, and that the window openings
with which they are fretted must be subordina ted
TO broad effect of design if anything pictorial is
TO be extorted from them he has constantly given
an excess OF value to detail, and has turned even
ms weightest structures into strangely light even
unsubstantial affairs. There is no beauty or
strength Of line in these plates; they are merely
scratchy. AS impressions they quite fail to carry
conviction and are peculiarly III calculated to give
foreign audience Just idea OF what our streets
and skyscrapers look like.