Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-18

at glance it presents merely picture of
French town seen from point of vantage
over the roof tops, ON a cold, gray winter
day. In the Immediate foreground are some
low buildings and high walls, and here,
stealthily advancing, groups of uniformed,
lighting men are to be seen. Upon close in
spection other soldiers are to be discovered
here and there, some firing belligerent
volley, others ascrambling over walls, ad-
vanclng and retreating, dead and dying On
every side there is ruin and devastation, and
what at first sight seemed to be a slumber-
ing village proves to he a ruined town. 1t
is painted heavily in gouache on fine linen
stretched like paper, and while lacking the
| action of many of De Neuville's works. it
has some extraordinary virtues. The Steelink
| is painting of the modern Dutch school
HOOK OF sheep coming through wood. 1t
is broadly handled, low In tone, wet and
vigorous. There is a brusqueness in the ut
terance beside that of the FreDchman, and
still 1t rings truer and in the end is even
more appealing
The bronzes are being exhibited at pres
ent In the lower loan room and are proving
exceedingly popular One is single figure
OF Mountain Man riding down steep
decl1vity on the back of his well-ngh per-
pendicular pony. Head down and three
| feet firmly placed, the little brute is feeling
or looking cautiously for a safe spot to rest
the fourth outstretched hoof upon. The
man preserves a nonchalant expression
he makes sure his shelving seat, and in both
man and horse there is apparently no con-
seriousness of danger The modelling is good
and the lines of the group very clear cut
and effective The second is the more inn
portant work. 1t consists of four mounted
cowboys riding abreast who are supposed to
be ON the Range" but who have seeming
~ taken momentary possession of the world.
L our voices are SuDDOSedly uDraiSel four
pistols are being discharged and the four
horses are darting forward at q breakneck
pace 1t is spirited work. full of vigorous
actlon ana strong feeling. 1t typities a GER
tam phase of western life, and it is very
characteristic of the well-known work of
the sculptor. Both of these bronzes have
been cast by the lost wax process, which
precludes duplication and in color as in
form they are specially pleasing.
*
"A picture by Remington, which is now on
exhibition in Veerhoffs window, is attract
ing remarkable attention During the busy
part of the day there is always a crowd
around it, and at time the interested
spectators were counted seven deep. And
yet with all it is not pleasant picture A
group of horses and men pictured in the
glaring light of the desert, dead or dying,
in the Last LULU of an Indian fight. 1t
should be gruesome and horrifying in the
extreme, for it is painted with the utmost
realism. The arrows in the horses sides
are as plentiful and evident as pins in
pin cushion, and the men, too, are badly
wounded. 1t is dramatic and yet it appeals
more to the curiosity than to the sympa-
thles. One never forgets that it is a
painted picture and its story is it's first and
chief interest.
IL
order of the week, for besides these ex-
hibits a large collection of Indian photo
graphs has been on view in the assembly
hall of the Cosmos Club. This was of
the clubs special exhibitions, got together
for the benefit of its members and later
opened to their friends. 1t consisted of
several hundred photographs, taken by Mr.
c. F. Curtis of Seattle, Wash, and it pos
sessed both an chronological and artistic in
terest. There were many portraits of In
dian men, women and children of the sew
eral tribes, and some excellent pictures of
Indian life. OF the latter one entitled
"Three Chiefs" another called The Desert
Rovers," and third, designated as "An
Evening Halt" were especially well composed
and most strongly pictorial. Mr.. Curtis
showed some experiments in color which
evoked much interest, combination of the
gum -bichromate and the three-color pro-
cess, a wonderful achievement from the
technical standpoint, but one which from
the artistic side added nothing to the value
of the prints. In the larger work of pic
turing truthfully and yet sympathetically
the American Indian amid his familiar out
door surroundings Mr. Curtis has been
pioneer, and his collection of 1,400 prints
contains much valuable data for the artists
and scientists of the future.
pretty compliment has been paid this
week to both a local architect and an ar
list When it war learned that Mr.. Francis
B. Wheaton had surrendered his position as
designer in the supervising architects Office
of the treasury to accept a more lucrative
and responsible one in the /quartermaster ,
generals office his colleagues determined to
present him testimonial of their regard |
The conventional loving cups and bronzes
were considered and discarded, and finally,
as most acceptable and suitable, a decora-
tive water color by Mr.. Victor Mindelen
was decided upon. This was the central,
lotus panel of floral triptych exhibited by
Mr.. Mindeleff a few years ago in the Archl
tectural League and Washington Water
Color Clubs exhibitions. 1t was distinctly
architectural in design and was formed OF
a large main and a small, lower, subsidiary
panel A delicately tinted lotus flower was
the unit of the design in which the leaves,
a
background each had related place 1t
was exceedingly decorative, beautiful in
color and exquisitely rendered. A gift both
appropriate and unique. The frame, spe
cially designed, was simple and suitable,
and the inscription, a seal, slightly in
denied was placed on the mat in such a
manner that it inconspcuous and at
the same time plainly legible 1t would be
well if testimonials might always take SO
attractive a form.
Reverting to the Corcoran Gallerys re-
cent purchase of a still life painting, IAN
English Goldfish by William NJ. Chase, it
is interesting to know that Mr.. Moser of
this city has received a letter from Mr..
Chase in which he says that the picture
was painted in single sitting of five hours,
but adds significantly that for many weeks
he had been looking at the fish on a nearby
market stand and that back of that days
work was no less than twenty-five years of |
study Since the Corcoran Gallery pur-
chased this canvas another somewhat sim |
liar fish study shown in the Pennsylvania |
Academy's exhibition and painted after Mr. |
Chase returned to America has been sold |
for the same price, $1,000.
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