Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-08
A R T N 0 T E s

and prints to be found in the several deal
ers' galleries. The paintings. most of
which are from local studios, are. generally
speaking, well selected and characteristic;
and the prints, chiefly the output of English
publishers, are of high order of excellence.
Indeed. these latter works constitute the
most striking feature of the summer ex-
hibits, and in the color editions stand for
the well-timed revival of a once pleasing
but long neglected art There is no better
way to popularize good art than by placing
before the public, and within the means of
the average citizen. fair examples of the
great masters; and from this standpoint the
colored print of the day may be favorably
looked upon a potent educational factor.
There are, of course, good prints and bad,
but the weight of merit is so unevenly
divided that there is almost no difficulty In
the matter of choice. The best. and they
are the majority, interpret, rather than re-
produce, the paintings for which they stand.
They are copies only in line, for in color
they merely suggest the thought of the
painter. With perfectly sustained values
and gently modulated tints it Is quite re-
markable what admirable results are at
tained for in many instances, by this semi
mechanical process, the genuine spirit of the
original is almost literally preserved
These results are obtained by a variety of
methods. chief among which is the coloring
by hand of line engravings, meZzo-tints
and platinum photographs. Mr.. S. Arlent
Edwards of England has, however success
fully revived the color-meZZo-tint and with
an engraved plate and one printing has
thus been enabled to produce some exceed
ingly truthful and artistic transcriptions.
To insure even excellence and to preserve
the value of these prints the edition of each
is limited to 115 copies, after the pubica-
ton of which the plate is destroyed. All
of these bear the engraver's signature and
rank in Importance with proof etchings.
X
The print divisions of the public libraries
throughout the country are doing much.
1t would seem, both toward creating inter
est in art and raising the public standard
by making d feature of timely and well-ar-
ranged art exhibitions. The Library OF
Congress probably took the initiative in this
field, but the Lenox Library, New York,
and the Public Library of Boston followed
so closely in its lead that they might well
be counted among the original institutors
of the movement. Beginning with a mere
setting forth of prints, these exhibitions IN
many instances have come to include rep
resentative collections of modern paintings
In Newark n. j., 1t will be remembered
ar admirable loan exhibition of this char-
acter was held last spring, and now 1t Is
learned that during the summer months
similar show is making a circuit of the
public libraries in the small cltles ana
towns of Indiana. At Marion, where TINS
exhibition was first shown, no less than
10000 persons visited 1t during the Two
weeks that it was on view-a record put
ting many of our eastern cities to shame
That the movement is in Itself slgnlhcant
and that it will bear much fruit there is
little doubt.
Detroit Mich, deserves distinction In me
art world not only as the home of the IA
nous Freer collection, but on account OF
the progressive policy of its little art mu-
scum No sooner were the hundred repre-
sentative water colors collected by the
American Water Color Society for exnl-
bition in London than this museum sent IN
u plea for the loan OF the entire coiiecIiol
upon it's return from across the sea. ms
was the special attraction at the museum
in May and was followed In June oy d
Joint exhibition OF works by {. Myles COZ
lier and R. M Shurtleff Of New York Ine
museum Is building, in addition TO It's sai.
leries, an auditorium to be used as an .lr'
lecture hall; and for the purchase OF Amer
lean paintings for It's permanent COLLECTION
1t has formed a guild of 100 contributing
members.
"
That these gratifying conditions do not
however. prevail In the extreme west 49,
unhappily to be inferred by the report re-
Gently brought back to this city by visitor
from the Lewis and Clark exposition, who
declared that while Portland could boast
of many handsome residences, cheap
chromos were more popular there than good
PAINTINGS. The highest price ever paid in
that city 1t is said, for canvas was
So eco while of single semi comic, COM
mercial Autograph no less than LOO copies
have been sold. If this be a correct refiec-
tacta he .ayyiG
exposition has large work to do; and in
this connection 1t is pleasing to find assur-
ance that our own government EXHIBIT, both
from the artistic and educational stand
points has never been better set forth.
x
The authenticity of works of art is a
question constantly vexing connoisseurs and
collectors. The long and many sided dis
cussion provoked this spring by the Boston
Museums acquisition of a portrait of Philip
" supposedly by Velasquez. will be
brought to mind. and now similar argu-
ment has been revoked by a Corot recently
presented by the Prince of Wales to the
new Dublin Art Gallery. This last Is a
landscape and said to be in the masters
best manner but certain critics have openly
declared 1t to be a forgery. Corot's works
are frequently and cleverly forged. One
dealer is known to have confessed that
he. himself. had disposed of nearly 81 Co.,
600 worth of these spurious canvases; and
Corot, shortly before he died. is said to
have discovered in a Paris garnet a young
painter reproducing his canvases with such
cleverness that he himself would not have
disowned them Sydney Cooper and Sir
Edwin Landseer both met with the same
unwelcome mark of appreciation and were
each known to unwittingly claim unauthen-
tic canvases. If artists themselves cannot
distinguish their own brush work 1t would
seem a well nigh hopeless task for the
general public. 1t must be remembered.
however, that while authenticity seriously
affects the commercial value of work OF
art 1t has little to do with Its intrinsic
merit and that to the intelligent a great
painting is equally pleasurable, either with
or without knowledge of the painters
name.
The Whistler exhibition which Is being
held in the National School of Fine Arts.
Paris, under the auspices OF the French
government, has met with such enthusiastic
appreciation that In compliance to public
request 1t will be continued a month longer
than was originally announced. NJ Leonce
Eenedite, curator of the Luxembourg who
organized the exhibition, has in connection
with 1t edited a volume on Whistler which
satp fnrfxy