New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-01
" HISTLER.
an Interesting Exhibition Of HIS
LithOgrapks.

promises to continue until time mas placed him in
the right perspective. one point has commended it
self TO critics of all shades Of opinion. He never
knew how TO be dull We have over and over
again dwelt upon the limitations which prevented
MS sharing the erninence of the greatest masters,
but none OF these deficiencies could ever keep him
from being interesting An apt Illustration of his
vitality in this direction comes TO hand in the eN-
hihiton OF about fifty Of his Autographs which
has Just been opened at the Wunderlich Gallery
This little show, representing what might fairly
be called only episode in mis- long career. pos
Sesses 4 distinct character. Il shows US the Work
Of a man who always had something TO say and
almost Invariably found an effective way of saying
IT. The selection made from the body OF his
photographic productions is a good one. and the
pieces it includes are shown in fine proofs
Whistler's versatility Of his salient traits
He exchanged the brush for the etcher's needle
with perfect ease; he less sklitu as
pasteiist than as a painter in water colors ana
when he turned for amusement 10 the hthog-
rapher stone he used it 20 the manner porn;
that is TO say, he made the new medium his ser
want and achieved effects which were at once
those Of uthography in the purest sense and those
Of essentially Whsterian art The point Is worth
noting, for. with the revival of uthograPhy as an
art. more than one clever draughtsnan has seemed
solcitoUs for the veIevty tones TO be got out
OF the process than the preservation OF his own
individuality. Neither in his etchings nor IN MS
paintings was Whistler ever more exquisitely bal
auced than he was when he made the studies now
on view at the WunderIich Gallery. superficial
observer might be inclined TO think that ne nad
made his architectural and other sketches on the
stone in the same spirit a that in which he had
made them on copper But Whistler true to
instinct for the peculiar note imposed oy
.e-. am upon the artist. and in Hthography his
.ook precisely the fitting accent Take.
Nauple the "NhITchyard tNo. -D or lne
st- Stage Door CNo g.. The charm Of studies
- these lies in the TACT that the linear touches
In them. have all the softness of TYPOGRAPHY ard
are at the same time, pure and as expressive
of the forms and substance Of architecture as
though they had bzen executed with the needle.
He was fellcitous nearly always in his arcni-
tectural Autographs. Indeed, the picture here
which is perhaps most completely fascinating is the
romantic sketch Of The Priests House. Rouen
JN1u 29D a design as finely executed as il IS pictu-
rescue. But though the figure subjects are. on the
whole, uneven in merit; though there is lacking IN
Autograph Ike The Girl with Bowl (No 81, the
authority which we feel in the bits Of architecture
and in some of the views drawn in the Luxembourg
Gardens the studies from the model are sometimes
extraordinarily successful. The Duet (No. "a, an
anterior with two figures at the piano is beautiful
IN draughtsmanshtp and in tone; some OF the
gIrnpses Of men at work around the blacksmiths
forge are capital in their truth and force and in
two or three drawings of graceful feminine types.
notably Reading CIo. s. "Draped Figure 90.
49, and Mother and Child C1o. ST.. we see
Whistler in his most datnttly brilliant mood. he
did not feel moved apparently. 10 seek IN Hthogra-
pllv those subLeties Of atmosphere those pOetical
he employed color The three 'urhounts III TINS
exhibition which correspond in sentiment 10 some
Of his paintings, are after all. but beautiful ny
birds His nure Autographs are consistently IN
vein Of summary observation and deft execution;
they are light sketches in which casual motives
are hit off in casual fashion In other hands they
might have developed into merely trivial affairs
But with whistler the sense of style was always
present. and while these drawings occupy sub
sidiary position in the story Of his life, they re-
main as we have said. very interesting. Only an
artist Of rare gifts could have produced them
Just before NJ. Rodtn proceeded to London 10
open the Whistler exhibition which is now at
tracing so much attention at the New Gallery. a
correspondent of The Pan Mall Gazette called
upon the sculptor in his studio and got him 10 talk
about the American painter. Has 1t occurred 10
you" said VI. Rodin. how Whistler was Influenced
bv scuIptureT' Answering his question, he
continued as follows:
His nudes have the hrnness OF marble. de
studied much from the antique and went 70 that
ancient source Of beauty and grace, Greek sculpt-
nude OF course, is the great test or the aFtlst,
showing much more than the draped hgure--Iarg@ty
Whistler liked my form OF sculpture, put ne ne 5r
said personally he was very EeaeIN ga II
him was IN London, Just ue-oLe ne usg!l
Iuuched with him and TWO or three Itlel--7.
Whistler witty ana amusing, even n Is1,ll4'
though ne retained IN spec LilS q AttIe u ~
fish accent. Behind his brilliant conversation ana
his little sparks Of hu-lor |ts an l4eHoraP[le 500
sense. One hardly expected 70 ma DeTeat a per
peuualIy hooking and ironical mask a ueep ana
sincere nature. But that was his character
Whistler has certainly had his great influeice on
contemporary English style. He has much charm
OF color. There is something think, japanese IN
his delicious tones. For me it is The business ana
absolutely an inventor in producing effects or color