Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-19
WORK OF 6, D. GIBSON
Excellent Examples Of the
Artists Stvle
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ON EXHIBITION HERE
PICTURES OF COUNTRY LIFE BIZ
A. b FROST.
Collection in Corcoran Art Gallery
Shows Some of the Best Ideas Of
the Illustrators Art.

rev artists have enjoyed such unStinted
popularity Charles Dana Gibson. His
drawings have been unquaufyingiy ad-
mired. patiently and repeatedly copied and
initiated. The Gibson Girl" has become
ubiquitous; she is met with everywhere. on
calendars and wooden box tops in tableaux
and even on drawing room walls. For the
past ten years almost every would-be artist
has begun BY copying Gibson" and many
have held this as the limit of their goal.
But this is not Mr. Gibson.s fault and
should not be laid up against him. From all
accounts he is straightforward, level
headed man, modest in spite of his many ad-
mirers. conscious of his own shortcomings
and eager to do something better than set
vogue or earn competence
In appearance he is over six feet in
height. broad-shouldered, loose jointed and
erect He Is a thorough artist in SPIRIT
Mr.. Bridges has said. but never an artist
I IN pose. There Is ofhing artificial about
MIN His Astounding humor would drive
MIN TO derisive laughter at himself If ne
attempted pose of any kind With every
temptation to act the successful artist, he
remains just good fellow
i often feel" Mr.. Gibson himself once
remarked. that 1t is absurd for big fell
low like me to play at work with PEN
Gil, and yet we are assured that he has
made at all times serious business of his
SaiOSCh PiolCoSiOil anu mas Drought to his
task industry as well as skill A Gibson
drawing does not grow of ITSELF as many
suppose, but is, to use another's term
hammered out till the artist himself real
ICES something of his conception"
Neither Gid Mr.. Gibson find fame In a
day. He entered the classes Of the Art
students League in New York whc!, he
was seventeen, and by the time he was
nineteen, by his own statement, thought lie
knew it ALL" and so took studio and
began to turn out drawings. His path then
for time was not the least thorny. When
could draw no better, to all appe a RANGES
than when went mat any rate my work
wasn't bit more salable. But 1 made up
portfolio of all sorts of things had done
in the school-awfully bad, no doubt. the
greater part of them were-and started out
10 see what could do. 1 visited every
publishing house, photo-engraving estab-
lishment and photographer in the city of
New York. They were all very polite
they even became pleasantly familiar with
me. and some of them even wished to help
me. but none of them wanted my work
would take bundle of drawings to pub
fishing fhouse-not skipping the biggest
places, and give them TO the boy without
my name and address. saying l would call
back for them-oftener l left the drawings
altogether, In a desperate hope | suppose
that they might be used If / ceased worry
Ing about Them
His Firss Salable Work.
The first encouragement came from Life.
which accepted one drawing, and almost di-
rectly refused twelve others There were
ups and downs. but after the first grin
success came more often than failure.
Within year from the time his first draw
ing was published he was working for the
pest magazine In the country. His work
brought him, moreover, large reward. II
rs an open secret that Golfers Weekly
ABOUT s.,;th tnree years ago made contract
dnt,h 10
be delivered before October, 1905. at the
rate OF LOCO apiece. These are the draw
ing, ,ngs which are now to be seen In the Col
heI eA MP at the Corcoran Gallery.
And yet Mr.. Gibson has lately turned his
PACK on his gold mine and begun his school
days over again. On November 30 he sailed
TOT europe with the purpose of study and
really worth while"
Mr. Gibson's attitude to his work is partly
indicated In his advice to art students
ponds entirely upon his ability and willing
ness to see his faults. II he Is successfi,I
IN this 1t Is pretty sure sign that with
patience he will have the power to correct
them. To draw correctly should be a be-
girner's first concern. Time is needed and
IL none of 1t Is wasted style will be ac-
CURED quite uIiconsciously. Beginners are
worried quite needlessly over the quality
of paper and ink to be used It Ia only
necessary that one should be white and the
other black"
The "Girl'' Pictures.
II Mr.. Gibson is remembered in the fu-
ture as the author merely of the '.Gibson
girl 1t will be through the irony of fate
rather than the merit of the subject The
illustrator himself. 1t is said resents her
pre- eminence and holds very correctly that
his best work has been his creation OF types
and his faithful portrayal of the human
side of the great metropolis.
The pictures which represent hin, in fhe
Collier exhibition are among his best Each
tells a story. and some are clever satires
HiD Is an art which is readily understood
"The Army of Work Is a typical New
York street scene, showing clerks, seam
stresses, cash girls. typewriters, office boys
and bookkeepers-men. women and children,
who toll in the many walks of life, hurry
ing to or from their places Of business II
one were q Sherlock Holmes he might
readily read the history of each in the art
lists Interpretation, so characteristic and
literal Is the portraiture. ''Skyed" the
transcription Of scene at an art exhibit
ton, Is full of irony and not unfamiliar
truth. and Some Women Prefer Dogs" and
the Image of His Father are gentle
satires on the foibles of the feminine. Some
gentle sentiment and true patilos finds its
way into THE Interrupted Story" wherein
Cupid Is valiantiy striving to bar the en-
trance of Death. that most unwelcome
guest THE Story of the Empty Sleeve"
little boy listening, enwrapt. to the tale of
but the fullness of Mr.. Gibson's power is
more surely manifested In such works as
1.-THE Villain Dies" Ticker Faces" 'In
the Same Boat" Fellow Passengers" and
1.-THE Champion" all of which set forth
really remarkable character delineation.
Promise of the Future.
AS promissory notes the four OIL paintings
by Mr. Gibson in the Golfers exhibition
are of special interest. One Is portrait OF
his wife. one a likeness of her sister, and
the remaining two are OF old men. All are
rough studies, brushed In after the manner
in which the illustrator welded his pen: UNI
finished crude and immature, but consid-
cred by those who are best able to judge
spirited. colorfui and indicative of much
latent ability.
An Old Friend
Arthur b. Frost. the illustrator OF Uncle
Remus" ard "Br'er Rabbit and a score OF
other books. was a good way up the ladder
of comfortable living. II not fame, when
the majority of his colleagues of today were
too young to know of its existence III 1876
he was drawing for Harper's with Mr..
Abbey, Mr., Alexander and Mr.. Reinhart.
He was apprentfced In his youth to both
an engrayer and q photographer, but he Is.
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