New-York tribune., 1905-11-16
FRENCH SCENES.
Nesu Pictures By Mr. Aston Knight
and Mr. Jules Guerin,

When the OF successful artist adopts the
profession he Is apt to start In his career
with q handicap. Even II he does not cultivate
his fathers method be is likely TO invite IN
pleasant comparisons. It is the more interesting
therefore TO note the originality and the capacity
displayed by Mr.. Aston Knight in the exhibition
of come thirty-four landscapes in OIL and water
color which he has tust opened at the Knoedler
Gallery. His father, Mr.. Ridgeway knight. who has
for many years been conspicuous among the
American artists living IN Franco has always
made his pictures of peasant girls set against q
landscape background pc culiar1y placid In spirit
and smooth In finish The paintings at Knoedlers
brought by Mr. Aston Knight his first VISIT to
this country. show that while ne has something
OF his fathers lasts in the matter of color
he has not enulated his fathers manner, but
has struck out freely along lines of his own,
producing work that is often engaging In IT'S
freshness and vfgor.
His art take t. is In & transitional state.
In some of his studies of moving water he sug-
gests the influence ef Thaulow, and in the pres
of one Of the most charming Of his water
colors, the eIegiao Moonlight, Launay."
ories Of the softly luminous effects of Jongkind
are Immediately revived. But already Mr.. Knight
is putting forth individual strength. and certain
canvases IN this collection interesting both
for their essential merit and for what they promise
IN the artists future His French scenes have
the quality of the soil in them the very savor
OF rich and picturesque landscape. Sometimes he
nandles MS lnSHles Win noIaDlo idISe4itSS oA
feeling, as IN 'eThe Torrent Near Putanses," and
he rises in the boldness OF his execution to the
level OF his problem Again he seeks to interpret
his material in It's intimate aspects, as in
HThe Seine at Nantes" THE Manor Farm
Gratot," or ''Runring Water, Beaunont-le-Roger,"
and gives al accurate account or land
scape forms and the subtle clements Of mood
In short, these portraits Of places are drawn with
dexibility well with truth. The artist dis
closes a faculty for composition-especialy TO be
noted in pictures like 1.-THE Dried Pool Solosne,"
and the Winter in Normandy'-but he Is also
at pains TO give a thoroughly spontaneous and
sensitive impression Of nature. His talent is In
gratiating as it stands, and 1t has in 1t the seed
of development
The talent of Mr.. Jules Guerin is original enough
10 make wish that * might be exploited to bet
ter purpose than in the making OF such pictures OF
the Clateaux OF the Loire he has placed on
exhibition at the wunderiich Gallery. For one
thing this clever illustrator has truly discerning
eye for the picturesque. and IN sketching an MIS-
toric building he seems to know as though by In
stinct t,st where to stand IN order to obtain the
best pictorial impression of Its mass and its profile
His sirylines invariably well chosen, and they
are almost as invariably well deiineated Unfort-
,natelv Mr. Guerin is one Of those too numerous
-tIsts Who seem TO be bafied by the difficulties
,nvo,ved In local color and thereupon proceed to
bring everything within the scope OF an aIlllciai
scale of tone-no doubt often agreeaoIy express
give of an original temperament but scarcely Valid
m
+.,-. ,ara Of themselves Textures go by the board
when workers In this vein attack a subject, and
we have pictures which may be piquant but make
no other legitimate claim upon our good nature.
r.ra for eYempIe Mr.. Guerin's "Langeais. The
+,,s &c one of the finest to be found IN the whole
range of the architecture of tbs Loire. but since
Mr. Guerin enforces scarcely any distinction at
all between the substance OF those romantic walls
ap6 chat of the foreground-which may be stone
or t,,rfHe would greatly prefer good photograph
10 his version Of the chateau There s one picture
here of "Chenonceaux." which Is positively aston
ishtug In the task It sets the spectator TO ois-
singuish between stone ana "alsf- Hii- s,i
eas- For ths nicturesoue wins him. repeat, a
measure of respect. But there is SO much In the
rhys,oEnorny Of French chateau which escapes
him that we turn from his exhibition sadly dis
appointed The aptitude revealed In the siA circus
ir,ra. he also presents Is unonentarily beguiling
bt Il Is powerless 10 shake the conviction that he
needs TO widen his range OF vision. and 70 make
his technique more eiastic II De Is 10 HiaAe ine
use OF his gift