Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-10

of a stream. 1t is a wild bit of country,
and the darkness of the woods IL accen-
tuated by the gray trunk of fallen tree.
1t is cold in color and limited in tones, but
suggestive, romantic and pictorial. The
influence of Rusdael. Hobbema and the
other men of the Dutch school is to be
traced in the work of John Crome, which
is, however, more realistic and less decora-
, tive 1t is quite an elaborate composition
including broad sweep of country and
claiming many interests. There is a farm
house on a hill, a long winding road on
which are travellers, stream, bridge
and two gayly clad pedestrians. II required
a great deal in those days to make pic
ture. Still the eye Is not distracted-the
composition is held together well The
sky, which is unclouded is atmospheric and
luminous, and the several units of the@pic-
ture are beautifully related. No wonder
Crome drew around him many students and
set his mark upon the later landscape
school of England Hoppner was one of
his contemporaries and was already rep
resented in this collection. The present
portrait is of nliddle-aged lady with light
curling ringlets, clear complexion ana
agreeable countenance. She is seen seated
with her hands resting in her lap ana is
pictured in a low-necked gown of simple,
white muslin. A dark red curtain, partly
drawn, serves a background, adding
rich note to the harmonious color scheme
It is broadly painted but well-dnished,
and while not wildly personal Is to de-
gree instructive and pleasing.
Through typographical error the paint
ing by Henry Mosler, which was presented
to the Corcoran Gallery recently by Mr.. V.
G. Fischer, was ascrjbed in this column
last Saturday to Mr.. Moser. the weli-known
watercoorist Henry Mosler Is exclusive
ly a genre painter-one of the few IN
America today. He was born in 1871 IN
New York and taken when lad 10 Gin
cinnati, where he became a pupil OF James
H. Beard During the last two years OF
the civil war he worked the staff of
Harper's Weekly, and at Its close went
abroad to study. In Dusseldorf he STUDIED
under Mucke and Kinder; In Paris under
Hebert, and in Munich under Wagner. IN
the early seventies he returned to America
and exhibited with great success, can
vas entitled The Lost Cause" Later he
went back to Europe and resided there for
a number of years. He has won many
medals and honors, and his works have
been purchased by the Luxembourg. the
Grenoble gallery, the Art Museum in sgd
ney, Australia; the Pennsylvania Academy,
the Metropolitan Museum, the Erie and
Springfield Art Clubs and other organiza-
tons. The example which the Corcoran
Gallery now possesses is TO be placed in
the second American room.
x *
The March "Art Talk" was given at the
Corcoran School on Monday afternoon by
Mr.. E. C. Messer, the director His subject
was .'Impressionism," and when the lee
ture began there was literally standing
room only IN the lower N6HllEN CIe, Wherein
his audience was assembled. He began by
defining the accepted meaning of the term
and by explaining the method of the So
called 'impressionists, but he soon showed
1t to have a double significance and a
wider application In looking into the mat
ter, he said, he had discovered that the
old masters were primarily impressionists,
and that he himself, to his surprise. had
for many years been unconsciously an ex-
ponent of the school. He referred not to 4
method of handling color but to mode
of rendering an fmpression-the art OF rem
dering with single thought a great theme.
The impression of a landscape acquired
from moving train would, he thought, be
more correct than one studied at length
from stationary vantage-point. mas
much the essentials alone would be
grasped. The first impression, he believed,
would nine times out of ten, prove the
true impression. The old masters painted
not what they could see but what they saw,
and hence their Impressions were unified
and convincing. When We meet q stranger
we do not straightway note the buttons on
his coat, the polish of his shoes and the
quality of his clothing. but look him In the
face and take In the details OF his attire
secondarily. So the old masters painted
portraits. Sisley, Manet, Monet and the
other neutrality-suspicious. received their in
spiration. Mr. Messer thougl- as much
from the great men who had gone before
them from nature. The movement which
Constable and Turner. As Illustrations he
showed copies of several OF the impress
sionists' paintings and, with colored chalks
on gray paper. gave himself graphic ex-
amples
A portrait of the late Secretary Hay.
painted by w. D. Murphy of New York,
has recently been hung in the reception
room OF the Secretary of State. pending It's
possible purchase 1t Is three-qdarter
length, and shows Mr.. Hay seated pre-
sumably In his library. AS likeness
1t is recognizable, but IL Is badly drawn
and poorly painted. The figure shows al
most no Construction and little modelling;
the coat, which is distinctly a creation Of
paint is empty, and the hands are without
character and do not fit on the wrists. Con-
sidered In connection with other official por-
traits it is not uncommonly bad, but coHl-
pared with the best 1t is distinctly unworthy
Both for the sake of art and for the sake
of those commemorated, no portrait save
the finest obtainable should be given
place In our government collections. Bet
ter by far for all concerned would II be TO
preserve merely the memory of man
work than his Imperfect efflgy to serve as
monument to the Inadequate skill OF
some painter OF his day.
X
X
Four paintings by Frederick Remington
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