The sun., 1906-12-28
fHE ACADEMY EXHIBITION
second Nodce.

Galleries on Fifty-seventh street are not 80
black and brown as we expected. To be
candid, many OF the lighter and higher
keyed canvases are by venerable academi-
clans, while not few Of the specimens Of
black paint are from the brushes Of the
former Society Of American Artists. For
example. the portrait numbered25o, OF Miss
H., by Victor d. Hecht-sadly in need Of a
coat OF varnish, by the way-is 30 black that
It might belong to the group christened
I'm Darkest Henri There are no screech-
ing canvases and not many that can be
denominated impressionistic. A genteel
gloom predominates and you wonder where
has vanished the influence Of Monet or
Pissaro. One might discern q tendency
toward the exploitation Of the drab and
sombre. What could be darker than Je-
rome Myers's Might Mission, No. ?, in the
south galleFyi But it Is darkness nlumi-
mated; we see as II in a dimly lighted street
Something Is happening. A gospel tent
vaguely rears its dull bulk In the back
ground; a man is preaching TO a group Of
loungers. We behold the back OF the
human slate as Meredith would say.
These humans interest US because they
themselves are Interested in the gabble OF
the preacher. II is painting, not In a cave,
but really In the open air. Night is sug-
gested. 1t Is an admirable arrangement
Of values within very contracted scale.
An example Of twilight interior-or IL
1t quarter Of four on a snowy norning?-
may be seen in Thomas Eakins' large picture
No. SSs, Mrs. Fresrnuth.' The room II
airless. The subject looks as II she had
been painted in q vacuum. It IN not neces-
sary at this late day to expatiate upon the
finished draughtsmAnship OF Mr.. Eakins,
who has been called the Kenyon Cox Of
Philadelphia. His color sense has been
always in allegiance. The lady OF his study
is seated and Is surrounded by various
cabalistio instruments. Is she . Russian
revolutcnist fashioning bombs1 On closer
inspection you discover that the apparatus
Is a collection OF musical instruments, harm
less enough when not played. Is the
sturdy Eakins joining the sYmbolists1 Is he
attempting the delineation Of Maeterlinck's
misty madness? Is Saul among the prophets?
The blackest picture in the Vanderbit
gallery Is bv Salvatore Anthony Guarino, an
arrangement in black--The Fan Kimono,.
No. $40. This artist has worshipped too
well and not wisely at the shrine Of Whistler.
There are few intermittent CLEANS Of pea
cock eyes; the rest is trailing obscurity.
A Parisian painter. George RCuault by
name, is at tho present the champion Of the
tenebrous. He depicts tie tips Of lighted
cigarettes presumably puffed By ghouls IN
a tomb underground, amid the bones OF the
buried dead and far from the drums, tramp
lings and conquests Of tho Neo-Impres-
eionisrs. Such abnormal vision is that OF
a nyctalops, and every one knows that a
nyctalops can see In the dark as do wild
and prowling animals. Il Is therefore
hardly a style to be commended, though
il Is direfully cultivated in the ranks Of the
New Photography.
William NJ. Chase has a single picture,
No. 72, the portrait Of Mrs. Martin Joost
It could be called .Harmonies in Girls ct
Noir,' for the painting OF the face is with
out much significance. while the handling
Of the fabrics, the transposition of the
tones in the gray hair TO the lace, and tho
delicate harmonies Of the pearl neck
lace and crescent worn at the bosom OF
the lady, are artfully indicated. 1t may
not be Chase at his best, but an Indifferent
Chase-which this example is by NO means
is better than many Of his pursuers in the
arena OF art.
One Of Mr.. Chase's carelessly cultivated
corners, vet one in which he is a supreme
virtuoso, Emil Carlsen, nothing IL not versa
tile, has invaded. There hangs in the Van
derbilt gallery a still life, No. 35I. But
it is very vital artistically. A soup tri-
pod of iron, with krug, a kettle. bowl,
and towel sprawling over the edge Of
the table. Stone gray is the chief note,
with some nice variations in whites and
grays. and with a sharp dissonanoe in the
black Of the pot. Near by is The Water
spout by F. de Haven. That makes
two waterspouts in one gallery We may
look, then, some time, for q full hedged
tornado-one seen; not photographed and
retouched.
-Vis-a-vis," No. SO, is a much discussed
portrait in the south gallery. It is quite
striking and was painted by q. r. Barse,
Jr. With the tones a trihe more exag-
gerated it would have suggested poster;
it is almost bizarre, though very attractive.
The cherry toned pattern Of the girls kimo-
no suggests the poster idea. Mr.. Barse
will have to guard this damsel Of his. for
she is sure to be plagiarized by the rapa-
cious folk who appropriate pretty faces for
advertising purposes lt is a we'll modelled
girl, sitting upright at a table, the fluid
planes of which are at her elbow. She
and white, as is the saucer which she holds
in her left hand. Her gaze is attentive.
Also a trife conscious. There is a nice
balance observed in the loop OF braided
hair twisted about her slender neck and
falling to her bust At her back is a cushion
OF checkerboard pattern, blush black.
The coloring Of the face is little hot. But
it is picture that will always win popular
attention.
The Webb prize goes this year TO
strongly painted composition by Edward W.
Redfeld. -Lowlands Of the Delaware" No.
24O. No one may dispute the justice of this
award. It is a winter scene, several rows
OF skeleton trees, a long avenue Of snow and
ice, cold sky. Atmosphere is paramount
Atmosphere and realistic brush work.
The landscapes OF this exhibition are nu-
merous and the majority are well executed;
mose mediocrity is noticeable in the figure
painting, which is only stating a truism
that describes our national art. Clifford
Beal's Hudson River Idyl," No. u, is an
other attractive canvas. Six trees occupy