The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-28
A HOLMAN HUNT EXHIBITION
Paintings OF the Last OF the Pre-Raphaelites
shown in OndOn

Wv ~"
LONDON, Oct. l8.-The exhibitions of the
two Photographic societies, the Royal and
the Salon, are the precursors Of the art
exhibitions which begin the autumn season
in London. While not properly art shows.
the Photographic exhibitions have a GER
tain 'olaim TO artistic consideration.
At the New Gallery, where the Royal
Photographic Society Of Great Britain is
holding it's fifty-frst annual exhibition,
the west room is devoted to the pictorial
section and is arranged like an ordinary
picture gallery, the photographs being
framed and sold as pictures. Here there
is much clever work, though there is moth
ing by Alvin Langdon Coburn, only two
photographs of him, one by F. T. Mortimer
and one by f.. o. Hoppe.
1t is always a moot point whether one
branch Of art should impinge on another,
as, for instance, if it il well to use water
color so that it looks like oil painting, and
it certainly is a question il it is well to make
a photograph look like a sepia sketch.
Does it not lose the accuracy Of photog-
raphy without gaining the individuality
of a water color drawing?
At any rate the most interesting part OF
the exhibition has been relegated to the
bdACOuNs AlCAC ~ "
a spiders foot, enlarged 400 times; and
studies Of the intimate life Of birds and
beasts. One series of photographs shows
a cuckoo a few days cid hosting the Eggs
of its foster parents out OF their nest.
At the Black Frame Sketch Gu and the
Baillie Gallery there is not much that calls
for comment, though the first forms a
pleasant little show. due chiefly to the
frames. These being all black, as the name
Of the club implies, greatly enhance the
value of the work, which consists for the
most part of holiday impressions of SUM-
light and fresh air.
The principal feature OF the New Dudley
Gallery is the sculpture OF Walter Winans,
spirited groups of bronco busters and a
~statuette Of Sitting Bull. the Sioux indian
chief. There are also some flower studies
by his daughter, Miss Eva Winans, which
are good in color, but a little clumsy in
technique.
Miss Bertha Lowenthal shows some
water colors, faithful representations OF
some of the picturesque corners OF London.
now fast disappearing. One OF these is
Great College street, Westminster, where
for some time lived the father Of Gordon
Craig.
The Leicester Galleries are filled with the
works Of Holman hunt. 1t is a most in
teresting exhibition, as it is the first time
that his works rave been shown in one
collection. Besides the large pictures are
manv small ones, water color landscapes,
drawings in chalk, pen and ink, and silver
point. some Of these being trial sketches
for the large pictures.
A is well known Holman Hunt, with
Sir John Millais and Dante Gabriel Ros-
setti, founded the Pre-Raphael Brother
hood. and he is the only one who remained
faithful to their ideals. To quote from
Sir William Richmond, who writes a SYM
pathetic introduction to the catalogue:
The Pre-Raphael movement was a re-
volt against carelessness, bad drawing,
oonventionality and mannerisms; the prin-
ciples It taught were strenuous fidelity,
serious motives. hard work and plenty
Of 1t.
sHolman Hunt has outlive6 his brothers
in the school,, he has never deviated, never
relaxed his efforts, never shortened his
road to the ideal-so that We must look for
what he means, we must understand his
thoughts through his language. which is
never obscure, indefinite, accidental or
amateurish.
His work is that OF an artist, conceived.
brought to birth with care, with infinite
pain as well as pleasure. Every inch Is
reasoned, every touch is calculated TO do
exactly what it is intended to do. II there
are crudities, il there are exaggerations,
thew arise from the intensity OF the personal
vision or intense conception, and such and
such a statement, II strong, II oVerstated
to some perceptions, must be taken as the
arti SITS word"
Accustomed az one il in England to at
mosphere and the effect OF atmosphere
ON color, Holman Hunts work may seem
crude, but one must remember tnat ne
aren't a long time in the East and that his
most famous works are Eastern subjects
Indeed. II IL this very so-called crudity
which gives e their tremendous forci-
The power Of "The S~capegoat' is due
to the harsh c~oloring OF the lurld sunset
emphasizing the dreary details OF the Dead
Sea and the skeletons which lie on its edge
A more pathetic thing cannot be imagined
than the scapegoat, loaded with the sins
OF the people, expressed by the bloody
landmark Of the priest on its forehead
wandering alone in that torsaken region
in the oncoming night.
There are two versions OF the May
Morning on Magdalen Tower, Oxford the
I second version gaining in dignity by being
on a larger scale. THE Beloved, lent by
the King, il a head If Christ, copied from
the large picture called The Shadow Of
! Death" The latter shows Christ in His
| carpenters workshop.
, With uplifted arms He is resting from
i. His work, and the shadow OF His figure
forms the emblematic cross. Queen Vic
toria expressed an interest in the picture
and commanded it to be sent to Bucking-
nam Palace. She desired the artist To
make a cop Of the head, and though
through illness Holman Hunt did not COM
plete the copy for years, the Queen, with
her accustomed considerateness, pardoned
the delay and literally purchased the
l picture.
@The Lady OF ShalOtt, +" as explained in q
. cable despatch to THE Sun, il the latest Of
Holman Hunts work. For twelve years
/ he labored at it, and though the labor ID
! apparent in the painting, yet the detail is
so expressive of the tragedy that it adds
to rather than detracts from the merit Of
the picture. =.
Everything il most carefully thought
out. The figure Of the Lady Of Shalott il
lighted only by the reflected light Of the
1 mirror in which alone she sees what passes
, The sunlight Just touches her hand, typical
|, Of her first contact with the world. when