New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-03-20
ART EXHIBITIONS.
ri, Last appearance of the Society
of american Artists.


hsFHs -s--,,-e exhibitions Will be held under the
Dess" et,le OF the older institution. All ques-
rsHs ss-timent apart the present display makes
to-s - enough that the merger about which
.ss been so much talk came at the psyche
tae1 ---,-~sr. For some time there has been lit
he' .scose between ne exhibitions OF the
y - end those OF the society. This one might
5A.t-.l az either the one organization or the
I'D from the public point Of view, therefore.
c- rel that their activities should henceforth
s,-,..e5 toward a common end. The disinterested
- while gratefully remembering the ex-
-. services rendered by the society years ago.
..,se services were needed. may otherwise bid
-vr,u without pang. Sentiment has its
-, doubt bu- as Whistler used TO say art
- and Mathematics IS mathematics The main
Is that our large exhibitions Of native art
- 10 good exhibitions no matter under whose
t-,re--ert they are held.
- r-asent show IS Just good enough TO provoke
= surprise 20 IFS not being better Since II
- IN general an agreeable impression. one Is
,zss for @ little while. over its failure to bear
- detail the good account that Il gives OF itself
whole The explanation seems TO lie in the
.a-ske7 policy which. for The sake Of "a last ap-
-s,-sucs." has admitted between four and five
t--srs6 pieces When this vast array OF work is
,-s,rre5 So turns out 70 be altogether too often
80 work ~ a-rareurish contributors. clever but
~ possessed ~ anything particularly important 10
es- A smaller and a cho.cer collection of new
mere are TOO many facile bits" in the exhibition
,-s conversely. there are too few works which
e--sst attention Oh serious grounds. OF the few
which Go de-ach themselves from their surround
ms n decisive manner, AR Hassam's June
I, Which the Carnegie prize OF 500 has been
era-led is by All odds the most interesting Il IS
--. g perfect picture The artists stvle has not
beer raised % Tho leve. % his ambition: the COM
POSITION has rather The air OF q small scheme en-
lz7Es1 than ~ tEtnE conceived in broad spirit
&C executed .1 that spirit. The nude figures want
{ uC-e powerful couch. and finally. the color e
excessively sweet Yet for certain open air vital
~ s-d To- technical energy this is head and
Ea'rlders above everything else I'm the show There
ts passages 10 IL. notably IN the BACKGROUND and
q he oPales0ert sky which are delightfully."- deli
cate and. best ~ all. Mr. Hassam suggests that
p really driving Ar something: though he would
E-7ss- t- zee his material and 10 handle fl niece
g piece rather tlau whole there is al least
Eons emotional striving after beauty in this work
i 'ust This that IS lacking in too many OF the
cher pictures IN this exhibition.
Certainly = IS not present in either Of the two
e'---i5--c-s by AZ Brush Wbe, this -rafn+a-
t5andoned -.z Indian subjects a long time ago and
;9k 70 painting group portraits IN the manner Of
-ecl-E and other N.-herlardtsh masters ha
achieved nor always. but from time 70 time quail
les which presently fixed his rank as above the
tTs-age tet II IS difficult 20 see Just what sep
ssts bis portraits tn this show from the common
4 Re ones q his Mother Reading TO Children"
ard though rne ~lave handling in this does not
pass into mere eekress, Il does in hts ''Por-
t-zf' Go TW. full length Of q small boy n
brown bo-l carvases rest in essence on the same
ere! o. rerveless. uninspired craftsmanship More
Ei more be seems % De treating his sitters as OBJ
t1s o SIN life: less ard less do his portraits
-sesct sincere human sympathy OF contain felici-
- q design and tone.
This matter of tone especially IS all the time
trclE Itself upon the spectator Why IS t. he
ass that 50 few painters get beyond the fact that
her ar IS an art Of representation? Why do they
otter forget that Il Is an art OF Interpretation
Z TIE Interpretation OF color and texture. as well
Eofheas2 M Henri goes on producing in portraits
lie his Miss Nivison" and his Young Weman IN
White and Brown" very credirable arrangemenrs
O. & few simple tones. but he goes on negIectine
70 make those tones intrinsicalIy subtle and fine
For one psire- who. ike NJ. DewIng. IN his Lutte
Player" EFFORTS charm from mere paint exquls-
fely DslirusE ed, there are dozens Of whom the
best that you say is that they draw fairly well
s1t, a. regards color also. give their figures
measure n reality The worst OF il is that they do
rot make the,- figures in any way beautiful Take
~ example, Mr. F. Luis Mora We would rejoice
e re could praise his big studies Of Spanish types
Ia Buena Ventura" and HIS companions, but he
gives 1s nothing more in these painstaking per
forzanoss than We find IN enormous quantities IN
re crt1s-- catezories Of the salon. There IS
Tie same empty effect that goes with Mr.. Morals
paintings ~ picturesque models goes with his large
modern portrait, The Brother and Sister" Look
iag Tor better things we find promise rather than
perforna1oe tr Nr. BaIlin's Lutte Player and in
be Susanna AZ The Bath" He shows IN both OF
hsss The r-E-ili-E romantic sentiment which has
been disce-e5 t- his work before; he has handsome
oaor and he gains when all IS said. a richness as
r some ola tapestry. the value Of which is unde-
liable. But when Is he going % make US feel that
hs Knows Is ulch about nature as he knows about
Flcio accessories and the atmosphere Of the old
masters When IS be going 70 express his GIT In
resh and personal terms2 The observer wearied
by the little eererresses Of the growing student with
which our exhibitions brim over, signs occasionally
ior Just mere academic authority, and when this
seems % DE- developing itself among the younger
men IS lg the case Z Mr.. Balm, or IN that or
X. Andrew Schwartz. Il goes against the grain 10
express dssatsfacrlou. Stil. II these painters re
FoTe IN q circle. practising plausible technique
t-t no. evolving style OF proving that they have
anything t- say. they can scarcely expect TO meet
vita unqualified approval They might ruefuly
rs'orr thar the perfect balance between substance
ard form Is rare enough, even among their oetteIs-
NJ Tha-er Illustrates this point In the large
Winged Figure" 20 which the place Of honor IN
lie main gallery has been assigned. There is no
bLty 10 TIE figure there is q tenderness OF eK-
preston lu the face. and part Of the background
is enriched with some lovely color At the same
lH2e there - much elovenly execution IN the paint
-1g- ard instead o. striking the eye as "a unit OF
imagination and q art f. denotes lofty concep-
ton only -altlrgy realized IN short, all through
ie exhibition The figure painters, II they begin by
interesting you fCr one reason OF another, end by
Had1g you wish that they had, in some cases
more feeling - others more executive ability M
e-nn uav disclose great aptitude in his theatre
interiors. --r he throws back on recolectlohs
@ DeFas who has done precisely the same thing
aHc has done ID 20 much better. Mr. turran pants
% his Flying Kites" which has peoeiyed a por-
tol n Pie Shaw Fand q bright spirited picture.
llf . mas The Llu pretuness Of Christmas card
-r Ia C-Ra-e" Mr.. Barse plays a variation on his
oc familiar theme. his graceful model Is gracefully
ID@fTsTeF .f5s rra -z-Cr-- whole 8 brittle.