The San Francisco call., 1907-02-19


~ of paintings by Giuseppe Cade-
nasso now to be seen in the
City of Paris art gallery. We see
them in the cold light of the early
morning, in the silvery mists of
gray autumn day. touched with the
gold of the setting sun. swept by
the wind or standing calm and mas
sive in the full glow of the MONDAY.
The artist himself says that he has
made special study of the eucalyptus
tree and finds it more interesting than
any other.
When / first began to paint IL, peo-
pie laughed at me-, he said, but
knew I was right and kept on. Now
they all see it, because 1 have opened
their eyes. 1 am the first one who has
ever seen the possibilities OF the
eucalyptus and tried to interpret it. 1t
has been the study Of years. There are
$50 kinds of the tree"
AS Cadenasso says. now everybody
sees it and appreciates the fact of hav-
ing the tree, which is so characteristic
of California, interpreted by a master
hand. Some of us may lay claim to
having discovered 1T for ourselves and
loved it for its very own sake. We
have seen the wild and moody beauty
of the tall, straight trunk swaying
lightly in the wind. the dropping
branches and the fringelike leaves.
The picture in the exhibition which
strikes any one most forcibly when en-
tering is The End of the Day." a large
panel picture with a group of the
artists favorite trees standing very
tall and straight and slender in the
foreground The setting sun touches
their heads with an orange-colored
flame, which is also reflected in the
II - I,Drw.
remainder of the picture lies in
shadows. and it is wonderful how the
artist has succeeded in making the
trees, which in themselves are rather
cold in color, glow in the warmth
which belongs to the shadows at sun
set time.
One of the most finished and mature
pieces of work in the exhibition is
another of the artists eucalyptus
studies. which has something the feel
ing of an old Italian garden. The trees
are treated with great simplicity,
standing out in dark masses against a
sky of an Italian warmth. The can
vas seems fairly to glow in the sultry
shadows, and the clouds are tipped
with red flame. Yet another, called
Purple Morning" shows the same tree
in the cold, pink light of early morning.
The branches in this have delicate,
inge-like effect, which is very char
acteristic and which is still more ap-
parent in several studies of the euca-
lyptus bathed in fog. Or shall we say
drowned? 1t cannot be denied that
some of these are a bit disappointing.
They are so palely cold, so mistily
vague. Still the artist has succeeded
in doing what he wanted to do and
has obtained the effect he sought. The
very leaves of the trees seem dripping
with mist-drops and dreariness.
Strikingly different are three views
of Mount Tamalpais. One is merely the
portrait of the mountain, showing the
undulations of the slope. the light red
dish purple of the heights deepening to
blue in the shadows; the gray rocks,
the green trees and the grass slightly
touched with yellow. 1t is true like
ness Of the mountain in the full glare
of the midday sun. Even the railroad
is distinctly marked. The artist calls
this picture "The Scales" The tones
are all there. but there is no melody,
no spirit. 1t needs the creative hand
to make it live and speak. This he
has done in two other views of the
same scene, which for weirdness of
expression and for daring color effects
are unique. One Is called Legend of
the Tamal," referring to the superstf-
tious dread which the Indians had Of
the purple color seen in cloudless
evenings AFTER sunset. Is the color
which CadenaSSo has seized upon. There
is a sincerity and simplicity about this
picture, a directness in the handling
of the masses of color, which make
this one of the strongest in the exhi-
bition. Entirely different and of more
moody fantastic quality is the third
view of the mountain, swathed in mists
that seem blown across 1t by a strong
wind. This is one of the best exam
pies of Caden asso's gift for painting
wind.
Very characteristic of California Is
the large picture of the foothills. 1t
is picture that actually makes one
feel the heat. There is such a pitiless
g-dre in the blue sky. such a parched,
thirsty look in the red-brown hills with
their sun-scorched grass. There is some
hardness of treatment in the distant
hills, not quite the misty heat-shimmer
one sees in nature. The foreground
which is a stretch of marsh. the reeds
touched with red and among them a
pool of an Opaque blue. is better man
aged and is what makes the picture
interesting. One feels that this is
field where the artist is especially at
home.
Only one of the sunset scenes over a