Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-02
A RI N OF Es.


contemporary American paintings which Is
to be opened next Wednesday evening with
a private view and reception. Prepare
tons for this exhibit wers begun a year
ago and no pains have been spared to make
1t thoroughly representative and worthy.
Circulars were sent out last summer to all
the leading American artists and special
works were solicited from collectors when
they could not otherwise be obtained Mr..
Richard N. Brooke and Mr.. Harrison Nor
ris have personally searched out and in
vited many especially desirable canvases,
and, in short every effort has been made
to obtain the best. On every side, more
over, the project has met with hearty CO.
operation. The artists have contributed
generously and the collectors and art DEAL
ers have cheerfully lent their aid. About
fortnight ago juries met in New York,
Philadelphia and Boston and selected such
works by the painters in each city as at
tanned the required standard, These sup
plemented those passed by the loyal jury,
and the number which were specially In
vited. Many more in every case were sent
than could possibly be accepted. On Mon
day of this week the final jury, which was
constituted also hanging committee and
jury of awards, and which was composed OF
Irving r. Wiles of New York, Hugh H.
Breckenridge of Philadelphia, Edmund Z.
Tarbell of Boston, Ralph E. C!arkson of
Chicago and Richard N Brooke of this
city, met at the Coreoran Gallery and be-
gan the work of revision and arrangement
which is now virtually completed. Between
three and four hundred canvases Will be
set FORTH among which will be many
notable works and not a few which up to
the present time have not previously been
exhibited. The exhibition win show chiefly
recent paintings and should adequately wit
ness to the worth of current production. 1t
has indeed assumed national! character
and will come directly in line with the long
Of fhn
Academy of Design and the Pennsylvania
Academy of Fine Arts. Three prizes Will
| be awarded-the w. A. Clark prize OF $1,000,
| accompanied by the Corcoran god medal;
| the Charles c. Glover prize of 500, accom-
panied by the Corcoraa silver medal, and
| the ". G. Fischer prize of $3.50. accompan-
| led by the Gorcoran bronze medal. the
winners of these awards will be announce
on Wednesday From Thursday morning
| for four weeks the exhibition Will be open
| to the public.
In connection with meeting of the
| Washington Heights Art Club small but
| excellent exhibition of the work of local
| painters was held last week at the home Of
Mrs. Martha L. Schneider. Mr.. Messer.
| Mr.. Brooke and Mr.. Moser were all ad-
mirably represented; Miss Mueden con-
| tributed several of her foreign sketches;
] Miss Atwater and Miss Jackson sent
I Gloucester pictures; Miss Solomons. still
| life studies; Miss Burdette her pastel enti-
tied Twilight" and Miss Perrie her salt
| Ship" which received one of the Corcoran
| prizes a season or two ago. Then there
| were miniatures by Mrs. Carl-Smith and
| paintings by Mr. Smith, Mr.. Johnston, Mr..
Hobart Nichols. Mr.. Spencer Nichols and
others-in all well-selected and admirable
| little show. The Washington Heights Art
! Club has about thirty-five members, but.
having the privilege of inviting friends, the
exhibition was viewed by no less than a
| hundred persons. 1t is this organization
which, as a chapter of the Federation of
| Women's Clubs, gives prize of go an
nually to the student of the Corcoran School
| who accomplishes the. most meritorious
| work in the composition class, and more
| perhaps than any other body Of laymen it
| has endeavored to make widespread a
knowledge and appreciation of art. 1t was
| largely instrumental in the establishment
| of the travelling art exhibits sent out by
| the Federation of Women's Clubs to the
| smaller towns and cities. three OF which
| are now in circulation, and by its efforts
| chiefly the resolution urging the removal
of the tariff on art, which is being followed
| by a general petition to Congress signed
| by the several chapters, was brought be-
| fore the federation's seventh biennial con-
| vention. During the winter 1t holds weekly
[ meetings, at which papers are read upon
\ specified subjects. American art is the
special topic for the present season.
| Il X
AS the only way to learn is to see, the
privilege of viewing truly great works Of
art cannot be over-valued. Such, indeed,
/ are to be seen in the Fischer galleries, and,
| while it is true that they are there with
| commercial intent, SO long as they are free
to the interested student they must be &C
| counted a public benefit. The immense
| prices brought by the works OF famous
painters put them beyond the reach. so far
| as ownership goes, of all but the extremely
| wealthy, but a picture once seen may,
| through memory, give lasting pleasure and
| much instruction. Certainly no one could
| soon forget or fail to find inspiration in
| the noble portrait of lady in dull-red
| velvet gown painted by Sir THOMAS Law
renee at his best, which has recently been
| procured by Mr.. Fischer. or in the distin-
| guished canvas by Bronzino depicting a
| Jealous woman and her aged counselor,
! painted probably three centuries earlier,
| power Of paint where properly employed to
| allure the eye and satisfy the intellect.
Neither through its subject alone would
naturally make appeal, but each through
| the skill of the painter has been made
! beautiful and of moment-and this, after
| all, is art. Then, too, among the new ar
| rivals there a Maris, which, while
| broadly painted, is at the same time simple
and COMPLETE: a little characteristic Mauve,
| a. Dutch peasant with his cart, which Is
perhaps more crisply painted and vital than
| commonly, and a Van Marcke unusual In
| theme excellent in tone and studiousiy rem
| dered.
|
| One of the most noteworthy portrait
studies in the Pennsylvania Academy's one
hundred and second annual exhibition,
| which is now in progress in Philadelphia,
| is by Miss Katherine Critcher, member OF
the Society of Washington Artists. 1t Is,
presumably, a likeness of Mr.. Bladen T.
Snyder of this city, but was painted In
| Paris a year or more ago. He wears pic
| turesuue black felt hat and brown velve-
| teen suit and is seated with his right arm
| a the back Of his chair, which is placed
| sideways The background Is dark and the
treatment simple, but the values have been
| well sustained and the brushwork shows
| both maturity and knowledge. The pic
! ture has been shown in the Paris Salon. and
in the present exhibition is attracting IA
| vorable attention.
| And a word should be said in regard to
| this exhibition, which is set forth by the
oldest art organization in America and is
looked to as one of the leading events each
year. Consisting of both paintings and
sculpture, the former, of course, in greater
! abundance than the latter, it deviates from