The San Francisco call., 1907-02-25

exhibition 4h Of paintings TN ing sstsn siTsn
Club is representative and highly
meritorious IT includes contribu-
tions from California artists who have
already won fame. as well as pictures
from those who are struggling to at
tain a like prestige. Yet all the paint
ings are good and show thoroughly
earnest efforts There is nothing which
one would wish had not been admitted.
The great mass of material offered en-
abled the jurors TO select only that
which was really deserving. Much had
10 be rejected because of the limited
wall space of the quarters Of the
Sketch Club and the adjoining rooms
of the Sequoia Club.
Keith has contributed a characteris-
tic canvas, a landscape STEPPED in a
flaming light that transforms IL with
wonderful atmospheric effect into the
land of gold and FURNISHED copper OF
the old fairy tales.
One of the charming things OF the
exhibition is Mary Curtis Richardson 3
Portrait Study of Little Mary NJ" 1t
shows a little girl sitting on the floor
with a large picture book on her
chubby knees, her fair hair clustering
In tiny curls about her head. The dim
pied hands are resting on the book just
ready to turn the leaves. The child $
white flounced dress and dainty white
socks are lifelike and the punches OF
apple blossoms on the floor give a com
pleteness to the composition and help
carry out the idea of freshness and
purity. All the details were worked out
carefully and lead up to the soul of the
picture the face of the child A smaller
picture by Mrs. Richardson takes it's
name, The Calamity veil," from the
pink flmy veil tied around the big hat
of the jaunty little tot in the picture.
but nothing seems farther from the gay
little figure than the idea Of calamity.
California" by A. F. Mathews, has
dignity and finish which stamp it as
the work of a great artist. 1t is an
oil painting, but has something Of the
simplicity of effect of a mural decora-
tion. The central figure. symbolizing
California, is full of strength and re-
pose. The color scheme is remarkably
beautiful. The robe Of a rich orange
embroidered in real gold is glowing
with warmth and light. but with great
skill the artist has kept it free from
garishness. 1t tones in with the
woman's hair and with the brown OF
the tree trunk against which she leans.
The green hue OF the grass is touched
with brown and this blends with the
color of the tree. The one note Of con-
trast is in the deep blue of the bay.
Among the pictures contributed by
members of the Sketch Club are a
number of excellent heads of children.
one Of the most attractive being Anne
M. Bremer's My Little Model" Miss
Bremen has also contributed the head
of young girl, some pretty still-Hfe
studies and a view from Monterey.
The white sands and blue bay have a
perennial interest for artists, but Miss
Bremen has been particularly happy in
her Interpretation of them. The some
what hard brilliance often seen in por-
trayals of the white sands is softened
away A gray haze is hanging over
head. softening the blue of the bay
and the spreading surface OF 1T Is
broken by a group OF tall trees in the
foreground.
Caroline Rixford Johnson has several
portraits of children. one OF which.
Thelma," is the picture of a girl
clasping a doll in her arms The atti-
tude of the child, the pose Of the head
and the infantile wistfulness OF the
face and large eyes were limned with
much art. Madeline" by the same
artist, represents a slip of a girl in a
short dark-blue dress sitting at a
piano and looking around her with the
air of a Paderewski surveying his
audience. There Is a piQuancy and
delicate humor IN the picture which
makes il rank as one of the artists
best. Two more excellent pictures of
children testify to Mrs. Johnson's love
for the little tots. She is not quite
so happy in the larger and more am
bilious Portrait OF Miss D." Though
the head is painted with great deli