New-York tribune., 1908-12-19
ART EXHIBITIONS
Paintings by Mr. II. 0. Tanner and
Portraits Of Milton.


They attracted attention because they illustrated
very promising activity In the field Of re-
ligious subjects. a field not often cultivated
in this country Mr. Tanner. who belongs to
the colony Of American artists in Paris, has since
made substantial progress Two of his pictures
have been bought for the Luxembourg, and he is
represented in than American museum
Now for the first time he shows a collection OF his
works in this city. assembling thirty-t1ree pictures
ard studies at the American Art Galleries. where
they may be until Christmas Day 1t is inter-
esting to examine the grounds on which he has
made his success abroad
His first and most obvious quality is that of
Kind OF realism which needs to Re carefully dis
tingushed from the realism practised by divers
modern artists who nominally the same mood
Over and again in Europe men have sought
to interpret the Scriptures in paintings based
largely the aspect of life at the present time
Whether. ike Won Chde, they have placed the
Saviour among modern peasants. or. Ike Beraud
have introduced Him into q company OF fashionable
Parisians they have left the impression Of some-
how forcing the note. building up their scenes in
a fictitious manner. Even the undentabl sincerity
Of Won Uhde has failed to eface from his work a
certain faint suggestion Of sensationalsm here IS
where Mr.. Tanner has from the start, enjoyed
distinct advantage. There is almost artess
simplicity about his work. He seems to have been
able TO project himself back into the past and to
paint religious subjects realistically without trace
OF that archaeological point of view which you note
for example. in the remarkable reconstructions OF
Tissot- He does adapt a SCriptuTal theme 10
broad human grounds, painting his sacred hg-
ures simply as men and moving against
their natural background. He does this, too. with
cut offering any violence to the high assoc atoms
of his material. There is want Of dignity in his
work. He states the truth in large If not pre-
cisely noble manner. Looking at his pictures, YOU
feel that thus indeed may this that Biblical cpl
sode have occurred made impressive by the nature
Of the action involved and Illuminated by no super
natural rays. but just the familiar light of Pales-
tine Rarely in anything that he has done Is there
a hint Of shrewd stage management
If this hint is given once upon the present oc-
casion. in the picture Of Daniel in the Lions
Den" the painter has TO be sure, some warrant
for his rather theatrical effect. The shaft OF light
piercing the roof Of the den has nothing Hechan-
ical about II. and perhaps Mr.. Tanner is scarcely
TO be blamed for placing the figure Just where TINS
light would fall upon There is. after al, only
7 hint excessive artiice in the composition.
Elsewhere, moreover, the artist Is completely Tree
from. this peculiar of sophistication- In the
immense interior with figures. Behold, the Bride
groom Cometh.' in Judas Covenantng with the
High Priest in Christ Washing the Disciples
Feet" and in various other pieces. his merit IS the
merit Of life itself candidly observed. There is
curious vitality curious power, about these com
positions. What, the other hand, is their cnar-
acter regarded from the point of view Of tech
niQue? 1t is a character still significant Of prom
ise rather than of achievement Mr.. Tanner Is not
a mediocre craftsman. The maturity he SHOWS
in his conceptions is matched by some. al least
elements in his technique. He handles his
brush vigorously and with a sort Of rough pre-
cision His figures summsrily and boldly
modelled. He has a sense Of form and knows how
to express il His difficulty lies in securing beauty
Of form, n drawing well truth
There ia a strange unevenness in his painting.
He will portray head in solid vivid fashion, and
then handle OF the figure with seeming
carelessness Nowhere IN his work there the
least charm tone. His instinct for color is
extremely limited. The dark tones which pre-
dominate in his csnvases are adequate, no doubt.
TO his purpose, but in themselves they are sadly
deficient in quality. Neither does he seem - pos
sess that faculty for pictorial construction which
marks the inventive designer rather than the
inlpassloned reaIist The large painting mentioned
above Behold, the Bridegroom Cometh-' IS ad-
rnirable as has been said. for its truth, FOR its
suggestion Of movement. and, by the way. for sew
eraI passages of fluent and even graceful work
r1anship such as Mr. Tanner seldom puts TO his
credit But 4 composition II IS q little p-osatc-
There : complete absence OF that fasnionng
power through which artist transforms
dinary page of life into original and artistic
whole a thing painted and not narrated. not stage
managed but re-created- Closely related to this
structural weakness in Mr.. Tanners art IS his
poverty in the matter Of style Genuine as his
work is II IS sngularly wanting in the accent Of
7ersonal+v He commands respect and. Il you
Ike some admiration He does not stamp his
ideas unforgettably upon the mind. there is no dis
+nction about the envelope he gives them. Much
may be said IN praise Of his work. that which
one is most anxious to say-that IT is beautiful.
When the exhibition arranged Christ's College,
Cambridge TO mark the terCentenarv Of John Nil
ton was opened recently the collection Of portraits
which fr contained ran 20 178 numbers The SINH
lar exhibition which may be at the Gro'ier
Club includes 32s portraits. Obviously premier
body Of collectors of books and prints has made an
extraordinary demonstration The familiar little
hall i filed BY such souvenirs poet should
gladden. the heart Of his devoted readers. The en-
cravings are shown in different states, often per-
hitting the observer scrutnize odd variations.
and in addition to the array Of prints there are
original editions Of MiItou's works and other fas-
ci7aring rarities In there is the original
manuscript Of the first book Of Paradise Lost
the ma nuscript which went to the printer Here
also YOU may see fac-simile u that famous agree
rent between the poet and his printer which trans
Ferrad the DOWNRIGHT Of Paradise Lost IN C1nsid-
Grafton Of IS IN hand and a further payment of 70
n be made on the completion Of the sale of each
of the first three editions on the title page Of an
old French book find the sigma lures Of J. Brack-
lev and Alice Egert0n. They acted IN 'Comus,
which Milton wrote for them and that "MaS<e' is
here represented IN copy OF the first edition. The
list Of precious things OF this sort might be con
timed almost indefinitely Lingering among them.
ono seems 10 touch hands with the poet himself 70
travel hack across the centuries TO his own time.
The nhvsognomv Of Milton. like that OF nearly
every other great man. Dante Shakespeare, Nj
cbaei Angelo Napoleon or Washington. has been
resolved into certain types which the historian OF
,-,s,.,,e, NAV classify This fact has been kept
tr mind in the arrangement Of the Gr0ier eXhlb-
lion and the framing Of the catalogue The patient
Student NAV slowly follow the generally consistent
F,rt sometimes fantastic developments flowing from
the contemporary data In most cases the lofty
calling of the is zeal0usly interpreted 70 the
host of tie engrayer's ability. but occasionally one
r,es t,r,o7 a portrait that is positively droU
i,7-ensitfveness whIcu rev-a-- John Milton as
q rI,T,p AN. e. .---~--''- ~n,.re. for example is