The San Francisco call., 1908-03-22

Friday. March 27. and will continue
four weeks. Many new works COM
prising pictures and sculpture will be
on view. and the exhibit will include
oils. water colors, pastels, black and
white and miniatures. A prize of SIS
will be offered for the oil painting ad-
judged TO be the best In the. exhibit
ten by Jury of award appointed by
the board of directors The next in
merit will receive a prize of SIS. All
work submitted must first pass the
examining jury. A reception will be
held Thursday evening. March rs, for
the members OF the association and
contributing artists.
In view of the coming exhibition of
miniature work at the institute, a few
sidelights on the resuscitated art are
presented, written by Rose Hooper
Plotner. who has done such excellent
work along this line. That artist
says:
The wane of the miniature. caused
by the brilliancy and novelty of
photography. is one of the most de-
plorable in art history. for 1t deprived
the world-or part of it-of one of the
most pleasing and dainty of crea-
tions. Miniature portrait painting
though described as being in the lit
tle,' should not be considered as a
lesser art There is no reason why, if
the artists conception and feeling for
the work are correct, a miniature por-
trait should not be as lifelike, both in
color and form, as a large canvas.
''Of course, the trea tment and style
must be different; for instance the
miniature should be an idealized
image of the original. and every
miniature should be to the painter
one strictly individual He should have
fr,ta
for. although in the small. miniature
is capable of expressing as many
changes in depth OF feeling as any
larger work. miniature cannot be
too highly finished. The old masters
were willing TO labor over their work
until it reached the height of perfec-
tion; and the results were lifelike to
a line and not mere suggestions of
their subjects.
NO one should attempt to do this
work without thorough knowledge
OF drawing. and one should draw at
least three years before attempting to
paint A good foundation for the art
may be obtained in this city, but for
perfect finish, lightness, delicacy of
touch and management it is neces-
sary to study abroad. where every ad-
vantage Is made accessible to the stu
dent who wishes to reach perfection
in this most exquisite and dainty of
arts
Kate c. Thomson, who will be re-
membered here for her work in minia-
ture, and who left for New York in
the summer Of 1906. has achieved
much success in the east. She has
now sailed for Europe to spend some
time among the studios of Munich and
Paris. Miss Thomson will possibly
winter at Florence, il the work to
which she intends to devote herself
in Munich does not prove too detain-
ing. While in California Miss Thorn
son divided her time between San
Francisco and Mill Valley. and her
work between several branches of
painting-landscapes miniature and
decorative work. Much success is pre-
dicted for her in foreign art eenters
Earl Cummings has moved his studio
from back of the park museum and
has taken some of his belongings tenn
porarily TO the ocean beach studio of
Arthur Putnam. Cummings intends
to build a permanent workship in the
rear of his home in Clay street. but
for the present he and Putnam have
set up their working lares and penates
together.
Rose Hooper Plotner is stablished
permanently i'm the Voorhies building
in Fern avenue between Van Ness ave-
nue. and Polk street. where she is en-
gagged in filing orders, which will oc-
cupy her time for months to come.
Mrs. Plotner has just completed a
miniature of Miss Genevieve schultz of /
Oakland, which is an exquisite piece
of workmanship in its soft finish and
delicacy of handling. The rich color
ing of the original model is beauti.
fully portrayed and the flesh tipts fine !
and true. Mrs. Plotner is devoting |
herself wholly to this branch of paint |
ing and has perpetuated many wen