New-York tribune., 1908-02-19
ART EXHIBITIONS.
Nesc Works by american Painters.
and More OrientdliG.


These are hardly the days for the artist who
would shut himself up in his ivory tower ana
strive only please himself remaining indlnerefll
the cries of the various schools. Every
thing modern life makes for the discontinue
Of such temperament Yet the artist "ilose aiooi-
ness is backed by a sufficiently strong VIII may
flourish despite the unsympathetic cohdlllois-
In a world prose he goes making poetry
Let him make It good enough, and he is perhaps
surer Of his public than the man who follows ehe
line OF least resistance Mr.. T. W. Dewing clearly
illustrates this point. He is q law unto himself
He has not been Influenced by any Of the current
movements" To find the masters with whom he
has any points of contact you have to go 10 an old
painter like the Dutch Yer Nicer or to modern
one Ike the Belgian Alfred Stevens. But so genu-
inc is his gift. full vitality IS his art, that
when works by him shown they give
you fresh and vivid q sensation you Will re-
ceive from painting by any Of the most advanced
types OF the time. Witness the pictures Whlch ne
has at the Montross gallery in exhibition which
he shares with Mr.. D. W. Tryon, the landscape
painter.
One of these three pictures is called "A Portrait
The designation, matter Of fact, raises none OF
those questions which belong to portraiture. We
may have here study OF character, but that is
beside the point. The important thing is that Mr..
| DeWtns has interpreted just the charm of fenli-
ninity in his model and has wreaked himself. above
all, on the painting of her tawny dress. 1t is IN
great measure the exquisite color he extorLs from
the fabric that justifes the work you attracted
by the figure. but you linger most appreciatively
over the beautiful painting which the artist gives
| you. the subtly manipulated surface. This is a
perfect example OF art existing and for itself.
| The test Of its perfection lies in the purity and
strength of Mr. Dewings technique, in the ffneness
| of his taste. Sensuous charm raised to the nth
| power and absolutely original style-tLese are
| the merits of the work which chiefly make It live.
! There is a similar study in the exhibition in diff
ferent key, one called Green and Rose" 1t is,
| like its companion. superbly executed but the
chr NJ thar has nv
the same felicity. More ambitious. in the conven-
tionaI OF the ter than either OF these paint
| ings is the composition called The Print There
| are two figures in this, seated against back
| ground in which chair, a mirror frame and
two other objects introduced The color scheme
is very delicate and distinguished 1t is especially
to be commended for It's lovely grays The compo-
sttion however is not persuasive whether regarded
| affair OF observation a pattern Of
/ form and color. It wants the quality which Mr..
| Dew1ng has so often achieved other occasions,
the quality Of unforced unity You do feel that
the two portrayed fell naturally into tneiI
positions make, with the background. scheme
| once piquant and balanced The whole arrange
nent seems f0rtuitous, though the artist were i'll
| at ease. He is most himself in this exhibition.
more surely in possession of all his powers of
chantment, in the Portrait already traversed.
Tryon's little collection Of seven paintings in
! oil and nine pastels is interesting for q reason
which relates not so much any individual picture
as TO the general character of the WI ole exhibit
ton AT the glance one percelVeS taaL some
| thing has occurred IN the development OF art,
that he has widened his range If he has not actu-
| ally modified his key. His work has always been
| marked by & certain reserve. He has returned
| again and again TO motive, and has treat
! ed It with the same QuietUde. It has been
| though Nature had always spoken to him in the
| same mood and in the same tones. Now he sug-
gests that he has had new experiences which
| have enlarged his syrnpathies and sharpened his
| vision It might be Inferred that the OF a
certain medium had something to do with this ex-
pansion The little marine notes in pastel disclose
| q feeling for color which may very possibly have
been fostered by the very nature OF the materials
/ employed But if this were so we would have
I to reckon with a substantial improvement IN the
artists handling Of oils. The beautiful skies IN
! s.The Sea Evening" and THE Sea, Before Sun
/ rise; the palpitatiug, luminous tones IN the
/ Dawn ApriI': the brooding sentiment in the
.sIoonlight' and delightfully."- vigorous brush
/ work in An Autumn Morning these elements
/ Of charm are traceable, somehow, TO a distinct
ouickening of the painters temperament he puts
INFO his work all Of old sincerity al OF the Old
/ knowledge and. with these virtues, kndllng
+ sense OF things never reached by him before. Al
! times Mr. Tryon has threatened to tan upon mo
notonv. He is past that danger now. lie mas
/ turned new pages in Natures book, ne mas rem
forced his palette, and in short all along the me
/ he has made himself the more flexible and more
/ interesting workman.
/ - +ba r3auer-Folgon galleries there are twelve