New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1908-04-26
LONDON ART
Repersion to Story Telling Pictures
-Nr. .4bbey,s Dome Decoration.
London. April II.

London April IL
There are 70 Sargents al the summer show
~ the Roval Society Of Painters in Water Col
o-s The presence OF three works by titled
s-+ists is rneaEre compensation for the
absence Of the gifted Americans brilliant i'm
p-ovisa items in 4 medium which lends itself 10
x,ov,sreo1is impressions One of these is a
no-trait bv the Princess Louise, and the others
ere drawings Of the Temple of Luxor and
schloss Friedenberg by the Earl Of Carlisle,
each being an honorary member OF the society
The majority Of the contributors repeat them
selves with incorrigible persistence Perhaps
the best effects are produced by striking con-
trasts Of style when painters with accentuated
rnanne-isrns are brought together in single
group,
There is. for example. a vivacious medley Of
STYLES in the first screen One Of Mrs. AlIing-
hams cottages with q surfeit Of flowers ana
ve-dure under the red roof. and child on the
threshold with finger in mouth, is in conspic-
uous place: and around il are set q study OF
rnurky blues in an old Venetian fortress by MT
Matthew Hale: a Venetian arrangement Of
scarlet orange and lemon, by Miss Clara Mon
talba: pair Of Mr. Arthur RackhaTn's hard and
fantastic bits of web work; greengrocers
color scheme, by Mr. Walter Crane, with the
cournonest vegetables and fruits made pictorial
through g!ints OF brightness: and MI LLOYD
carefully calculated evening gIows and MI VIII
mot Pilsf,ury's pensiye and tender harvest
scenes Not one of these drawings has excep-
tional individuality rises above the artist
average attainment: but freshness aho plzaTfe
charm are impaired TO every one by the sharp
ness Of contrasted effects
The large group Of twenty works by the de-
ceased veteran, Mr.. Caliow, owes its attractive
ness 10 q different cause-homogeneous treat
ieut One drawing helps out another, and there
is tranquil sense Of unity. The earliest are
separated from the latest by q gap OF over NAN
G century. during which the painters powers
were acquiring nexibility and breadth anc his
sense Of form ana color becoming more delicate
He was q close observer and "a painstaking
Painter and his landscapes and drawings OF
abbeys and famous buildings had a fine quality
which did not dete-iorate decade after decade
The NoseIle Rotterdam Malvern and Scarbor-
ough drawings made during the 40's have the
Characteristic style Of the Richmond and oio
Gainsborough Hall Of the SOS, the Venetian pal
aces and churches Of the SOS, and the Englsh
cottages numbered among the painters MOST
recent works He Was not q daring experiment
er but was content with working on the same
lines with a tranquil mind. and while his ART
steadily improved there were no sharp trahsi-
tons Of method. He knew the TRADITIONS OF
English water color painting. These Callow
Cravings are the most consistent ana resliui
group in the gallery. and the spectator returns
10 them with a sense Of relief AFTER beihe coii-
fused and wearied by the mannerisIns Of other
painters
There is the same tendency among the water
color pairters as among the oil painters of the
Academy TO revive the Victorian story picture
and 20 produce interesting works for popular
exhibition. Mr. Frank Cadogan Cowper' VINO
forced his way into the Academy as an asso-
ciste last summer by making one OF the hleoise
val windows in Fairford Church the oacksrouiio
for whimsical anecdote in paint mas perse-
vered IN following Dir. Abbeys carrier "oih
when the American painter has ceased 10 oe
an illustrator in oil and become a decorative
painter with ambitious schemes OF coiof aio
design for the ornaraentation Of public buildings
TIE younger artist has two drawings one
fanciful illustration Of one of William Morris's
thennes-Rapunzei singing from the tower ana
the other The Morning Of the Nativity WIN
Madonna and Child and sheep behind them.
The romance is better than the religious piece
which Is medieval in form rather than IN spirit
Mr. Arthur Hopkins illustrates the PERIOD OF
the Elizabefhan seadogs with drawing Oh ."
Francis Drake on his ship the BonaVenture'
sighting the San Felipes Spanish treasure
shin n is a theatrical use of old stage prop
critics with modern faces and action
Mr. Henry Henshall defes the convention tha'
water colors shall be small drawings In ms
large upright News from Afar. and his Work
does not convince that the story requires SO
much surface for il is simple cottage scene
A little girl is reading letter 10 the ianiiiS'
her mother, with baby In her arms standing
in the doorway, her grandmother In chair
H~,~ around the
- man smoking q pipe and q tow headed boy