Evening star., 1908-01-21

The twelfth annual exhibition of the
Washington Water Color Club, which
opens tomorrow with private view and
reception in the Hemicycle Hall of the
Corcoran Gallery Of Art includes many
paintings of substantial interest. Not
more perhaps than in the past season for
the standard of the Water Color Clubs
exhibitions has been perennially high, but
as many.
While smaller than the exhibitions held
by the New York and Philadelphia water
color clubs. it is no less significant or
worthy. Indeed. limitations of space may
be said to initiate to it's advantage, for
after all many pictures viewed at one
time are wearisome. and when several
galleries must be filled the jury may find
it necessary to be lenient. Collectively
considered this exhibition is impressive;
the pictures have been well chosen and
nicely grouped. and the arrangement in
the gallery is excellent
The Place Of Honor.
A painting by Mr.. Henry Smell. the
president of the New York Water Color
Club, has been given the place of honor
half way around the semi-circular wall of
the gallery. 1t is entitled THE Rain
bow" and as an example of spectacular
painting is almost unrivaled. A flarbor is
used in the way Of stage setting: dirty
gra, storm clouds wet and vaporohs. OBJ
scure the sky and hide the horizon, while
here and there Oh the broad stretch of
water small boats with their sails spread
arc dimly discernible. So far the paint
ing is excellent. but upon this as back
ground has been laid half Of rainbow
of such dazzling brilliancy that it utterly
refuses to take its place in the picture.
Across the gallery the illusion is remark
able and none can deny the cleverness of
the painters performance, but at closer
range the trickery becomes evident. and
the effect is lost i'll the jarripg elements.
Tm. rainbow has solidity and it's color
Is blatant: it is crude and inharmOnfOus.
| forced and insincere. Mr.. Smell has at
| tempted what almost may be said to be
| the unpainta BILE. and has only succeeded
| in making q display of technical skill
inartistic and distinctly inferior to others
which he himself has produced. While it
| will attract much attention it does not
merit the highest praise.
Mr.. Holmes Pictures.
Flanking this curious picture by Air.
Smell are groups of paintings by Mr.. Will
liam H. Holmes and Mr.. James Henry
Moser, ex-president ana president, of the
Washington Water Color Club. There are
six pictures in each group landscape
paintings in water color, and both in
tone and manner they admirably compli-
ment one another. Mr.. Holmes is not
only the ex-president of the Water Color
Club, but the chief of the bureau of Amer
lean ethnology and the curator Of the Ma
tional Gallery-his painting Is his recre-
alton and is done in holiday hours. All
| OF the pictures which he has contributed
to this exhibition are of scenes near his
country home. which is not far distant
| from this city, and were executed during
the past summer. On account of their
technical brilliancy and artistic charm
they may be considered one of the chief
features of the exhibition. Water colors
it is said, have gone out of fashion. and
water color exhibitions been given over to
works in gouache. which initiate and re-
semble works In pastels or oils. In part
this is true, but only because SO few
painters today know how to handle the
medium. Mr.. Holmes is one who does
Realizing it's limitations and taking ad-
vantage OF its peculiar properties he Is
able to well-nigh exhaust its possibilities
Certainly a better or more imposing water
color has rarely been painted than his
picture entitled Natures Time of Rest, :
which is number ~ in the catalogue OF
this exhibition. It shows broad stretch
of rolling country beneath a partly clouded
sky--the fields are brown. the clouds
threatening. and almost as an incident In
the landscape a plowman with team OF
horses is seen driving MS IurIOW toward
the crest Of the hill. The color Is SOM
Der. necessarily SO. but it has been broad
ly handled and vigorously applied-the
outlook is spacious, the significance pro-
found The bigness Of the outdoor world
is suggested and in relation to the life OF
man.
In lighter vein are the fiowery Mary
land Meadows" the bright little Bah
bling Brook which seems chiefly occu-
pied in rejecting the blue sky over head,
and the midsummer Day." but no less
clever or attractive. The treatment OF
the foliage in Down by the Mill should
be noted, and the melg ging OF things tangi-
Bile and intangible in the mist-shrouded
"By-Paths'' called to attention. In all
Of Mr.. Holmes paintings there Is sug-
gestion OF the old English school, which,
in spite of some shortcomings, possessed
grave dignity and strength.
Mr.. Moser's Group.
Mr.. Moser's group is also notable. He
too can quite confidently be counted upon
for work of a high order OF merit. but his
method is entirely different from that
which Mr. Holmes is seen TO have en-
ployed Instead OF anaiyzing nature he
regards 1t chiefly for effect and lays in
his compositions with bread washes, the
color flowing freely from his brush. He
! go taohnipian inasmuch he has