The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-02-02

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w best known of American painters
is passing the late winter in Biz
mingham. He is the guest of his daush.
ter, Mrs. Otto Marx Mr. Mosier made
a brief visit to this city earlier in tine
season, after which he returned 20 Nea
York for a short stay. 1t is hoped that
his present visit to Birmingham wiz De
a longer one and that he Will in future
spend a great deal of his time here nov
that his daughter resides in This city.
The friends of Mr. Mosler are urging
linn to give an exhibition in this city He
Is not yet prepared to make any definite
announcement. awaiting the arrival Of
some of his pictures from New York. but
IL is understood that he will in all prob
ability comply with the many requests
that have come to him from those wh8
have seen his paintings in European
museums, in the Metropolitan and Cor
coran art galleries in this country. and
from those who know of his high rank
in the list of Americas foremost painters.
The prospect of a AIosler exhibition
means a great deal TO patrons of art i'll
this city. Such an exhibition would not
only be a notable event. but it would 1e
In the nature Of a liberal art education.
The visit of Mr.. Aosler serves to recall
the career of one who has been pre-
eminent in art for nearly half century.
A summary of honors received By Mr..
Mosler would mean long list, beginning
with the Royal Academy in Munich ia Ia
and covering a period of Interesting art
history in which distinguished contem-
poraries have risen to Iame and wmcn
brought Mr.. Mosler TO the zenith OF his
career.
Mr.. Moser began his artistic career as
special war artist for Harpers Weekly.
He saw enough of the south in those
days To inspire the painting OF his first
important picture, The Lost Cause the
artist pictured a southern soldiers return
to his home, which he finds in ruins. lie
is leaning on his gun, gazing upon the
ruins The picture was SO full OF feeling,
its pathos SO obvious that its great sue
cess is said TO have inspired the rush OF
The artist for those subjects of deep
human interest that was seen in all of his
letter work.
Mr. Mosler is what art critics love to
cali genre painter, of European training.
lie had a course of study at Dusseldorf
and at Munich under Piloty and later
with Hebert, director of the Villa de
Medlcis in Rome. But his work is not
considered to bear the "earmarks'' of any
OF these schools.
Genre art, the art that tells the stories
of everyday life, has not had a more
sympathetic interpreter, 1t was Larmar-
tine, l believe, vino said that he who
knows how to touch the heart knows
all. As in literature so with painting.
and in Mr.. Mosler's pictures there is TIL
everlasting human interest that touches
the heart, that forces the moisture to the
eyes, because it is impossible to strike
hard upon the human heart without bring
ing tears.
Mr. Mosler's subjects cover that wide
and charming field suggested in the group
of paintings, The Two Women and the
Secret" founded upon La Fontanes ma
lcious story, The Purchase of the We'd
ding Gown" 1.-The Approach of the
Storm, reproduced with this article; THE
Harvest Festival" The Chimney Cor
ner," Invoking Gods Blessing" and a
score of other subjects.
The striking note of domesticity in
the canvasses of Mr.. Mosler gives quaint
and interesting glmpses into old Brit
taiay interiors, of peasant women, >of
Brittany lovers and Brittany babies for
the artist in the Is years that he lived
abroad, frequently turned to Brittany to
depict what he calls the homely pathos
and charm of the Brittany peasant.
His great painting. The Return"
bought by the French government in 1879.
the first purchase of a foreign artists
work. and which is in the Luxembourg,
pictures a peasant woman sleeping her
last long sleep in the curious, closet-like
bed of Brittany, the candles burning and
the village priest reading the prayers
Tor the departed when the prodical son
returns The priest lowers his breviary
and looks down with infinite compassion
upon the bowed figure of the son who
has fallen in despair upon the wooden
settle.
One of the greatest of his paintings
is called The Last Maments." 1t rep
resents an aged father. lie sits in a
chair, his head thrown back against a
pillow, the face of one conscious that
the end is near, of the soul that is look
ing in the beyond, but conscious still
of the dear earthly ties so soon to be
broken. The family stand apart IN
fearful groups. the two doctors are con-
ferring, a wonderful radiance floods
the room from the open window
1t is just such pictures that empha-
size the theory and practice of Mr..
Mosler which attracted the attention of
art critics over a decade ago, q theory
which to Mr.. Moslers mind has al
ways meant that picture should con-
tain a story, told just as plainly and
eloquently as an author tells his tale
in type
With Mr.. Mosler' remarkable pic
ture 1.-THE Wedding Feast" reproduced
with this article, and which is owned
by the Metropolitan museum in New
York city, the artist strongly defines
this theory that a picture must tell a
story 1t is considered a vivid pre-
sentation of tic incident in Bre-
ton peasant life.