Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-15

said of many. The Lenbach portraits
naturally are masterly-Lenbach was ad-
mitted by a great painter--but he Is not
represented at his best. The Bismarck
here is less vigorous and vital than that
in the Corcoran Gallery at Washington.
Bocklins ''Surging Sea" is interesting.
but not really engaging, and while the
examples of Menzers work which are
shown are immensely clever. they are by
no means profound. Heinrich Won Zugef s
is crude; Fritz Won Uhde's is appealing
and inclined to gentleness, but not au
thoritative.
Max Liebermann's FLAX Barn in Hol-
land is really admirable, as are Wilhelm
Leibrs "Bachayer Women and Arthur
kampfs 1.-The Two Sisters 1t is aues-
tionable whether even these can be called
great
Eugene kampf and Max Clarenbach
Doth contribute, or are represented by
good small pictures. but the landscapes
for the most part are poor in compost
ton, panty and unatmospheric.
1t would indeed seem, from first to
last, that the German painters give little
heed to art, learning both to draw and
copy, but regarding of small Importance
questions of composition, color harmony
and sentiment Their subject matter Is
poorly chosen and their mode of express
sion neither fluent nor graceful.
Ii this is a representative showing OF
is all the more deplorable.
But is it representative? Some say not
Have not even the German secessionists
produced In the long run better work
than this? About two years ago the di-
rector of the Albright Gallery of Buffalo
brought to this country collection OF
ninety-three paintings by contemporary
German artists. which was shown not only
i'm Buffalo, but in ST. Louis. indianapolis
and Washington, and which in certain re-
spects was better than this.
Two pictures that were i'm the collec-
ton assembled by DR.. kurtZ are included
In the present exhibition. A number OF
the artists are much less well represented
now than then.
And. again, are the American people
after all. so utterly ignorant of contem-
porary German art as has been sup
posedc 1t has surely been brought to
them through reproduction, introduced
directly by the travelling exhibition pre-
yiously referred to. and found every year
in the international exhibition held by
the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburg. Per
haps IT 1t is not purchased by our private
collectors and public museums it is not
because it is unknown, but does not ap
Zeal.
There is. of course, danger Of misus
ing patriotism and overestimating the
worth of American art But there is or
the other hand tendency to worship
things foreign and to follow in a false
lead.
TO know what our fellow workers II
the field of art in Germany are doing
even If 1T is not most admirable. is bene
fetal. Sincere gratitude is due thos,
who made the display possible. But i
truth must be told it's chief result mus
be to make us more appreciative O.
what we are doing ourselves
There are lessons to be learned in this
eXhibition-warnings given. But one II
bound to turn from it to the works o
American painters with a sense of relic
and pleasure, its strength and individ
| ualism, which at first may be found al
Turing, furnishing no continuing de
| light
After this exhibition closes In New
York the LIST of March the collection i
to be displayed by the Copley Societ.
In Boston and at the Art Institute o
| Chicago. Next winter an exhibition O
selected American paintings. as a return
| courtesy, is to be exhibited in Germany
! Hugo Reisinger, through whose instru
| mentality the German collection wa
| brought to this country. will also sen,
the American pictures abroad. selecting
them himself arranging for their recep
ton, and paying all costs, being not onl
a collector of German paintings, but
sincere believer in the art of America.
l.. NJ.