The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1909-01-31

landscape sketches and pictures in va
rious stages of completion that at first
glance seem startlingly original. not so
much in conception as in their strong
and noteworthy coloring. Sparks is
an artist who. according to his own
statement, believes in painting the
feeling" Of a scene. That is the pic
ture is painted just as he feels it,
which in his case means a good deal
more than it does to many of the pro-
fession
Sparks coloring blazes from the
canvas, sending out rich notes of vivid
ness that in the words of celebrated
critic, make the picture fairly sing.
His blue and red tones are things to
remember; his deep browns and yell
lows, Rembrandtlike in their quality
and in the impressive rendering OF
Swallowed interiors, IS seen in the
painting of an old mission for some
time on exhibition at Del Monte, are
veritable color symphonies.
HIS picture of cottages clustering at
the foot of hill under strong, blue
moonlight that bathes the somewhat
imaginary scene in an effulgence of
singular light, IS a composition at
once attractive and repelling. While
Enthusiastically and strongly painted,
and the blues understandingly handled,
IL LC4tiluQS Ou6 Vi liO oNOAS VI liAO oibAoS
and the ship chandler of the Thames.
a famous painter completing a picture
of the equally famous river showed it
to an old ship chandler with whom he
happened to be on terms of intimacy.
The chandler shook his head obviously.
boy and man I lived on the Thames
for 40 years." he said solemnly, and
L never saw no color on the river like
that.
"Of course not" rejoined the artist
quickly; but don't you wish TO God
you could?'
While Sparks pictures present this
glowing, untrammeled, luxuriant color
to the eye, the general effect is one of
subdued richness without the least
trace of violent or too emphatic rem
dering.
In the Monterey picture, for instance.
a sloping hillside crowned by an old
adobe, the hill and roof of the adobe
are painted in the most vivid green
Imaginable green seldom seen out
side of typical Irish landscapes. But
this green is due to combination of
unusual facts The long continued
rains, being warm, have brought out
the grass till it glows in a fervor of
new life. The roof, covered with q
carpet Of the fresh thick verdure,
shimmers in the sun for miles while
the brilliancy of the red geraniums
llldt lnC4OSC Tie lily ydIU Imp
to the corners OF the rough old build
ing are color notes in a real If some
what emphatic harmony of spring.
Quite opposite in character and treat
ment is the abandoned church on the
desert near Arizona, in it's fluent greens
and red hill work picturing with abso-
lutte fidelity the impresSiveness and
deathlike loneliness of the forsaken
ruin. One turns from 1t with relief
to the bit of San Joaquin Hfe-an old,
yellow cottage, whose contours and
coloring give a glory of color to the
still pool beneath. and In which the
three or four figures indicated with
their CLEANS of red, blues and yellows
in headdress and costumes. something
after the manner of the Dutch school,
breathe an amazing cheerfulness
Viewed pictorially, this is a pleasing
bit of landscape work, the yellows of
the cottage where the light strikes
them seeming to flame. 1t is interest,"
ing to note that in the reproduction
Of certain eolors any number of paint
layers may be used. Rembrandt it is
asserted by Sparks, used Sc layers on
one picture, this fact being ascertained
by portion Of a burned painting of
Rembrandt's which in some manner
came into his possession.
Latimer, who, as a rule, Is busy with
Ills CidSS6S, ct tlIuO u pei pClu-
ate some charming bits of Russian
river scenery, where he takes a sketch
ing class nearly every year. Most of
these are water color sketches made
on the spot and lacking the working
over" which will probably come later.
1t is Latimer's custom, however, to
make these water colors first, after
ward reproducing them in oil. While
the majority of the scenes are painted
direct from nature there are several
purely imaginary compositions which
show much felicity of expression and
true insight into Natures possibili-
ties One of these conceptions is that
of a strong orange hued sky with
faint, floating lines and masses of pink
clouds; an arrangement which sounds
startling on paper but which is an eff
feet both original and natural when
seen. A pool in the foreground throws
back the harmonized yellow and pink
colors and a group of dark nassed
trees is penetrated by light seemingly
forcing its way by its own brightness.
This is one of the strongest of the
sketches and its breadth and power are
noticeable.
One of Latimer's better known red
wood pictures shows several of the
sturdy giants springing from the soil,
with their inflnitesimal shades of color
ing faithfully and exquisltely por-
trayed. One Of the monster trunks
has its bark scared and worn. by time,
and IN this the feeling for and SYM
patlay with the forest is we'll shown
Latimer's redwood pictures are rem
iniscent of the timber merchant who,
being taken to a small exhibition was
asked to point out the picture which
impressed him most. After due DELHI |
Grafton, he passed the larger works of |
art by, and, going to a small and badly
hung picture of group of trees, about |
which there appeared to be nothing
particularly noticeable, he said: This
IS the picture 1 want to buy; Til tell |
you why. The man who painted this !
knows how trees grow; he knows how
the sap runs in the spring, and just |
how that tree would fall il cut down |
He knows all about trees; how they
feel and live and how they blow in /
storm, and rustic in g summer wind /
And he's got it all in this picture"
That Is the way with Latimer's red
woods. He knows them, and he loves
them, too. Through his brush the I
silent monarchs send their message to
the world, and that It is full Of dignity
and beauty can not be doubted.
A few southern California sketches
f,,1I of -, |