The San Francisco call., 1909-01-03

Upon Painting" compiled by
Bruce Porter, his friend. 1t reveals in
a subtle, half melancholy fashion the
inward truths of nature which saw
directly and clearly to the heart of
things. The resistless enthusiasm, the
astonishing discernment and creative
genius of this young painter, who
passed away at 26, have left an import
ant stamp upon the art of California.
He loved California, and was at his
best and happiest when among the
Piedmont hills When studying in
Paris two years before his death he
wrote:
Today, when every town has two or
more exhibitions of pictures in the
year. all alike are artists the young
woman who bespeckles porcelain with
forget-me- -nots and the young man
returned from abroad, having learned
that equal parts of the primary colors
added to four times the quantity of
flake white when stirred briskly for
some seconds and applied with a fork
to an absorbent canvas, result in a pic
ture of the rather impressionistic
kinds it strange that intelligent
people are constantly asking what
painting really is?
clever things, which, as far as painting
is concerned, might have been done
with a toothbrush or the finger nail
In England one finds everything from
Mary and her lamb to abstruse ex-
tracts from Bulfinch, all with explana-
tory poems attached to the frames; the
work done with fine brushes and the
surface licked while drying in order to
attain that Ugh finish of a photograph
SO pleasing to the clergy
I'm America the exhibitions are dis
tinguished by preponderance of mer-
maids and picket fences
Under such circumstances is the
public to be blamed for its ignorance
of what the painters art really is?
I'm the Luxembourg gallery in Paris
there hang two modern canvases, which
tell us what painting is in clearest
terms.
"One, by Edouard Manet, a picture
of a nude woman reclining upon the
linen of a low bed, will forever be
ranked by painters as painting of a
great kind. In this we see that JOY
in the manipulation of the brushes. in
the handling of paint, that is the dis
tinguishfng mark of the painter A
man lacking this JOY in the expressive
ness of his materials may be poet, ar
observer or an eXperimentalist; but
instinct was of the most robust quail
ity; what he had TO say he said clearly
every time he put his brush to canvas
he did so deliberately, each stroke eX-
presses the painter and explains itself
Let any intelligent observer compare
this canvas of his with those hanging
near it, and he must at once see the
difference between painting and what
are drawings merely colored.
eevTNr..z TlA4 - -
Whistler, the now famous portrait OF
the artists mother. In this we find Z
more sensitive kind of painting thar
that of Manet; an exquisite apprecia-
tion OF what can be done with the
brush Apart from the distinction OF
arrangement and color this canvas
gives us an example of painting
in the highest meaning of the word
1t is the work, not only of great
painter, but of a great artist. as well
mans place as u painter is decided
not by what he paints. but how hi
paints 1t. What he has to say IS, fin
ally of course, of greater Importance
to us than his manner. His choice Of
subject will reveal to us how much Of
an artist he is, how far he understand:
the limitations of his art; but at tn,
present moment that deeper question
need not concern us.
Atkins sees Penartn tnuS.
"The great trees against the sing
ing blue of the channel-gold greer
slopes with playing children; upon the
blue expanse, sails of luminous white
like worn ivory. Far below the juttins
pier. dark against the water-witl
liquid lights of gold and ruby melting
into the wet sky"
And in the. notes written upon the
margin of his sketches we find this:
what makes a great picture is no
brillancy of handling or the complet,
rendering OF surfaces, but the seizins
and holding of some element of tha
divine beauty which all things posses.
in some degree. And the mark Of any
great work of art-whether it be {
print of Kiyonaga's, the 'Concer
Champetre' of Giorgione or Bacl
| fugue-is this; that it is for all time
and belonging to none; stamped will
the mark of infnity."
1t is probable that before long al
exhibition of some notable monotypes
the work OF Gottardo Piazzoni. may b,
held. These monotypes, of which few
have been seen by the public, display
work of a singularly delicate and pen
etrating quality. The scenes are takei
from France, Italy and the Montere,
coast In California, and portray clou,
effects in sunshine and in storm, strip.
of wet, sandy beaches, ragged rocl
| edges and tree masses all rendere,
with an indescribab1e softness of deptl
which is obtained by method of tn,
artists own. Some of the monotype
are extremely sharp and clear, appear
| ing almost like silhouettes, Will,
| others, and these are the ones th
artist likes best, have wonderful SIX,
marvels in the rich cloud quality ans
| the fantastic swfrls of light and shad,
in which the technical means is who'll,
unseen. One particularly beautiful
monotype is that of the Monterey coast
the whole picture being hardly NOR
than surface of floating clouds, en-
chanting, and luminously soft and dee
! yet vigorous in its conception. To pro
duce monotype the picture is draw
on copper plate. either a brush or
point being used. sheet of ordinar,
and the whole passed under a heav