New-York tribune., 1909-11-28
YAN DYCK md OTHERS.
Current Exhibitions Of Old and Mod
rrn Pictures.

American paintings at the Metropolitan Nu-
scum. This which has sim tvo days more Il
run. would seem 10 have stirred split Of
emulation in other quarters. There was re-
Gently opened at the scott ald Fowles Gal
kry a small hut very interesting show f Old
nlaStors lent 10y Mr.. 4. L. Taft and nov there
may h seen at the Kno,dicr Gallery n ira-
presSivc group Of portraits by Van Dy.k b.
longing Ia Mr. H. e. Frick aId Mr. T. \. Il.
Widenor. Five of these nnn masterpieces We
reproduce to-day. The cnti.. collection va
traversed AT length in The Tribune Of last
"Wednesday and requires no exhaustive
Comment now. Nevertheless, Il may De Teit",-
eted that this exhibition has a special signf-
eancc apart from the ntrin qualities OF the
paintings il contains
Very rarely is a small group Of works our
81 the mass produced by great master 50
representative, 50 rich in biosf aphicaI value, as
Is this one. Every painter of genius has his
pcignantly personal note strain which At one
time or another if not Throughout his career
he develops in such wise that re makes il more
ahan anything else subtly expressive of the
very last and deepest emotions Of his soul
The thing that thus distinguishes Van Dycll
Is Ills eourtness. the essentially patrician
grain of his art Without Il even his marvel
lous technique would have left him simply
another Rubens. For example the two can
vases IN this exhibition which date from his
early period the portraits Of Franz Snyders
and his wife, masterfu as thcy are and already
indicative Of a great individual gift are por-
traits such as Rubcns coul ard did naint
The main thing, OF course for the STUDENT of
Van Dyck To consider if he wishes to grasp the !
special personal relation of that painter 10 the
History of Flemish or for thar matter Eura-
Tean art is the one element which he brought
INTO II sharply differentiated from any,hi..;y
That Rubens. or anybody else. could do. Ru- |
benS' too WAS courtier and this fact is often I
apparent in his wcri He could paint a royal I
portrait royalty and in grand compositions he !
easily surpassed Van Dyck. witness tn gor-
Eeous MediciS series in the IoUvre But hn I
could rot change the texture of his mind /
There Van Dyck proved himself a character
or finer, Though slishter, stuff and il is in the /
N"rk OF his Genocse period. illustrated Nv All .
oi TIE portraits in the Knozcer Gallery save
ne TWO mentioned above, that this fact is p..,-
iaimed in peculiarly mcanng terms
IL j. interesting as YOU s.IIVcy the wh,,;c
'ody oi hiS portraiture To note the steadily
A"o"i ing force Of all that ,y..s refined ia his
Sttu'e, and to observe The cIcct Of this ten
heE even IN his religious compositions Eu,
double excitement attends analysis Of his
f'nius-we feel the man the more intensely in
bCr contact with the artist Lhcn we foIlay
MN 10 italy and realize the ardor with which
he embraced the opportunities there Offered
En. Never again i he siuerrcr or more hr
in2u- Never again III the STUDY of his career
src "" 50 Vividly aware DT a tempcrancur
uhI"!'ins and joyously taking unto itself irs
Ircd' stncd inspiration. The Cenoese PORTRAITS
sian" Ter that one fecuni moment which
come 10 every man Of genus. the turnina.
point in his development the spiritual crisis
Which determines the final lrift of his creative /
powers That is why the exhibition at tho /
hh"'uier Gallery is Of such signal interest /
Tie portraits Of SnydeTs and his wife SHOW, him !
1" u@ for what he was at ,se outset = e-r,at /
p'lst staining at the parting of the WAYS.
The Gen"c>c portraits not on show us what |
De became, great artist ~, cisnf, an original |
FtNi' ana 'mbodying a courtly IDEAL but M |
him before as in the very act of fashiopinp |
th' new language which he ,.as 10 give to TN.
prt Of painting.
We have alluded To the wholesome imnetus /
SiN'n in the matter Of exhibitions by the one. |
at the museum. Another instance is suppIied
at the Enrich Galleries. where some TWENTY |
hVc or thirty Dutch pictures oi the seventeenth,
century may be seen. The show is apposf., /
ana ia itself attractive, inducing a number Of /
Interesting pieces by important masters. rb.re
Is, Tor example. an admralIs Portrait Of = |
Young Man" 10y Ferdinand Bl The stamn 49,
genus. no doubt. is lacking, but the Dutel !
school was not wholly made III, Of f,Cniuscs and
II wei work n