New-York tribune., 1909-05-02
THE SALON.
Ne5U Sculptures and Paintings Noe
To Be Seen en- Paris.

the artists NCn their laurels fifteen years ago; |
since that date they have been repeating them
selves like pcnsioned functiOnaries in mOnot- |
onous waves of routine. The same old apple |
trees continue put forth the same fruit, |
which becomes each year more withered and
Juiceless. Paintings, pastels, drawings water |
colors and sculpture comprise some two thou |
sand numbers. OF these less than two hum |
6red and fifty are by newcomers; that is to say,
by artists who are neither members nor asso- |
ciates The National Society has thus become |
more academic and more "pompier" than the |
Society of French Painters from which IT Sc !
eeded twenty-five years ago.
on entering the rotunda meets a rough |
hewn bust of a woman. bearing expression |
of penetrating melancholy. The purity of the
marble reflects the light with vibrating warmth |
1t is the latest work of Rodin. Needless TO
say, it is far from finished for he persists in
presenting his offspring, as it were, In dressing
gown and slippers. Near to this unfinished
work is "Repnse." a beautiful composition by
Philippe Besnard son of the painter, and close
by an exquisiteIy modelled head by Jean Car
riere. son OF the lamented master of 'grisallle
Near the staircase TO the right attention is at
tracted by a group of two little girls; the
younger IS toying with her doll and reclines
Upon the shoulder her elder sister; these are
the portraits executed by Nine. Charlotte Bes-
nard Of her two children. a Jeanne dare by
Bourdelle. dominates the platform TO the left,
thiselled in soft gray. porous stone The fig
1re has the effect of being detached from the
entrance to a cathedral There is a fascinating
series of portraits by Prince Troubetzkoi, in
cluding those of the Marquise de Casa Fuerta
and Baron Henri de Ro,hschd. Vallgren's
head of a Dutch woman is a robust piece of
work. one should note exceedingly sympa-
ghetto collection OF figures and statuettes in
~ax by Henri Wernhes, thoroughly decorative,
delicious in line. soft and harmonious in compo-
t.ticn. Near by are some clever busts Of young
Iris by Mark Hopkins, of Giverny.
NJ. Albert Besnard exhibits the third panel Of
lls ceiling decoration for the Petit Palais We
nave already seen la Penste' and La Ma
f5re"; this time il is La Plastiquc" symbolized
and here I copy the cataogue-'by the choice
of Beauty for Reauty's sake" CThe fourth
panel will be that Of La Mystique.') The i'm
preston conveyed is agreeable, light and sooth-
ing. The central figure is a nude youth. slight
Iy draped about the loins the body pierced by
arrows and the gaze fixed toward the sky. The
artists idea is TO show the opposition between
thought and matter. Another admirable deco
ratfve work is by Rene Menard. executed for
the law faculty OF the University of Paris, and
consisting of two panels. devoted 10 pastoral
life. An archaic cowboy struggles with bull
and n dark maid milkS a cOw-ma terial themes
treated with poetic feeling. Alfred Roll, presi-
dent Of the National Society, has never achieved
Il more charming piece of work than his brill
liant decorative panel where groups of nude
women, bathed in sunshine, are seen playing in
Il garden full of delicate spring flowers. An
other stirring work by the artist is the
'Jeune Repubque," nervous, dark haired
young Partisan woman, draped in red, stand
ing with outstretched arms on the heights OF
Montmarre.
Prominent among the portraits Is that of a
mother and daughter. the latter playing with a
little fox terrier, by r. Woog, and with this
must be mentioned a series of intense diaboc
PORTRAITS of by Boldini some refined and
beautiful "grandes danes" by Dagnan- Bou-
veret; the firmly modelled family groups by
Lucien Simon, including a portrait of himself |
In his shirt sleeves and several highly coored;
luminous portraits of Partisan men and women
by Jacques Blanche including of himself
with a white scarf about his neck. One has al
WAYS something to learn from NJ. Blanche He
has the minute, Photographic sense of observa-
tion-which perhaps comes 10 him from his late
scientific father-minged with the imaginative
qualities of a Burne-Jones The kodak accu-
racy Of his eye catches hold of evanescent de
tails: his fancy gives his canvases the mystic
touch OF a dream He has never painted more
suggestive portrait than that of Henry James, |
whose character and thought portrayed in |
tIa doll ,tal,r YanfiaJ h