Evening star., 1909-07-16
NOW IN THE NATIONAL MUSEUM
EVANS GALLERY COLLECTION
OF PAINTINGS MOVED.
Work of American Artists Exhibited
in Connection With Textiles,
Laces, Ivories and Enamels.

| The Evans National Gallery collection
| Of American paintings has been removed
| this week from the Corcoran Gallery of
Art 10 the National Museum. where il
/ is now on exhibition. This will be
! real boon 10 many. as the Corcoran Gal
/ lery is closed from the LIST Of July II
the fst of October. and the National
Museum " open both summer and win
| ter. -
! Rarely, indeed. is so interesting and
| meritorious an exhibition Of art To he
| seen at this season as viii now he
found in the improvised picture gallery
at the National Museum. Tho paintings
comprised in the Evans collection never
appeared at better advantage. and their
I charm * enhanced by being shown in
conjunction with the collections of tex
tiles. laces. worries and cnamelS set forth
in the same hail. The combination ts
excellent. and the effect all the most
| estnetic could desire.
How the Pictures Are Hung.
The pictures have been hung on the
south and west walls and on the three
large screens which literally divide the
hall into four small galleries. William
ii. Holmes. the curator of the National
ment, which is especially pleasing. One
who has not attempted To group and
hang paintings by different artists can
not realize how difficult task it is,
with the handicap of size and neCcs-
sity for balance. To form with such sa-
ried units a harmonious composition
to place side by side only such pictures
as complement one another.
This Mr. Holmes has done. bringing
out in many instances. through proper
lighting and happy combinations. cxtraor-
dlnary merit which under less favorable
conditions would have been obscure. TO I've
sure, it is quite Impossible To show every
picture in collection To the best ad-
Vantage, but remarkably few in this in
stance are made to suffer.
Grouping on the Screens.
The grouping on the screens is partic-
ularly notable. On the first. facing the
doorway, Hugo Balln's great decorative
canvas. The European Sybil," is given
the place of honor. either side Of
which landscapes by Henry Ranger have
been hung. The portrait OF Mr.. Evans
anted by Alphonse Jongers (Which. by
, the way, is a most excellent likeness
we'll as fine painting) has been placed
on the line to the left of "'The Syren.' by
Louis Loeb, in d relative position TO the
fright.
On the opposite side of this same screen
BlakeockS mastery painting, Sunset,
Navarro Ridge" which has the warmth
and richness of Gainsborough's land
scapes. is given chief prominence, but
hung on the second line above two small
canvases by the same painter.
To Right and Left.
Here, to the right, are hung Winslow
Homers painting of the Maine coast,
which he considers his masterpiece. and
landscapes. fresh in color and at the
same time toneful. by Henry Golden
Dearth and William Lathrop. while TO
the left are seen Alexander Wyant's love-
ly 'Housatonic Valley Blakelock's Ca
noe Builders and Paul Doughertys coast
scene.
Turning from this group is found an
other-no less engaging-a group in which
lnness' picture, Shutdown, centers the
interest. James Henry Mosers painting,
mt. Mcintyre" is included i'm this group,
which is perhaps of all the most notable.
as well as +. Ballard Williams charming
figure painting and r. NJ. Shurtleffs ex-
, cellent wood interior
On the reverse side of this screen tha
works of Wyant are given pre-eminence,
one of his earlier as we'll as one of his
: later paintings being shown, in juXtapo-
sition with landscapes by Homer Martin,
ID. w. Tryon, Henry Ranger and Edward
Gay.
Impressionistic Works.
/ The last screen is devoted almost ex-
|
the ultra order but of the tempered kind
which may well be declared typicaly
! American-such, for example, T. w.
Dewing's Summer Pastime": Twacht-
mans landscapes which conserve the
very essence of the outdoor world:
Ernest Lawsons. and Childe Hassem's
paintings. With these is also shown
Charles IL. Davis Summer, a broad
view of rolling country in midsummer
dress, lying beneath deep blue sky
crossed by cumuious clouds-one of the
notable pictures of the collection.
me lighting of the walls is less good
than that of the screens but even so the
pictures disposed thereon may be studied
pleasuraby. To the west the figure
paintings and portraits principally and
to the south both landscapes and figures.
Bronzes and Casts of Sculpture.
Breaking the length Of the long, south
wall and adding emphasis are two great
cases containing bronzes and colored
casts of sculpture by the late Edward
Kemeys, the distinguished American
sculptor of animals. These are loans. but
snoud undoubtedly be made part of
the national sallerys permanent collec-
tion,~ either through purchase by the gov
ernment by gift of public-spirited in
dividuals.
To place in the same room paintings,
sculpture. textiles and objects Of art,
such as are to be at the present
time in this gallery. is not in accordance
with custom, but seems by no means un-
wise. Much, of course. depends upon
both quantity and quality. \ sense Of
crowding is always oppressive. but all
true works of art are harmonious.
Breadth of Arts Boundaries.
| 1t is interesting 10 he able to glance
directly from a group of paintings to 4
piece of old Italian velvet brocade,
and to turn from the lace-like pat'erninS
of foliage against sky to the lace itself.
One is impressed with the breath of art $
boundaries and given new standards of
measure--new ideals.
| 1t is not intended that the present ar
rangement shall be permanent Possibly
/ when the New Museum building is com
pleted other provision for the National
Gallery collections be made--and
some day, perchance. Congress may see
fit to appropriate sufficient sum To erect
gallery worthy of the nation. In the
meantime. however, the collections are
being utilized, and SO placed that 10 the
public they must yield the maximum
profit. This gallery at the National Mu
scum should speedily become one of the
| 'show places of the city-one to which
visitors may be taken With justifapte
pride. L. NJ.