The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-08-28

twilight entering through the giAs<
pAnes Of conservatory. And AZ the same
tins tho attitude the decorative move
ment IL the ball dress a. u Indulaies
with the spiritual vivanity Of hsr gait.
makes an eighteenth century portrait
What IL entirely the artists own, over and
above these two tendencies in the quiet
strangeness Of the facs. the fantastic
appearance % this head baihed in dis
similar lights This portrait really marks
the hour when the theories % impress
sionism permeated the art OF painting
To IL transformed in II II is step for
ward taken after Name, and Rsnoir, aud
also a striking return 10 the traditions Ut
lightness best eIsmplifed in eighteenth
century portraiture; " has q grace and a
Gallo elegance which impressionism. a
lirtle weighted by realist ideas. had never
known
Besnards other portraits. not to speak
% that indisputabls MASTERPIECES the
Nude Woman Warming Herself Of the
Luxembourg Gallery. have placed him
in the rank Of the great feminist painters
OF the French school from the portraits
Of Nine. Madeleine Lemaire. 81 Nile
ID. and Of Nine BesnArd. to that beau
tiful Pierre intims- of 1901. and that
astonishing portrait OF Mime. Rejane.
with her faw Mike features, her wayward
allure. The brilliancy. the luxury. the
voluptuousness OF ihsse works never
interfere with the repoSe Of style. the
free grace of the gestures and the distinc-
ton Of the ensemble. Never does the
virtuo~ity Of the colorst 90 80 far astrsy
an TO neglect hts models true quality
as women 81 the world These portraits
are bouquets; their sight IL a feast for
ones eyes. and Besnard knows how TO
deck woman in the richest tones with
a decorative feeling which makes Of her
a being Of joy and happy dreams. But
she always remains individual. studied
with that serious care Of which the few
portraits Of male sitters painted by this
artist furnish absolute proof
II is very strange. remarks the same
authority. that the impressionists should
not have gone 20 Africa in search 81
motives for their variegated and brilliant
art. and this can only be explained hy
their affection for -modernist- subjects
and French landscape. ,Sinc' VI. Maui
clair wrote this there have been numerous
Algerian and other African th"m"s OK
posed in the Independent Salon executed
in most ferocioualy impressionistic keys
We NAV well imagine that Claude Monet
could have dons wonders there Judging
Nv his views % the Collie Juan and his
Antilles gardens. IN which he has painted
EXOTIC trees so admirably. Renolr WAS
the only one who crossed TN" sea. and
the studies he brought back ara no NOR"
among the i~st works than those he made
IN Venice But IN. group 81 orieutAl-'s
of the present dav gained an illu-trIou-
recruit IN Albert Ba-nard. who Sp--nt
year IN Algeria whore b" painted som"
- his best CauVase- One II th@-. has
t-scuIns famous the Port % Algisrs AT
Twill ght 80 now IN the Luxembourg The
artist has delighted here IN giving play
20 all the reflections - hia radiant
palette setting a sky on ire with orAng-.
green and rose and lighting up with tho
sparkling % precious stones tine sapphire
and emerald water through which ships
are dragging heavily Bat what Ina. most
Interested Be-nard - "a" hl" and the
color ~ IN" people b." saw the Arab
like a statue m movement dressed "a
folds which weld the form pf IA. body
moving about with INDECENT dignity
apparently thinking not az all, though
giving an artist many IDEAS Tor his art.
Basnard fell in love with the horses.
~ which h. had already realized in France
the most perfect studies that cuntem-
porary art has mad" in this difficult
genre. and he rignad the most perfect
portraits 81 Arabian hoTse- that can ~
seen sine. those painted uv G"ricault
and D-.laCruIN
Ill a
to these pictur.-- 80 thoroughly has IN"
artist succeeded in defining the breed
and the slightest points II the different
equin. species. The result, Of his Inve-ti-
CATION 10 summed up in the Horse Fair
az AlSiers, a Veritahle symphony Of
angry light through which pass burnouse-
of binding wilderness. where white hon-.-~
appear pink and mauve. and where those
who wear dark robes take on shades 81
purple and sulphur Besnard has also
observed the stransH violent beauty ~
'ke Ouled- Nails with their Khol painted
sveS their full rougsd lips their catlka
pupils. their supple and slender arms.
Ike feline paws: and BesnAri has rendered
hem IN series ~ rich and original
pastels His Algerian work IL the recrea-
ton 81 a great painter who loves the sun.
a savory episode in hrs vast production
IL sometimes conjure~ up ChassAriau
bur no trace % romanticism u eft II -
realistic. vibrating. while remaining exact
In Puvis a.. Chavsnnes. Cain and Car I
here q reaction toward somhrp effect and
yale. vaporous beauty ~ tone followed
he brightness u MAnet. hut Bernard. /
pushing forward upon Msnets course.
-evels in the most subtle effects ~ ilumi- |
nation effects not even ventured upon |
by the boldest impreSsiOnists- rndeavor-
20 arrest the most Unforeseen and Inex-
oected phases o. light and ih" most haz-
lrdous combinations 81 color saws Muth.r |
The muddy glow ~ the FIRE glances upon |
faded flowers Chandeliers and tapers
oritshins the soft radiance Of the lamp
artificial lights struggle with the sudden
burst Of daylight. and lanterns standing
Dut against the night sky like golden /
lights with . purple border send their /
glistening rays into the blue gloom In /
his Vision de Femme a young woman /
"a