Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-30
\ NEWS AND NOTES OF ART AND ARTISTS x

ambitions by a belittling self-conscious-
ness and mistaken notion of his own i'm
portance. Toward the latter part of his
life friends secured for him the commits
sion for four of the historical paintings
in the rOtunda of the Capitol, and he
spent eight years in their execution re-
ceiving for his work $4,000. BY then.
however. he had lost much of his skill.
so that. as compared to the painting of
the battle of Bunker Hill, these paint
ings are but weak efforts.
In the collection loaned by DIR. Reulfng
there are two portraits of Washington
painted by Trumbull-One life size, show
ing only the head and shoulders. and the
other full length-the latter painted to
order for Gen. Gault, whose estate was
on the James river. Va. Neither is WASH
ington as Gilbert Stuart pictured him
and as We are wont to think of him,
and less characterize.
More interesting by far is Charles VIII
son Peale's portrait of Gen. Jackson.
painted in Washington shortly before the
general started for New Orleans. This
picture for many years was owned by
Miss Sarah Jackson, his daughter. In a
letter written by Peale to a relative from
this city he complained that Gen. jack
son had kept him waiting four days for
a sitting The paintings by Rembrandt
Peale are likewise portraits. one being of
Miss Chew Of Maryland and the other
of Gen. Montgomery Pike-the former of
very little artistic worth, the latter of
exc ptional merit The u-evenuess is
very characteristic of this painter some
of whose portraits are of little artistic
interest. while others are so good that it
is difficult to understand how one with
SO little training and knowledge could
have produced them.
The Jarvis is portrait of William
Clark. the pioneer of the Lewis and Clark
expedition and displays painterlike quail
tiles, though as portrait 1t scarcely car
kv,I
remain to be ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of
Henry Clay, both so primitive that they
must provoke a smile. One represents
the great statesman in the garden at
Ashland. his Kentucky estate. and the
other on the steps of the Capitol max
ing a speech. The first is attributed to
Healy. the second to Neagle. but neither
measures up to these painters capabil-
tiles.
The early portrait painters Of America
Copley. Peale, Morse Harding. Jarvis
produced works which bear comparison
with the works Of the great English
portrait painters, though by no means
rivaling them in merit A national gal
lery of art should unquestionably con-
tain examples of the best works of each
and the collection loaned by Dr. Reuling
calls attention to this fact For this
reason, aside even from the interest Of
the exhibits. this loan is of note.
X
IN the Venable Galleries a collection
of paintings assembled by another
Baltimorean, DR.. G. Gold, is at present
on view. Twenty-eight paintings and
one wood carving are shown. which. as de
from attributions. possess consider
able interest. Authorship may increase
the STABILITY Of a painting. but it can
not alter it's merit. and If one wishes
to get enjoyment or profit from paint
ings, one must regard them solely ac-
cording to their intrinsic worth. For
example. it makes comparatively little
or no difference to the average observer
whether or not Jan Both painted the
classical landscape in this collection
which is attributed to him, not withou,
reason. Who, after all, was Jan Both
A painter living in Holland in the
Italian tradition Of Claude Lorrain. But