The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1910-10-09

never hr him n. drew a. = child. an
ht- skill Developed 81 that when a. ~
be went into a lthographeT's ofiic- b"
could und.uak. the most artistic part
81 the work. making tItls-- Tor shes, music
aud s"ri-S - portraits " the Massa
chI-e'ts senate After couple % years
he set up for himself and made drawing
Cor BdiioHs hopihy and for Harp
Bru- the latter offering TO employ him
on a regular salary. hut this was declined
ia 'ls5s he first came to New York and
two years later took a studio In the old
University building He studied IN the
night class 81 the Academy of Design
and Also took a few Lessons In painting
from Rodel who taught him how TO set a
palette and Use his brushes. With the
breaking out ~ the war he went Co the
front "a special correspondent and artist
for the Harpsrs and later made a second
and independent trip TO the Army Of the
Potomac
IL is AZ this time that his paintings began
with n series Of army scenes. including
the Prisoners from the Front Of issS
Then came studies Of negro life and char
acter. followed by subjects taken from
the life Of the country and the little viii
lagos Later he went into the Adiron-
dAcks and found there oongeniAl matter
in the rugged Landscape and the equally
sincere and unpublished guides. hut more
and more he gravitated toward the sea
He was AZ Gloucester in 1851 The next
year he made q trip to England. whore he
had already been for a short visit IN 1897
and he went several times 10 Bermuda
Most Of all. however he was drawn 20
the Rustere grandeur ~ the Maine coast.
Of which he became the recognized inter-
prefer
This sequence % subjects 10 roughly
given. declares Mr. IshAm, and should
not he regarded A. exhaustive and still
LEES as having been followed consecu-
lively The Visit From the Old Mis-
tress. one Of the hest % the pictures OF
negro life, wa. painted a. late a. 1877;
SNAP the whip with it, line Of school,
bows racing down a grassy hill. u OF
1874. and il would he dificult 90 say when
the sea frat appears. hut certainly very
early The mere naming Of the subjects
shows the feeling for the open air. the
strong. simple types Of soldier. farmer and
the ages. hut the subjects themselves
do not tell the whole story Eastman
johnson painted almost the same themes.
hut in = way more trained. less bare and
elemental Homer's experience az an
illustrator perhaps aided the clearness
and directne-- ~ his vision.
The sketches Of our Special Artist
=, the Front in 1881 had 20 he indes'ructi-
bly, clear 70 withstand the clumsy way
IN which they WERE transferred 20 the wood
block Whether from this cause or
another whom he began 20 paint HE pic
tures were from the first firmly con-
structed well drawn aud with an ama~ng
power ~ striking the mind They were
manlfe-tly true The conviction ~ their
varacitv. 81 their ahsolut" reproduction
of thing seen Is overwhelming. and vet
they never reproduce subject a. the
spectator would have imagined ~ John
sons -Old Kentucky Home has only 10
h.. seen - be appreciated That - wha'
every on. INA gined an old Kentucky HON"
ought 10 be but when Homer'- old
mistress. stptelv in black silk, visits her
former slaves who sit einba-rr seed but
grateful or when a negr--=. with the sad
--riou-neSs Of our Simisr relatives IN her
face. --W- scraps u rcd and yellow flannel
on IN" ragged coz ~ her equally serious
spuu-a that he NAV shine IA the carnival
"" recognize that thus aud not otherwise
~. reality must have been Bat v-
would no. have Thought - u thai wsv In-
less "" had seen il The perfectly honest
would prubPbiy admit that even ( they
hal -..n - -ley would not have ~ 'nt"d
% yusi that wsv They would have az
ran gel the seems. a trri- more they would
lsya accented ~" humor ur he I,s'hO-
pr 'ha h-sr' and hv ii-' ~ much they
would have .--~r"i the carving power
Nor. stress than usual has been laid
uupn ID. suit iecis bv Mr. l-ham IN tr-a ting
Il Min-low Honer'- work because the
execution - Intimately wrapped up With
them Hi- technique IN oil differs from
that IN water color. and Will" he has
gained aas. aud breadth h stlll r.main
tho same a. At first The
figures are put IN with firm large outlines
well detached from the background.
%ith the high ngnt- uand II seems a. II
tlmo-t al - hi- early figures we're IN
-.fl CHIT blocked ln Cri~ply aud simply
The brush Nurk - direct. with little work
rur over aud no glazing and while he il
cara bile ~ elaboration ~ detail when u IL
~ the ,-s-snDe ~ ~ ~" clearing across
whose tangio of weeds and vines his
Two GuideS- tramp vet a. = rule he sim
pliH"- ~ ~ much a. poS-ihl" His color
- strong AMI ~urs. -ometIui"s little
harsh hit ALWAYS true The writers who
confuse tone With value -.Huld study his