New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-12-10

the Metropolitan Museum not long age.
lIoih an lnsensitveness to the genius OF
thef medium. They do not love paint
and caress it with sensuous instinct for
It's exquisite potentialities. They know
nothing about beauty Of surface Nor. by
the same token. have they awakened TO
that lesson which Manct so admirably en-
forced of the magic that lies in pure
color for those who really know how
to use ii. Scandinavian color is earish
when it is not muddy; it is dull and un-
! interesting when it is not actually VIII
/ gar. There is an odd case I'm point Of
lered by Gustaf Fjaestad. lie paints run
ning water, noting its movement come
what as Thaulow noted it. and he paints
| snow scenes in manner resembling that
OF the American, Walter Palmer Given
his obviously decorative and delicate aim,
the one indispensable quality is charac-
terful fneness in his whites and grays.
and this he misses with It completeness
positively astounding. Look. too al tie
large Portrait" by Einar Nielsen. The
scheme of tone is Enthusiastically Whis-
tierian, hut the cold hardness OF the
thing would have put Whistler's teeth
on edge. Perhaps the most disillusiOn-
ing of them all is Jens Wilumsen. who
has clearly let himself so in playing
with light and color In his big beach
scene, Youth and Sunshine" he tries 10
do the sort of thing which Sorola does.
| to give us the Joy OF life out OF doors.
luminous and moving; but while We are
far from regarding Sorolla as a great
master we must protest that he looks a
| little like one when We compare him with
the painter OF this picture
Willumsen paints a couple OF Spanish
scenes and tries to get the light Of Spain
into them. IL evadcs him He portrays
himself and his family on a huge canvas,
filling it with a portentous red back
ground: but where the only excuse for
, that mass OF flaming color would be in
trinsic purity and depth OF tone he is
merely harsh and opaque Are none Of
| these painters I'm love with loneliness?
Do they never detect grace in the figures
they study or a subtle elusive enchant-
ment in their woods and meadows? DO
they never model or draw just for the
sake Of modelling and drawing. so that
what they miss in substance they may
make up in fOrm7 Why must Edward
Munich, when he paints his picture called
"In the Orchard" leave his conspicuous
tree and its foliage an inexpensive weller
Of dull tone? And why must his huge
Portrait of Hermann Schlittgen" add to
the tang OF character that it gives us
nothing in line or composition. nothing in
color, that is in the smallest degree distin-
I w Al. oil tfNv,C
must be referred back to nothing more
nor less than a certain essential coarse
ness Of grain in Scandinavian art 1t has
rude vigor. fortnight realism, man
! ~ sincerity, but II is in a backward state
where the sheer art OF painting is con-
cerned. Ii is. so far as II goes. truthful,
! but il is not beautiful A fash OF free and
clever craftsmanship here and there Is
not enough to make an inspiring work OF
| art any more than one or two types, such
as Zorn, are enough to make a school.
| II has not been pleasant to record In
the foregoing remarks an impression OF
pretty complete disappointment, but 1t
would be necessary in any case 10 set
down the truth. and there is. further
more. a special reason for speaking
| frankly on this occasion. 1t liz a GOOD
thing to see in New York exhibitions OF
contemporary European painters. but II
is a bad thing for them to be studied
with wholly uncritical enthusiasm. The
Germans aforesaid, Sorolla and then Lu-
! loaga. were decidedly worth seeing, Dut
the ecstasies which they promoted in
some quarters only darkened counsel. IL
| is right and proper that these scandl-
navian painters should be introduced with
sympathetic appreciation, but there Is no
reason why we should allow them to lake
us off our feet. We can understand. Tor
example. the zeal OF Mr.. Christian Brin-
ton. the compiler Of the catalogue to TINS
| exhibition, for he has, we understand
| taken an active part In the whole project
hut when he says OF the poorly painted
and only mildly interesting pictures OF
Edward Munich that they are "beseecn-
ingly beautiful" we submit that it is
time 10 protest There IS another exnib-
itor. Harald sohlberg, who paints land
scape in a closely analytical manner, de-
fining his forms with dry detail. Referring
TO his work, Mr.. Brinton says: ITO the
| patient exactitude of the Italian Primi-
tives. as seen In the pellucid landscape
backgrounds of panels Tuscan or UNI
brian. has been added with kindred re-
restraint all the grandeur and austerity
of the North, with star-studded sky ana
iilimitable stretch of sHow-covered noun
tain" In ali kindness and good nature
we would remind Mr.. Brinton OF what
the late BILLY" Travers is reported 70
have said when a stranger accosted him
on the street with Mr. Higgins, OF Ny
ack l believer MY friend" replied the
astonished gentleman. III you can believe
that YOU can believe anything No. this
exhibition 10 interesting and desirable 70
see. so that we may have an Intelligent
idea of what is going forward amongst
the artists OF Scandinavia. But 1t Is our
duty to look at foreign art, as we look al
American art, for what It is, and. when II
is wanting in this or that quality OF I'M
portance. 10 free our minds Of provincial
ism and cant, and face the fact Let US
reserve our enthusiasm for scandinavian
art until II has caught up with the art OF
co.. tho Irni,ed States. r. c.
MATINEE OF NEW MUSIC.