New-York tribune., 1912-03-04
ART EXHIBITIONS
William M. Chase's Collection of
PiCtureS-HiStoricaI China.

| IL Is refreshing to walk through the
American Art Galleries and find on the
walls so distinctive and personal a gather
| ing of pictures as the collection made by
William NJ. Chase, the well known Ameri-
can painter, in the course of his busy ca
reer. Even the casual visitor cannot but
feel ths influence OF q definite aim and
| standard which has guided Mr.. Chase in
his acquisitions The majority Of these $50
pictures are OF modest size. and the sort Of
thing without which the walls of no gen.
tleman's house are complete" is happily
absent There is no Schreyer, with its
plunging horses and made to-order air Of
romanticism; there is wanting the GUS
tomary array Of popular canvases by other
less accomplished routinieres.
| Mr.. Chase has bought only what inter-
ested him. And as his taste is that of a
painter who appreciates something more
than mere artistic conjuring, yet holds in
proper esteem the technical side of the art
he practises, the resulting aggregation OF
works by contemporary European and
American painters is Of quite uncommon
range and quality. 1t is not that there are
pictures of which the first impression con-
Germs their costiness-Mr. Chase has bought
with his brains and heart, rather than with
fat pocketbook. Famous men are repre-
scented In the collection, but frequently by
work OF an experimental or informal flavor
In VOID. the catalogue is justified IN call
ing this the collection of a connoisseur,
while at the same time the pegs are not
set so high that the ordinary person ac-
auainted with pictures will fail 20 feel its
charm.
The collection boasts n group OF eleven
outdoor and still life pictures by Antoine
Vollon. a cluster OF six Monticelis. four
little Mauves. seven pictures by the Bel
gian Alfred stevens. four small Boudns.
halt dozen canvases by the late George
II. Boughton and other little groups of the
works Of men whom he has admired. The
Vollons claim tho visitors attention first.
being assembled in the entrance gallery.
but the Monticello galaxy in the large room
upstairs Is at least as fine II contains an
Autumn Landscape" in which the infre-
ouent sense Of structure latent I'm the color
! mad Frenchman's mind has happily assert
! ed itself This has resulted in the creation
of a composition that holds together excel
lently. enriched by gamut OF color that
has reserve power. and yet the same siren
quality of sensuous beauty that sings from
even the less sane and reasonable OF Mon
tlcellrs canVases. Under it Is another pict-
ure OF a more usual type, with a series OF
figures In a woodland scene, arranged with
ordered skill, but rejoicing chiefly in it's
splendor OF reds and yelows. The other
examples OF the lovable Frenchman are
, small but typical.
The vollons are dominated by luscious
still life. vision of grapes and peaches
with a bowl and lamp on n table, the
whole seen through the harmonzing color
sense OF this master OF his art oysters.
fish and other objects are glorihed I'm Ike
manner in other Volon canvases, and the
mans breadth Is denoted by his study OF a
| female head and his several landscapes.
one Of them an admirable coast scene at
Treport. full OF shining transparency OF
pigment, and composed in a way that car
rles it's own word Of sentiment The little
Boudin pictures are essentially those which
a painter would value. and they are char
| acteristic. without limiting at formula.
The mauve specimens are also quite small
in dimensions. but they contain authentic
utterances OF tho real leader Of the modern
Dutch group. The unevenness OF Alfred
Stevens in quality Is illustrated here. When
he chose to pc int broadly. as In the large
beach scene. nc had an element Of power.
though this Is not the happiest illustration
OF II. This note however. was not that
most easily within his range. IT is in studies
| that show precoclousness, In the treatment
| OF textures and OF the well dressed women
~. nj
| gian excels. Mr.. Chase Possesses no com
| manding example OF this aspect of Ste
vens. but his pictures arc worth seeing
Boughton was a man much overrated, and
! tho paintings here by him have little moro
than their illustrative quality to give the
visitor pause.
! And now TO the other pictures OF Mr.
| Chase's entertaining assortment. At tho
| entrance the visitor meets little half
/ length picture. The Young Musician"
which Will renew respect for Ferdinand
Roybet. the French artist who made IT,
This little picture. rich and restrained In
| color, was done many years ago; the Roy
| bet OF to-day is quite another painter. and
a sadly commercial fellow. lie figures
again, near by. in nearly as fortunate a
manner Whlstler's unfinished The Cello
Player" has the makngs of a fine perform
ance in IT, the head and shoulders OF The
bearded musician are indicated with the
easy distinction that marked the gay mas
ter OF paint and sarcasm. rare little
landscape by Barge is here, with pleas
ing little Dupre. and two pictures by the
erratic and gifted American who spent
much OF his time In Munlch-J. Frank Cur
rler, q man OF power and perception. who