Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-12-20

VHE exhibition of paintings by
Aston knight, which opened
Wednesday in the hemicycle
hall of the Corcoran Gallery
of Art has both variety and
interest. The collection comprises thirty
nine pictures, the majority of which were
painted in Normandy, where the artist
has summer home. There are others,
however, painted in Venice, Dordrecht,
England and Wales.
The general effect upon entering the
hemicycle hall is pleasing. Mr.. knights
paintings are distinctly colorful, and they
have pictorial quality. He belongs to no
particular school, but his work indicates
most sympathy with the early English
landscape painters, Constable and the
men of his time.
Aston knight was born in France OF
American parents. His father, it will be
remembered, is Ridgeway Knight,
painter of much distinction. Therefore
from his earliest childhood he has had
associations with art and lived with pic
lures. His actual training was In the
ateliers of Paris, and yet, curious-y
enough. all of the modernistic movement
seems TO have passed him by without
exerting the least influence upon his art.
He himself says that he believes art to be
largely common sense, and that one
should paint as one sees, not copying
others. not fonowing blindly, but being
true TO nature and to ones SELF assured
that if ones work really is PERSONA 1T
will be original.
Mr.. knights pictures are well composed
and skillfully rendered. In numerous in
stances his fairgrounds are very minute
ly painted and show infinite study of de-
tail. Under some circumstances this Is
found attractive, but under others 1t mill
fatQS the effect "A whole dis
turbing the unit of the impression and
distra citing attention. Interest in a pic
ture should as a rule be conferred, rather
than crowded to the edge of the frame. A
too defined treatment of detail in the
foreground has tendency toward the lat
ter result. Furthermore In viewing an
outdoor scene one does not commonly
take in detail-in fact, it is almost impos-
sible to do so without shifting the eye
and concentrating attention. Some i'm
pressions are truer than fact. 1t was just
here that the pre-Raphaelites erred and
that the painters of the Hudson river
school made their mistake. clump of
foliage seen in mass is not visibly made
up of perfectly shaped leaves. and BY
striving to repeat this elemental fact the
larger truth is lost. But If Mr.. Knight
digresses on the side of seeing too much
and explaining too fully it is certainly not
usual fault today.
knights work is lacking in breath. how
ever. for many of the canvases are rath-
er broadly and directlg painted. For ex-
ample the large picture which has the
/ place of honor on the semi-circular wall.
THE Castle of Richard Occur de Lion
Las Andelys. Normandy" a splendid old
building perched high on a hill and SO de-
t signed that it fits perfectly into the land
! scape This is in warm browns and is
strong and impressive. The foreground is
/ water in which reflection is caught and
the castle looms against the sky with GER
/ tain dramatic feeling.
/ Near this picture, to the right, is a
/ painting OF a Dutch windmill, one of the
! mills of Dordrecht. superbly silhouetted
ag ainst the sky. Where is something rem
| iniscent In this picture of great pictures
OF the past, but this does not detract iron
/ its interest. The effect is toneful and
pleasing.
| THE Old Harbor. Dordrecht," is an
other good example. well drawn and nice
| ly composed.
| The Venetian pictures also are attrac-
tive, being characteristic and not exag-
gerated. There is one. the Rio della
Verona" which is specially pleasing
/ showing an interesting treatment of light
| and shade the foreground In this instance
being In shadow and the distance flooded
with light
Mr.. knight has made a speciality of run.
ming water. as did Fritz Thaulow. the vel
known Scandinavian painter. and he rem
ders the subject agreeably. The water
which Is found in almost all of Mr.
/ knights pictures is limpid. and If per.
! chance 1t is a flowing stream, the sugges-
ton of motion Is given. Many will be in
| terested in the Torrent in Wales and
| Flooded Brooks" which show the water
literally whipped into foam. tossing and
leaping. The Torrent In Wales" sug.
gests subjectively our own Great Falls Of
the Potomac.
i But there are quieter streams tran