New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-08
ART EXHIBITIONS
, Scotch Portrait Painter OF
Genuine Gifts.


i'u,y They not only rear up IN Spi'e
olN .Is.msAlyes hosts Of imitators' put un-
Z" ,a,ouslv dictate 10 fashion. rake Tor
e"s', r,o The influence Of John Sargent.
sSrongb no fault of his it has penetrated
l"TH drayjnc room as well as to the
-" :, ouch wise that for some years
st"'. ~. world has been flooded with UNI
aG ~ portraits nominally IN his man
eOH' ,rbs revival of interest among Amer
re' uoctors I'm the eighteenth century
fSN sobool has similarly reacted upon
ths" ,,s,c If there arc some sitters
,,.5oin 90 he done in the style OF
wv IL, American master ii is often
'' the, prefer to be commemorate
eva ord with accessories, recalling
,,ode of Sir Joshua and his circle. In
wv convention RACES in contemporary
s"O .sai,rre as il RACES nowhere else In the
POI a., fortunately. however. there
.,sr,ers who persist In remaining
ht ,,e circle wherein ideas arc sac
- tho cIichc, and fortunately they
. AN still find their public Among 'hem
~" r.ckon with warm appreciation the
80 scotch painter, Mr.. Sholto john
'ou"e nouglas. who has an exhibition AZ
80 '.o' scott & Fowles gallery. lie brings TO
-" sho,es none of those merely spe-
~" 80 Qualities which have so often char
- ,.rtved OH foreign visitors dedicated TO
rwo facts stand out in this exhibition.
A. nouelss is competent workman ana
a man Of taste. Not in long time
s.s foreign portrait painter exhibiting
49,. shown US a technique so honest ana
enc II rests on the simplest founda-
.,.,s There is nothing assertive about THIS
S.,s,,s STYLE. He is content to paint the
'.,,,h % draw and model in straiehtfor-
ard htoroughsoing fashion. and to use
.s color with the same quiet luoSmeh''
:, q. in his color that we find much oil MS
..,;, The double portrait called Inc
listers provides. perhaps. the best mus
.-ot,on Of it's strength and charm. In the
,,,sr mart OF the canvas. where the heads
IA shoulders OF the two dainty fgures
arc half enveloped in kind OF romahuc
osrrmbra. full OF the mystery OF night the
,one is perhaps no finer than we would
ave right 10 expect from almost any
lever painter. But in the bulk oil the
comnosItIon. where the flowing white
garments of these girls are care1ul'E
,,ud,.d Mr.. Douglas gains really re-
marksble beauty OF color and surface
usr. is a striking instance of what may
!. done with one OF the most refractory
A. KEYS. The man who painted theSe
white. must have sat long at the rect OF
,jch painters as Whistler and Alfred sic
ems He may not have quite matched
,bsm hut he is at least not unworthy oil
,hsm We make the same reflection IN
the presence Of those portraits, Ike the
"povager Countess OF Northesk ana the
lady Kinross." In which his simple ar
rangements OF tone are OF familiar oiacK
and brown. Such harmonies are. indeed
common enough. but Mr.. Douglas handies
Them with a distinction of his own.
He subordinates them. too. and this Is
one of mis- brightest virtues 10 the all
important question of character. II Is al
WAYS a personality that he puts before
us. an individual of unmistakable traits
There is one portrait in the snow the
Princess Patricia OF Connaught, winch
from the celebrity of the sitter VIII at
,,,c. snecial attention. and Mr.. Douglas IL
well nrepared for the close scrutiny which
his work will receive. The quiet scheme
of black and rose is very delicateiy con-
rived and in the lovely head ana race
We find some OF his most distinguished
craftsmanship But the grace ana re-
fnement conspicuous in this canvas play
their parts to equally GOOD purpose when
he i not psinting a court portrait. They
c,op ont again in the engaging MISS
Douglas Uarnilton''-w by the way,
has SAVIOR of the eighteenth century
about il. but suggests no deliberate emu
latlon of that period-and they lend
brilliant interest 10 the viva
ciouslv painted head in the Lady hin
ross" MIR. Douglas gives himself Ger
lain range. In another double portrait
The Misses Milais." he deals with white
again and treats it with greater direct
ness than in THE Sisters" making W.
think this time not so much OF Stevens as
u Manet And here. too. his taste comes
into MAY. Though the handling is more
robust II leaves the tone fine anu pure
This is a capital exhibition. Mr.. Douglas
is Efficient. sincere, and, in modest way
original. The easy dignity OF his work, us
atmosphere OF a perfectly natural ele-
rance and it's unassuming charm should