New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-03-17
LITTLE ART SHOWS
OF THE SPRING
Paintings by Maria Oakley
Dewing-Prints, Plain
and COlOred.
Rx ROYAL CORTISSnI

had the exhibition Of her own which we
particularly recall. Now she is having
another AT the knoedler gallery, and in a
certain sense there is something new and
fresh about il. Yet when she exhibits she
seems always 10 revive an earlier tradi-
ton, the fine tradition with which most OF
what IS best in the American school is al
lied. Her training in Paris might seem
Old-fash toned 20 some OF our younger ar
lists. but that would be because they are
impatient OF disciplined drawing and re-
strained harmonies Of color. Later by the
way. she felt the rich influence Of La
Fargo. one thinks Of his flower pieces in
looking at some of hers, and one thinks,
too. Of Fantin Latour But chiefly one
notes the original quality in Mrs. Dew
ing's art. the instructive sense OF beauty
which lies at the bottom of il and the
true authority with which she handles her
brushes.
In the present exhibition the place ~
honor IS given to the most recent of the
paintings, a full length OF a little girl in
pink The scheme is simplicity itself The
child IS posed in the most natural and
artlass manner, holding in one hand
fiat book which adds a delicate greenish
note TO the arrangement Of tone. There
are no teasing accessories OF the sort so
often brought in for decorative effect, and
neither the old rug on the floor nor the
tapestry In the background is al all en-
phasized. The artists purpose has been
purely to get the portrait. and with 1t the
sweet. dainty spirit Of her subject She
succeeds by dnt OF an exquisiteiy sym
pathetic touch, but we would also ascrlbe
the value OF this work TO the beauti-
full drawing in II. the really mastery
way in which Mrs. Dewing has synthe-
TIED details OF form and OF costume. She
fingers with a beguiling delicacy over
the modelling OF a hand. but she sees her
figure as a whole. Never has she painted
in a larger or in a more individualized
manner. There is another portrait OF
child IN the show less ambitious but hard
~ less distinguished. And with these two
canvases there are I'VE or six OF those
studies OF flowers I'm which Mrs. Dewing
has always peculiarly excelled. They are
OF all dates one OF them. the lovely Pea
cock Fan" having been painted as far
back as 1877. Another. the picture OF
flowers in an old gray vase, belongs some
where in the nineties. We remember see
ing this at the Academy and noticing
how, in its modest way. II practically
KILLED" everything In its nelghborhood
Mrs. Dewinss flowers have made for
themselves place apart In American
painting She gives us their character,
their special texture, their special droop.
She paints, literally. their portraits. But
above all things she brings out their
color, and in the process transmutes II into
something new and strange. Merely as so
much painted surface a flower picture or
hers is a sheer JOY. II is true, Il Is beau
tiful, and it has style.
At the Arlington Gallery there is col
lection Of landscapes by Mr.. Robert II.
Nisbet lie is an engaging painter or
New England scenes, putting into his
work the familiar homely facts Of the
American countryside and investing them
with a light. friendly interest. A picture
of his like the wood Interior or the
'IIll Top at Noon" is as racy In senti- !
ment as ii is deft in craftsmanship. Mr. |
Nisbet has his more or less romantic !
moods. and these are illustrated, In some |
instances, at all events, by pictures where |
I'm certain decorative grace is added &c |
the scene. in the Garden" and "Idylle,' |
with their gracious figures, suggest the !
half-theatrical picturesqueness Of the OLD /
Roman villas. There are hints Of an even /
subtler poetic emotion in the Dreamy |
Night and the Morning Moon" In the /
main, however, this artist would appear |
TO do his work from a distinctly objective
point Of view, giving all his attention 70
the crisp drawing Of tree forms and the
diffusion Of light. He is clever and he has
a sincere feeling for nature. His exhibit
ton is one of the pleasantest and most
Of the season.
Two etchers have possession OF the
Goupt gallery at the moment. MISS Ma
tbilde de Cordoba and Miss leila de
Niihau. The portraits in dry point by the
former disclose an unusual talent Miss de
Cordoba uses pure and hrm line. he'
nrofIes are drawn with notable decision,
but thew are never hard Take, for eX-
annie. the "Sir John Simon This ~
,ollshed TO the point Of brillance, yet the
,ortrait is an essentially suave piece or
work. Enthusiastically Miss de CORDOBA
knows tust what she wants 10 do, ana pro-
,eeds TO do it with an admirable assur-
,nce. most skifuly practising the pre-
,ious art Of omission. She is charming In
nor studies Of children. Most Of her
,Iates are printed in color. and this only
makes them the more attractive, though,
"a the sir John Simon" shows, she can
ieal in simple blacks and still achieve
Ter full effect Miss de Milhau's Egyp-
ian and other Landscapes are decidedly
lependent, on the other hand, upon the
.olors in which they are printed. In linear
,ualltv her work Is not very strong, but
Ter scenes are we'll blocked out and the
olor in them greatly heightens their VI
atty The studies Of animals In bronze
" Mr.. Rembrandt Bugatti, which are
.lso shown at this place, are interesting
IS PORTRAITS and technically show some
igor. In style they reveal no special
At the Brown Robertson gallery the As
ISOLATION Of American Etchers is holding
ts second annual exhibition, twenty-eisht
artists contributing all told about hun
lred prints The collection Is most At
ractive where the sketches OF architect
lral subjects are concerned There are
, few clever figure pieces and there are
ZONE we'll drawn LANDSCAPES, but these are
subordinate 10 the souvenirs or European
ravel etched by Lester @ Hornby. George