The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-15

TO vote nj the next Presidential cleo
ton the question of whom We may con-
slider our most prodigious artist. We
have feeling that there might he
some surprises at the runnings Of our
celebrities. What should you say for
instance on the morning after election
IL you round Denman Ross 81 Boston
ana Abldm WalkOwitz of New York
sailing mp Salt River AMI Mr. Tom
Powers ensConced upon the throne?
Wei. ne that as it may, when We
| md or standards In water colors be-
cominr somewhat relaxed. we believe in
administering, tonicS. II a great person
will no. exhibit Of his own accord he
must -, lassoed. Is there an artist Of
such distinction in the city. or in the
country. ,hat even his failures in the
| Nay Of experimentation will he az in
| teresting 10 students ana the public as
| The successes OF mediocrtics? n 80
| max" campaign tu look this person up
ana secure him for the next Water Color
cluh. Is there a celebrated sculptor
who ras decided that since Michel
angelo aud Eod!n could draw, lie could
| too" Is there an architect whose friends
are secretly saying, by jove, that e.-
| puisse OF BINS is great. lie ought to
give up architecture and so in for
painting?
II none Of these rlriiics can ne I'M
garfield then apply 70 Paris, Berln or
even London. There are plenty Of
chaps in those places whose water
colors would jolt us from letharpy. 1t
| is no. expensive Ia get them here Bust
ness men secure chem and profit by the
public ln'ores. in them. Why NOT make
the annual Water Color az leas, as
much OF an event as It used to he?
! Why not make 1t fashionable?
! Nevil . 1.ytton " England who paid
ny a visit last winter. and Kenyon Cox
have both recently written OF water
co,ors: Mr.. l.y;tons essay being largely
technical and Mr.. CoX's dealing with
tho art ~ Winslow Homer and only in
c!dentaliy touching upon technique.
Both are excellent essays, full OF matter
that will DO found inspiring TO students
There are differences in minor points in
the two arguments but the definitions
OF each are IN accord and when they
dilate upon their respective great men.
! wlnslow Homer and Claude, they hap
pen to follow curious parallels which
| We will quote.
OF the method. Mr.. Cox writes: THE
perfection IL water color depends.
largely. upon directness and rapidly.
The material is never SO beautiful "a
when It is washed in al once, with as
little disturbance ny reworking as may
he. the white paper everywhere clear
and luminous beneath and between the
washes" Mr.. Lytton's tenet is similar:
"'rhe colors should be laid on at once.
and then no more touched. II the
| washes are messed about there is a
great loss OF transparence and quality.
just as in fresco. If the modelling is
not finished by the time the lime sets
any additional finishing in secco impairs
the purity and durability"
Mr.. Cox continues: "It IL the ideal
material for rapid sketching from ma
ture. because the sketcher, instead OF
| sacrificing technical beauty TO direct
ness OF expression. gains greater beauty
] with every increase OF speed.
| The more his mind tHomer'sl is fixed
. upon the rendering of his impression
and the less he thinks OF his material
the more beautiful his material be-
comes" Mr.. Cox did not 90 on to say.
because he was not writing a textbook,
that the knowledge back OF and illumi-
|
OF Homer's was obtained in another
medium.
Mr.. Lytton's is not a textbook either.
but he goes we'll into the processes when
explaining his choice Of water color
gods. He is very British in what he
says about blocking in and "chiaros-
euro" and in general displays an indif
ference to the delights Of color as such
that the American reader will he
shocked. One can be grateful to him,
however for his enthusiasm for Girtin,
who seemed "to have added something
| of Canaletto and Guard to his English
tradition. Turner said of him, III Tom
Girtin had lived I should have starved.
but Girtin would never have oqualled
the success OF Turner, though he was
more perfect artist.
THE three greatest stylsts OF Eng
lsh water color are undoubtedly Turner,
Girtin and Co;man. Girtin is lucky in
having left little behind him but what
is first rate, whereas there has been a
rage for all Turner'S worst works. Cot
man also lived to decline, but at his best
he was perfect"
But greater than any English water
colorst was Claude. SO Mr.. Lytton held
IL is amusing to note that he claims
| that Claude nlgheSt quality was
reached in his aquarelles and that Mr..
Cox makes a similar observation in re-
gard to Homers color. These are the
parallelsms referred to. OF Claude Mr..
Lytton writes:
, "As water colorist he is in class
by himself No one else has ever been
quite so free or accomplished so reck-
less or so passionate. His touch is OK
quisite. Difficulties don't seem 10 exist
for him. He uses a brush and wash as
! easily as most people speak. In his oil
pictures he never reached quite the
same level. His huge landscapes in oils
are too far removed from Improvisation
, In them there are beautiful bits and
wonderful atmosphere, but they do not
, contain enough of the original impulse.
. This is Mr.. Cox in regard to Winslow
, Homer's water colors:
9 They are vastly more beautiful in
| color than are the best of his oil paint
. lngs Oil painting in its perfection is
capable OF a depth and splendor of color
, which water color painting can never
, equal. but oil painting as it is generally
!, practised to-day, and as Homer practlsed
H. ia relatively Door and opauue in color