New-York tribune., 1914-03-01

! the grandeur that belongs TO one or
Michael Angeles hieratic figures Form,
for him, as for the great Italian master
was in some sort a vehicle through
which he expressed ideas of majesty
and beauty. Mr.. Walker misses this
subtle magic. His Man Saving Wood
is only a man saving wood, and save
for the fine sky in the background there
is nothing in the picture TO give us any
strong aesthetic sensation. He leaves
us similarly unmoved when he paints
The Royal Mail" in which the Cana
dian postman drives his sleigh across
the frozen waters. The mild pictur
esqueness extorted from the scene is
accompanied by no ether grace. But
! there are instances in which the sub
| iect cries aloud 10 be heightened by the
glamour Of style. with themes more to
! his real taste Mr. Walker achieves not
only the force and truth which have
always been characteristic of him, but
simple, penetrating beauty.
You find it in a picture like An
Autumnal." in which he is content to
interpret landscape. resting for his eI-
/ feet upon atmosphere and color. Ii
would be hard 10 beat the clear sing
ing note Of blue which gives its lowell
ness to the sky in this picture, and the
artist is equally successful. in much the
same way. when he paints his Boy
Feeding Calves" and his Loading Logs
Winter" Here man and beast are
subordinated TO the landscape, ana IN
his portrayal of the latter Mr.. Walker
uees a veritabe power. His tree forms
are exquisitely defined, and the air that
pIavs around them is the true air OF
winter. The wholesome cold spirit OF
tne scene is expressed with all the
simplicity in the world, and yet with
nneness poetizing the subject 1here
are water colors as well as oils in the
exhibition. and one of them, the niue
"Moonlieht." has an Unexpectedly fo-
mantle accent The collection as
whole is uncommonly exhilarating. \
talent like Mr.. Walkers. so sincere ana
so robust touches us as with the
healthfulness uf the homely scenes he
loves to celebrate
\ kindred type Of artist is Mr.. W.
Herbert Dunton, who shows at the
Mich gallery pictures OF COWBOYS
watching their cattle, trappers. buifa-
Ioes and other subjects drawn from
what he calls i'm his catalogue tine Old
West" He has spent much time amid
the scenes of early frontier life. and it
is with an accurate and spirited toGCh
that he makes his transcripts from one
of the most picturesque phases OF our
history. He knows how TO gain
piauant effect, as when in The Breed
Trapper. 1890" he shows his advent
urer leading "a trio of pack horses and
silhouettes the group against distant
mass of blue mountains. The same
skill in the development of contrast
crops out in his little sketches of MeXi-
can scenes, bright splashes Of sunshine
and color.
At the Hahlo gallery there is an eX-
hibition of etchings and drawings by
Mr.. j. Andre Smith. There is rather
curious paradox to be observed in his
work. Ordinarily one would expect an
etcher to show more freedom in his
sketches than in his designs on me
copper. hut Mr.. Smiths drawings ate
a little hard. whereas the moment lie
takes the needle in hand his line seems
10 grow a shade more flexible. IL is,
then. not only an easy but very clever
and interesting line. Mr. Smith mas
found his subjects in New York and In
New England. in Bermuda, England
and Italy, and wherever he has trav-
eled he has contrived to hit upon plct-
uresaue subjects and 10 draw them pri
marily in a truthful restrained manner.
IL is a pleasure to observe an etcher or
old buildings who has a sense OF their
purely architectural traits and is loyal
TO them instead of sacrificing them 10
some supposedly amusing effect OF ligh,
and shade only a master like Whistler
can afford to put the linear arabesque
in the foreground. Mr.. Smith gives us
credible and interesting portraits OF his
charming scenes and he does this with
an adroit elegance, so that his etching
is worth while for its own sake. His
style may not have very fresh per-
sonal quality but so far as IL goes X is
light. graceful and i'm the true spirit Uf
the needle.
The work of a man who has contrib |
uted heavily To the establishment OF
that principle which Mr.. Smith follows
NAV bee seen at the Ralston gallery. lie /
is MIR ID. Y. Cameron. the Young !
Scotchman who profted by the exam
ule of Whistler but beat out style OF
his own and in his turn reacted 10 good !
purpose on his contemporaries. The |
merit in Cameron's etchings may - !
some extent be measured by the sue
cess with which one dealer after an |
other makes an exhibition ~ his work |
during the season. This latest show