The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-04-05
HIS WORK Is PROTEST
AGAINST MODERN ART
Hon. Neville Lytton Strives
for Return to Classicism
in Paintings.
HE HAS NO USE FOR FADS
Portraits in Present Exhibition
Are Refreshingly Whole
some and True.
HE HAS NO USE FOR FADS

The exhibition OF the work or the Hon.
Neville Lyttop now on view In the Raj
ston Gallery. 5s7 Fifth avenue, presents
several interesting contradictions and pro-
vides topics worthy OF discussion for those
who love TO argue heatedly upon matters
Of art.
Mr.. Lytton in an announcement made
before his pictures were hung said that
he was opposed TO the anarchism Of what
has come TO be known as modern art"
|. e.. cubism. sc. that he felt that the
time had come for a return to the older
methods and that his visit to America had
been undertaken with the idea OF crusad-
Ing. as II were. for . return to ciassicism
This announcement or challenge has
been taken In bad part by some OF the
defenders Of the new art, and indeed II
seems to have been issued by foreigner
unaware Of our true situation. The fact
Is II Is bit early TO rescue us from the
evils OF modern art" for we have not
yet embraced them We scarcely know
over here what modern art 10.
We have had one very enlivening. OK
citing exhibition. that Of last year: we
have seen the sporadic attempts OF some
OF our young people TO be advanced"
Of the leaders Of the movement. those by
whom tho movement lives or dies. we
have not seen. Until we do We shall not
be dissuaded from our investigations Of Il.
There 10 something In the hot denials Of
the conservatives, anote Of alarm In their
protests, that leads us to believe there
must be the stir OF life in modern ART
so TO have disturbed them. a
Calls Himself Venetian. 4
Mr.. Lytton has said also that for purely
artistic reasons he has cast aside an Eng
lish ancestry that would have contented
almost any one. he being grandson to
Bulwer Lytton. in favor of something
Greek "or perhaps Eye-tal.iar." IKE the
gentleman In the Gilbert and Sullivan
opera He insists IN fact that now VIII en-
he paints he 10 a Venetian. Mr.. Ly.ton
may induce few Americans 10 accep. this
idea, but he probably will ind numerous
admirers Just the same upon another basis
than that.
The fact Is. in spite OF little hint OF
Bellini here and there, these paintings are
the most completely and soidly British
or any that have come TO US in years.
Some OF Mr.. Lytton's immediate forcbears
In the valiant pre-Raphaelite movement
also made a great TO do over the Italian
method and ended, like Mr.. Lytton, In
being more English than they supposed.
Sir John Millais's types were very British
and Mr.. Lytton's portraits have strong
resemblanccs to them.
Among his s!tters have been some Old
friends of ours. Mrs. Patrick Campbell,
Arnold Dolmetsch. the musician. and Miss
Adeline Genee, the dancer. We may fairly
claim friendship also for Mrs. william
Morris. whose wonderful head, so fire.
auently painted by Rossetti and Burne-
Jones. IL almost as well known here as In
England. Others ar. Wilfrid Blunt,
H.!aire Belize and Mrs. Winston Churchill.
The feminine sitters have dlsdained the
assistance OF NJ Poiret and have pre-
ierred being painted In the costumes in
which they tramp the moors or climb the
hills. The artist. with equal simplicity.
has discarded stu life accessories to his
backgrounds, so we are confronted with
portraits that are exclusively portraits
His thorough workmanship and intensity
of feeling. however. put the light of life
into the eyes and upon the lips OF these
women and men. who escape being mid
Victorian as by miracle. but do safely
escape Il none the lees.