The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-07-19
THE dear old Royal Academy IL
worse than ever But IL is al

worse than ever. But IL Is al
ways worse than ever. A writer
IN London Truth estimates that the
academy is thirty years behind the
times and gives his reasons for thinking
so. He may be right, but as matter OF
fact the institution seems even less up
TO date than that
One scarcely expects TO be passion
ately interested within It's walls. Eng
lish art lovers never go there under any
prstext, but the "bulwark OF the ma
ton" the lower middle class, crowds the
place as much as ever and with as keen
a devotion to subject pictures as ever.
This year even subject pictures are
slighter than usual About the best in
this line Is a return OF prodgal son,
who has SO little tact that he returns
while a dinner party is on. The mater
Is half inclined to receive him las is"
but the stern father is debating the
matter and the guests are whispering
the true story Of the prodlgal to their
fair neighbors. 1t is not after all much
OF a subject" No, to be compared
with Lac. years "snbject," in which a
lady knelt at her husbands knees with
a great show of emotion. People
crowded about that picture constantly,
asking each other which had been at
fault, the husband or the lady. and no.
body could answer the question.
The only items OF cosmopolitan inter-
est are those contributed by Sargent.
and his portrait OF Henry James Is now
attracting even more attention than in
It's pristine state before the attack upon
u 10 "a l.
far as the eye OF the casual observer IL
concerned as pristine as ever. for It's
restoration by Major Roller has been
not only quick but marvellous.y clever.
No better reply to the militants could
be imagined than this swift return OF
the apparently destroyed picture to its
pace in the academy with every trace
OF the cutting obl!terated. II is not one
OF Sargent's most brilliant perform
ances. but IL Is a solid, sober piece Of
workmanship and gives Henry James
10 the life. The smaller Sargents are
without interest. The faults OF them
lay chiefly In the choice Of subjects,
which are too complicated. Even hac
they been successfully realized these
landscapes would still have been stupid.
Sargent Is SO arrant a rea.ist that, more
than most painters, a good subject is a
necessity to him
had a letter Of Introduction 10 Mr..
Marchant Of Goupil & Co., who is held
10 be extremely au courant OF all tina,
Is significant and interesting In the
modern art life Of London. so when one
Of the clerks approached me, as clerks
In picture galleries invariably and ana
bly, do. asked II Mr.. Marchant was In
Yes, but he Is engaged for tho mo.
ment-"
Very well. will look at tho pic.
lures"
Perhaps should send up your
card?" :
! thereupon presented my letter, at
the sight OF which the clerk melted, and
with an empressement to which i'm
mediately responded connded.
He is upstairs with the Queen"
The Goupil Galleries are given over
for the moment to an exhibition OF a
novel character. II Is a memorial auc-
ton" exhibition. Pictures by most OF
the modern English painters have been
contributed by the artists themselves.
TO be sold at auction. the proceeds to be
used In memorial to the late Spencer
Gore. whose recent death cut short a
promising career. There are examples
by Wilson Steer and Henry Tonks
among them. as we'll as works by Harold
Gilman, Charles Ginner. John Nash,
Lucien Pissarro and the London fol-
lowers OF Cezanne and Van Gogh. The
sale Of these pictures will have as much
interest for the English post-impres-
sionists as the much talked OF Bear Skin
auction had for the French earlier In
this season in Paris.
was browsing about amid these
works OF ant. that testified not only to
the generosity, but 10 the modernity OF
preached me.
II beg your pardon" whispered he,
"the Queen is coming into this gallery"
There being no visible secret pas
sage opening UP for my escape, looked
to the clerk for further directions.
Shall ! go?" l asked.
"Oh, no. only told you that you
might remove your hat" Upon ordi-
nary occasions Londoners keep their
hats on in picture galleries. He added,
laughingly THE men visitors who
chance to be in the galleries when her
Majesty visits them always remain. We
only put out women who may be suf-
fragettes."
And then, and then. without one of
those royal fanfares. with which Henry
Irving so literally assisted the Ger
trude Of his Hamlet" the Queen Of
England and Empress of An the midas