New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-01-15
Rare Paintings by Gains
borough and Turner at the
KnOedIer Gallery.
PORTRAITS. MARINES
AND LANDSCAPES
Another Good Stroke for the
Artists Fund and Artists
Aid Society.
~ ROYAL CoRTIs>OZ.

II had seemed impossible TO add any
thing to the delightful lesson embodied
in the loan exhibition OF eighteenth CEN
| fury English portraits opened last Ssfur-
day at the Duveen gallery. But with the
best OF good judgment the similar show
which oyens to-day ~ the Knoeder gal
lery ARRANGED like the other for the
benefit of the Artists Fund and Al
lists Aid SocietD has been made ~ Of
works having. on the whole. different
significance II is TO begin with. dedi-
Gated to only two old masters. Gsinsoor-
ouch and Turner. As regards the Tor
mer. i'll NAV be noted that all his por-
traits at the Duveen gallery are fuii-
lengths. state portraits. and therefore
grandiy imposing. Practically all Of ms
works at the knoedler gallery are on
small scale. so that attention IS concen-
trated upon his more intimate traits IN
Characterization Then. 100. this eXhioi-
tior includes one Of his most important
landscapes and a quantity OF MS draw
ings The Turner's, OF course, STRIKE
note which hss no place at all IN the
other exhibition.
The loveIiest OF these Gainsboroughs IS
an exact Illustration OF that peculiarly
personal psychological element 10 which
allusion has just been made. IL Is the
celebrated Miss Linley and Her Broth-
er" a portrait Of the exquisite creature
beloved of Sheridan. who was noted for
her singing and altogether. through her
own character and through her associa-
lions. was predestned 10 FIRE the artist
brush. lie painted her with All OF the
felicity Of which he was capable caught
her beauty and her fine spirit. and with
the last touch OF clairvoyance poftIa! eu
her Young brother At her side. therep'
turning the portrait into picture ms
60 an uncomfortable study OF corporeai
grace. delicately invested with emotion
one sees I'm il how much there was added
10 the technician in Gainsboroush' no"
that seeing eye OF his penetrated u
The soul Of a sitter. when, as il haPpeheu'
he and that sitter were IN complete :!
pathy. And by the same token, he was
not always wholly a ease with those VIM
came TO him. a fact well brought out
bv the present exhibition. Formed d.
the latter Is OF portraits which the al
took in his stride the heads and snoulu
ers psinted. within an oval for one clien'
of.Ar another IN an endless procession
It takes US very suggesuNeN mo me-
workshop We see him executing hos'
Of commissions and sometimes he puts
his heart into them.
Gsinsborougn was too sincere an arts'
ever TO scamp anything that ne ulu' ne
never fell upon mediocrty, and even the
least interesting Of his portraits have
certain workmanlike merit. We may cite
in illustration the James bouchleI' t"e
Captain John RrsgGe or the Lazy
Eden" They are, for GainsDoroush' POT
boilers. but only for Gainsborough. Inc
portraits Of men in this category nhgh'
seem for a moment 10 offer a rather ais
concerting commentary on what was salo
i'm this place the other cay about the zes'
with which he was wont 10 attack ma lie
subiect But there. too. he had TO have the
..iobf subject. He does pretty well Win
his David Garrick.' II not quite as Ven
as one expects in the circumstances ana
he is superb when he comes 10 paint the
great full-length Major Johnston. oil
rIavley's Dragons. footnote from
Walpole. quoted in the catalogue fecahs
that the gallant major posed FOR TINS poi-
trait at the artists request one mlgh'
have gathered az much from internal evil
d4nce. Obviously it was a labor Of love
The handsome figure is treated with al
Of Gainsborough shlfullest feeling ioi
design. In il. and in The background 100
he paints with glorious breadth ahd
force. and TO give the perfectly balanced
scheme its final bloom he enFelops IL III
color that clows and vet never passes a
certain measured resonance. The phys
iornomv Is OF no great interest, but that
are sure was the majors fault. GANG
borough joyously painted him. we sur
mise. lust a. "a fine figure OF a man.
There are pot-boilers amongst tho
nortraits Of women. but they are little
nearer to the line which divides the WORK
~ routine from the work of inspiration
Even the paintings here which leave Us
cold. like the Miss Adney' and The
Mrs. George Scott Chad have then
clever. interesting passages. In most OF
the feminine portraits Ne behold Gains
borough the worker OF miracles. Inc
"Hon. Mrs. Graham" IS the very incarna
ton OF Young. womanly beauty. seemingly
/ breathed upon the canvas. 50 light, 50
subtle Is the touch. and here. a. in the
bir portrait OF the major, the background
is nv itself enchanting. 10 ~ useless 70
a,tempt TO describe one by one the rest
NJ the portraits in this wonderful series
the Mrs. Hatchett." with its rich trans
narent painting Of the dark hair; the
+ Mrs Horton. afterwards Duchess oil
cumberland" with its shrewd flashes OF
Golden yellow telling amid the whites OF
tho dress. the Miss Isabel Rowland es-
,,cisl,v 10 be noted for its treatment oil
the figured stuff in the elderly lady's cos
,ume. the Lady Hylton.' with its mar
,..,,o,s faces: the Mrs. King" distin-
r,,ished amongst them all for the suave
modelling OF the face. and the Mrs. Pro
,is " with its slashing strokes in the rem
dering OF the bodice. one portrait dis
closes an interesting modification Of his
method The Lady lines an amusing
study OF a prim type, has something aoou'
ts close definition OF the embroidered
dress which makes US think OF HoSarth
and NJ Halls in some OF his more reserved
moments But this is an exceptional
specjmen. In general the exhibition rep
/ resents Gainsborough's virtuosity. his
dainty grace and elegance. his gallant re
sponse 10 the appeal OF that frou-frou y
which his models were enveioped, ms
readiness 10 play with textures and extor'