New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-03

given the whole design what seems al
most incredible. considering the scale,
an exquisite delicacy.
In place Of the cleaning white staff
which was so beautiful at Chicago, the
material used on this occasion is an
imitation Of that travertine which Is
one of the glories Of Rome. It is an
imitation both AS regards the creamy
tone. which has in il both grayish and
yellowish elements, and as regards
texture These walls are not smooth
With wire brushes applied TO them
while they were still moist they have
been Just enough streaked to catch the
light and hold il instead of fnging II
back in a hot glare. The result is cool
and charming, even under a food Of
sunshine. Taking that fine but strong
effect of the travertine as his point Of
departure, employing it as a sort Of
ground swell Mr.. Guerin has balanced
il with reds in his Gabled roofs and
greens in his domes, rich hues but
never allowed TO he strident; and on
his inner walls he has confined himself
70 pure tones of rose, blue and ivory
yellow. In a small room | daresay
some of these colors would speak for
themselves with some emphasis. But
in these big spaces they seem OF an
almost Whistlerian daintiness. Yes,
daintiness is the word. This immense
picture for that is what it is-does
not overwhelm you with splendor. IL
gently takes you captive. and by virtue
of that very fact impresses you as one
of the most subtly artistic works OF
art this country has ever produced.
For such intensifcation as the
scheme might require Mr.. McLaren has
had at his finger tips the richest OF re-
sources, not pigments, but living plants.
You are made aware of his art even
before you enter the place. AS you ap-
proach the fair you see that II is in
closed, not by q fence, but by ire
mendous hedge, so smooth in its sur
faces and so straight in its lines that
you think it must have been made by
the master of all the topiarists. As a
matter of fact, it is formed of thou
sands Of boxes Of Mesembryanthemum
spectabils-w which the mere human
being calls the ice plant. Sown thick
through its green masses are little
pink blossoms, so softly pink that they
tell like a fairy simmer over the
hedge. Here Mr.. McLaren, like Mr..
Guerin, works in the manner Of Whist
Ter Inside the fair. with lawns that
look age-old in their perfection, he
brings stronger forces of green TO bear
upon the design. Around the wide
basins Of the fountains he filings multi
tudes of rhododendrons and other
flowers. and against the walls at hun
dreds of points which are invariably
the right points-he plants expresses
and orange trees. acacias, and so on.
adding vines where vines are the one
thing in the world needed
One requires to be told repeatedly
that ell these green things were
brought in, full grown, and applied to
desert as you apply paint 10 can
vas. They appear to have been there
since the beginning of San Francisco. /
with the difference that in that case
they might presumably have an air of
wildness. Mr.. McLaren has contrived
10 fuse nature and art. He is surely
one of the leading wonder workers OF
the fair-its Kubla Khan. Without
him the architects could not have full
filed the poets vision:
So twice five miles Of fertile ground
With walls and towers were glrdled
round;
And there were gardens, bright with
snuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense
bearing tree.
This fair is indeed a dream come
true. but even as one thinks Of II in
poetic, visionary terms one realizes an
important distinction. They used to
call the Chicago Fair the Phantom
City, and ! can we'll remember the
ghostly beauty which II wore. espe-
cially on moonlit nights. By day the
idea of a necromancer's mirage per
sisted 1t is very different here.
Thanks in part 10 the color, IN part
10 the amazing finish given TO
the fabric by the architects and their
workmen, and most of all, perhaps, 20 |
the success to Mr.. McLaren's labors, |
the impression received is of perma- !
nent creation. The buildings and /
courts do not suggest ephemeral walls, F.,
put up for purposes OF exposition. |
They are enduring monuments, which /
have been here a long time.
The travertine looks as II worn by
age, as il looks in Italy. The sculpture /
AMI the fountains suggest the same |
idea. Along with the gayety and spar !
kle of the scene, which have their /
origin in sunshine and color, there goes /,
a wonderful mellowness. There may be ,
in the Zone, where the concessionaires /
hold their entertainments, some of the =
tinsel which is associated in ones mind. .
| think, with most big eNpositions. /
Paris, know, had heaps Of 1t about in /
1900. Well, Paris, as look back at il /
through the vista made by this fair,
seems an intolerable nightmare. II |
embraced much that WAS noble, of I
course, but il embraced much that was
vulgar. In this fair, ! repeat, good
taste has ruled.
In the daytime this is the predomi-
mating impression. You ;ske il then
happily but .temperaitely, as! as a cheerful
quilting and very human. The feeling Of
permanence which have mentioned
fits a curb 10 ones emotions. At night
1t is another story. II had expected