New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-01-10

AIRY Rensn, or Odilon Redon. In Ger
many it is Arnold Bocklin or Max
klinger. In England IL is Rossetti or
Burne-Jones. In America it is Arthur
Il. Davies or Mr.. Burroughs. They are
interesting artists, oil Of them, and all
in the same way and with much the
same limitations. They are out Of har-
mony with their surroundings; they
love the seclusion OF the ivory tower
and its outlook upon the land of faery.
Their minds are full of old legends, of
old poems and old pictures romantical-
ly remembered And, ironically, the
fates granting them these lovely dreams
for some reason withhold the full tech
nicsl powers which are needed for
their quite adequate Interpretation in
terms Of light and form and color. Not
one of the charming artists we have
just recalled can claim leading rank
as mere painter. There seems TO be
something subtly deleterous about
that wistfulness which we find so be-
quilting. 1t is, Enthusiastically, one Of
the delightfullest things in the world
to try for. And, as Enthusiastically, it
betrays the man who falls under its
spell. II has betrayed Mr.. Burroughs.
There is scarce a picture in his exhibi-
tion which fails to touch the magma
ton through its poetic grace, and there
is literally not one which can endure
a close scrutiny on technical grounds.
The moderate skill in craftsmanship
which he shows in his linear studies
is discounted by the turgid method he
adopts when he takes up the brush.
His color is dull, cold, without quality,
save In few passages such as one
may discover in the sylvan background
of "The Garden of Venus" where the
grays and greens are not bad. Most
dsconcerting of all is his hard, too
plastic conception of form in the paint
ings, conception the more difficult to
understand in view of the clever real
ism disclosed in the drawings. His
faces, too, throughout, are oddly at
variance, in their undistinguished char
acter, with the exquisite nature of his
themes.
Into the background Of one Of his
pictures, 1.-THE Age of Cold" he has in
troduced a rough sketch Of the central
group in Signorelli's "Pan," and the
episode is significant. 1t points to
communion with art galleries rather
than with nature, to dreams left un-
tested by fact. In poetry, as we have
been told by high authority, the illu-
sion is everything So It is in painting,
and there, for complete success, refer ,
ence to life is indispensable. Mr.. Bur-
roughs makes his escape from the hum
drum issues of the time, and so fervid
is his emotion, so genuinely interested
is he In the thing that he is trying for,
that he easily takes us with him. But
for the life Of Us we cannot go all the
way. At peace with his ideas. we balk
at his brushwork and his modelling,
at his drawing and his color. Nay,
while we are sure Of his romantic ar
doris we are not at all sure of his
sense of beauty or Of his tact. II he
possessed those resources and had
them well developed he would hardly
have painted the fat dame in the "Psy-
che at the House of Venus" nor would
he have dotted the distance in that
picture with houses reminiscent Of
dwellings built forty years ago along
the Hudson River. He would have
made his Judith" finer creature and
would have spared US the smear Of
blood upon her sword. He would see
his subject steadily and see it whole.
AS it is, he leaves the impression of
an artist insecurity feeling his way.
Is it the penalty that must be paid
for the particular charm he has
achieved? Ia it inseparable. as we
have limited, from the art of the visit
full school?
An Independent" Group Profitably
IL