The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-02-14
il OF the Fountain the Earth at the Panama exposition


81 Joshua Reynolds was not spoiled
b. hattcry. and yet hr had u.s. much ~ it
as anybody need have. but he was looking
out 10 see wha tho world said OF him or
thinking what ngurc he should make by
the side OF torr"ggip or Van plUe. not
plurhlng himself upon being better
painter than some one in the nest street
or being surprised that the people at his
own table spoke ln praise OF his pictures.
II ~ a little mipd that o. taken up with
tho nearest object or puHcd mp with inn
mediate notice To do anything great We
must look cut Of ourselves and see things
upon "a broader scale -Hazlitrs Con
Nersqtions with Nurthoote"
TSIE present group" at the Mac
/. DQwell club gives us the prize
L show of the year there. II will
be sure To revive the publicS
interest in this estlmable institution
which has been waning of late. The
MaCDuwcll Club designs to broaden
tho opportunities of artists. that is "a
say, 1t wishes To give more room for
budding gcniuScS to try their Hedging
wings, for old gculuscs have plenty OF
opportunities; and we have several
times had occasion To remark optimis-
Club show is bad the principle * good
With iurics done away with, as they
are IN the Mac Dowoll club. and free
DOM reicnng supreme. one comes "a
this gallery scarcely expecting the
academic. and the unexpected is what
one doesn't get. one never gets the
academic or at least hardly ever
As rule the exhibitions defy rules
and precedent, whether uuknowingly
or not doesn't matter. and ono IS al
ways on the qui ViNc I'm consequence,
half hoping that sometimes the young
people will hurt out truths of nature,
And sometimes they do.
Being young and living in an era
when truths OF nature alr regarded
as shocking and seeing so few truths
OF nature painted and hearing so few
truths OF nature spoken the young
sters go in for this sort of realism
half heartedly and never do 1t with
enough completion TO achieve style
The work at the MaCDowell club is
usually unfinished. When it Is pooI
II is extremely sketchy, and even when
II is good, as it Is this week. for in
stance. it is thin. II is insutficiently
thought out, insunicicntly felt
II is an art critics invariahle rulc
TO say the most mitigating thing that
can he said In regard To the passing
shows he chronicles, and the first point
always to bc noted is whether prog
rcss has been made. \ man or group
who improves upon past performances
will always get credit. To give you an
instance:
There j. a certain artist in this town
who seems deliberately to paint badly
He will i'm the end 20 to the bowwows
1t seems waste of energy to try to
save people who are bent upon running
themselves. yet in this case | resolved
10 try. For years / had kept silent
about him, as it was impossible t.
praise his work. Not being able t.
stand his atrocities any longer and
fearing for the effect upon the public
II his career was allowed to pass as q
success, ! resolved To rescue both him
and the public at the very first chance
As a rule it is dangerou, ano
futile to tell why a picture is bad
i: is safer to ignore bad pictures. BaC
art dies OF its own lack of vital essence
This, however, for the publiC's sake
was to be my exception.
Behold, this reprobate had an emo
tional moment. This dead and alive
machinelike artist lost his mother
in-law, or received a legacy or some
thing, and just at the moment | hat
resolved to save" him he exhibited
a picture that was slightly better
than usual. Well, CT course, | callcC
off the dogs of war and let him go.
Ever since | have been wondorinE
whqther | erred or not in sticking
20 my rule of praslng progress, ant
in fact making a great to-do over II
The man had progressed, it Is true
hut he had not progressed to the cX-
tent of painting a really good picture
ThGmore / think OF II, the more
think / erred. Character. you know
ncvfr changes. At leaS', Schopen'
haltr says /, doesn't. SO If this ar.
tist.is en- route for perdtion, shouldn'
th@ public he stopped from goinl
alo1g with him?
lhon thinking il over shah no
lay so much stress upon the progress
Of De series of groups at the Mac,
Doaell club. This one is much, mucl
Setdr than the last ono. hut then tn,
-as4 one was considered SO inslgnif
can! that it is not discussed at all.
tiforge Bell VS. has three picture!
in Hc MacD,Wc.l club one good. on,
indifferent and one bad. Randall DaveN
hastonc good ore and three iudincren
pic4Ires. John Sloan has one GOO,
picture and -four merltorious ones
mysterious pictures ranking jus