New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-04-07
PORTRAITS BY w..
MEN OF GENIUS
old Masters Shown for the
Benefit of the Suffrage
Campaign.
THE TRADITIONS OF
ITALY AND HOLLAND
INHERENT Types of painters
Painting" at the Knoedler
Gallery.
~ ROYAL CORTIsSoZ.

,,s,erdsy al 'he N"O'"'''
y. ,bs works Of NJ. Degas and Miss
S~...,-whose traits were traversed
IN, Tribune last Sunday exemplify
nodern passion for feeting i'm
lions Both painters are absorbed
m.,,ers Of fugitive light and move
.. The old masters who FIJI the
-.usr rooms recall US 20 an ideal Of
=. work OF art as a thing which, II
- Of fact. ia also creation eN-
- IN and fer ;.self. Through acct
-. nerhsps. rather than through de
- his principle is illustrated, too,
' - largely in the field Of portraiture.
o,iv four Of The eighteen early paint
-, shown are Of other subjects.
These masterpieces fasten att ton
-. o,,s upon questions Of technique,
- nv the way. expose that element
=, artistic bcau,y i'm extremely varied
r,b,s There are G.. cNamoioi Of
r,.sr distinction IN the show, one
.,.n the South and one from the
y.,,h Brou-ino's Duke Of Urbino"
/. beautiful souvenir OF the Italian
addition. Of the classical spirit filter
~ down through Renaissance natural
~ A court painter of docile habit,
,,isat pains 20 give am adequate ac-
aunt Of his sitter, TO study the proud
,.,,rres In close detail, TO respect the
s,,5some dress a man OF essentially
'.ri,ed gifts. with no aggressive lido
sv,crasies be produces what we can
sr'y describe as q piece Of Journey
-,1's work But this Journeyman had
l,bipd him the impetus Of q great
,,hool. For the reauemonts OF line, OF
5ssier. Of style. he had as instructive
:, enthusiasm as burned 30 the veins
Jtry OF his superiors. and thanks to
u. thorough training Characteristic Of
IN, period. 10 the inspiration which
Va, in the all 81 that time, he now and
.,s- surpassed himself. lie painted
"a Duke on one OF these occasions. Il
"a superb portrait. But 10 one OF
rose distinctions which 90 so much 10
r,ks adventures amongst pictures
vo--' while LET the reader turn 10 Hol-
b,.ts "Sir B-ian luke" happily trans
,,rs5 10 this exhibition from the one
a tn Altman house. 1t is the dis
tr,uon between consummate talent
md sheer genius.
Z ,heIe s ground for criticism in
he Brnziro il lies in his treatment Of
rs iitkground and accessories. which
.-e tkeir purpose, yet enter with no
.sc.. felicity into the design as d
9i.e The Holbein is q fawless unit
q composition. Sir Brian is placed
i.slN a background Of pure tone, and
es Silhouette of his head and form IS
i:ssted 10 the dimensions of the
wsl with a perfect sense Of pattern.
Moreover. the craftsmanship here Is
70, the linear inheritance OF a school;
q is ss personal d possession OF the
artists ss was his thumb print. And
wat draftsuaush.p 70 is. The struct-
gnl factors IN the face and hands arc
tsined not only with truth, but D. that
llgs, powerful manner which. IN the
1lg run, seems 20 leave detail to take
ale Of itself and TO care only for the
Cs,d ensemble. IL is original genius
pressing through the formula of tech
I9-e the creative master Affirming
tnslN while he makes his sitter I'M
-orsl l. IS Interesting to see how
he little thing on which be chooses TO
iysh decorative touch, Sir Brian's
tan saG cross, the sleeves mlnutely
1sckered 10 black and gold, are never
isess KEEP, .eg.mate.y in the pict-
It They cannot disturb the mOnu-
rental weight and simplicity o. the
ing The portrait remains, not IN
pie Of them but, perhaps, partly be
HS.e o. them, al. oi a piece.
he serene tr.llsuce we have OBJ
'Tsd in Brorz.no and Holbein
iises, in Van Uyck, into something
N.i mastery, but of less distinguished
gram. We speak, Of course, with
ts'elee 10 the Van Dyck represented
/ this exhibition His "Marchesa
Ao'anna Cattareo" is a pleasing
cage Of girlsh charm, but the flesh
-aS are shade 900 warm, and else
l 'lele the color is q shade too cold.
ne passages about the ruff il Is
-I0d ugly. The drawing, as always,
4 usent and sure. X Is not, this time,
t'''hatlng drawing. kubens leaves
sane rather mixed impression in
- N!sc.s.as S.gi-muud, King Of
ashd" It is a good portrait, full Of
we, with kind Of pseudo splendOr
S'ri It's color A mighty craftsman
N u, obviously But not the great
Ha'| tho Rubens Of, for example, the
I.A which hangs near by This
hsnpnaI Entry Of Henry w Into
aus study for a big decorative
~sMe, which Was never completed,
NAe The H0lbe.n. an expression OF
--Ncusl genius Rubens was born
sc manage Tie could paint royal
V@h' as Degas paints a. ballet girl,
20 concentrated gusto. He took the
gs complicated spectacle in his
I've Knowing just where 10 place
Ve o. his CTowding figures, Just
hng about his light and shade,
ABOVE all, what 20 DO with the
I as whole. lie made it into "a
ne a vivid moving thing OF form
- Color, and 90 every inch Of it he
Aaniestcd the thrill Of ms pro
ysas mestria. This sketch is a per
"a. specimen Of what brushwork
Il A. a.. s"N Nb4tiDseaGAl % PAIN L444 -
geographic process, carrying with
, very tang Of a mans artistic
,.. II affords one Of the fine mo-
~ Of the exhibition.
Mr., ae IS saying Of Whistler's,
by him for Mr. Kennedy upon
s,i'N Rembrandts etchings, which
S 70 more than one of the Dutch
-. painting here without flaw.
IE'Hei as a Greek marble or can
- " ihtoret. A masterpiece in all
s,.smsht,, beyond which there Is
There could not be a better
sH.srlzstiOn Of Rembrandt's "Gild-
ss...H an impeccable portrait, an
a.Toe work Of art. Technique
sr.,s 10 further 90 on'the road toward
"a i. ion. Psychologically, however,
10 spnous painting easily yields 20
~, .9rtrsit Of an Old Woman" a
age, which in poignancy rises
La pane Of great imaginative art