New-York tribune., 1916-02-27

advance. IL is important in portraits
| like these, in which the head and fig
ure are defined In few strokes
against a background of bare canvas,
| that the touch should be as firm as
/ il Is flowing. II the effect Is 10 be one
OF vivacity, Of cleverness, it must
nevertheless reveal also knowledge and
| authority. In other words, IL takes
| good painter TO carry off an essen
TALLY sketchy performance. Mr.. Reid
| has the requisite resources behind his
swiftness and his gayety. His "impres-
sions" are In the true sense portraits,
sensitive In characterization and rest
| ing upon & sure sense Of form. Men,
women and children are represented in
his well filled gallery. They are all
portrayed with sympathy and skill.
At the Thumb Box gallery is an ex-
hibition Of drawings, water-colors and
pastels by five artists. II Is fairly
| interesting show. By E. Dimock there
! is a group of water-colors in the mod
/ ern manner, painted without due re-
gard to the true form Of the human
| figure. They lack conviction. William
J. Glackens shows, among other things,
a "Girl at Window" in pastel. II is
beautiful picture in color and light,
and would seem TO have been done
with more care and expense OF time
than the usual run OF his things.
"Factory Girls Lunch Hour" is en- eff
fective bit. with figures large in pro
norton and we'll arranged. The work
of Edith Magonigle has the general ef-
feet of Japanese prints. 1t is good in
design and color and there is sense
Of humor, a refinement, which gives It
a great deal Of charm. "The Lily OF
Yedo" is noteworthy for its delicacy,
"The Magical Ball" on account OF It's
color, "Love Among the Artists" be
cause of its humor, and Mimi" be-
cause of it's striking decorative ar
rangement.
Maurice Prcndergast shows three of
, his usual messes of splotches OF color
which stagger the mind Of the beholder
and make him wonder what i Is al
about. By George Bellows are eighteen
mastery drawings. A number Of them
are sketches for the nude figures OF
| boys in some Of his dock-end pictures.
They are very simple, yet the artist
has managed to put into his few lines
a fine sense Of character. These happy
young animals are the children Of the
slums in all their mischief and un-
/ tanned boyhood. No. II is, we should
| Judge, a first study for the portrait
which was included in this years show
| of the Society of American Portrait
| Painters. It is more impressive than
/ the completed painting
A large and important collection of
etchings and Autographs by Whistler
/ is now OF view at the Keppel gallery.
/ II contains beautiful impressions or
many of the finest plates. The show
brings home 10 the beholder with great
force the genius of the artist and his
wonderful mastery of his medium.
Among the Autographs early Morn
ing, Battersea," is conspicuous. IL has
an astounding delicacy and the effect
almost of wash drawing. "Gabled
Roofs. Wire" is one of Whistler's su-
perb drawings of houses, being 20 his
autographs what "The Unsafe Tene
ment" is 10 his etchings. LA Robe
Rouge" which is really portrait Of
Mrs. Whistler, is noteworthy on account
Of its strong suggestion of color. lt Is
a marvel how ne has been able to pro-
duce this effect with black and white
alone. One of the most beautiful OF
his Autographs is "The Butchers Dog"
which he himself held in high esteem.
II shows the exterior of a butchers
shop with a dog seated before the win
dow; il is drawn in his most mastery
manner. BY far the larger part of the
Autographs included in the show are
from the collection of T. K. Way, who
was Whistler's friend and printer. This
helps 10 account for their very high
quality.
There are more etchings than litno
graphs shown. "The Unsafe Tene-
ment" is one of the most brilliant in
its strength of line and in its massing
of light and dark. IL reminds one
bit of some of the work of Dutch ar
lists. "La Vieille aux Loques" is one
of those etchings in which Whistler
employed his favorite method of
picture within a picture. The doorway
forms a frame for the figure of the old
ragpicker. A remarkably rich impress
sion of "The Kitchen" is shown. The
same method of framing the subject in
a doorway is employed. and Whistler's
mastery of luminous shadow is nowhere
more apparent The two finest prints
are the PORTRAIT of Becquet" and the
"Nocturne." The former is surely one
of the greatest portrait etchings from
the hand of any master; it ranks with
the finest of Rembrandt's. The print
of the "Nocturne' is spectacular. II is
the finest known impression Of this
marvellous plate. On the back of il
Whistler has written Selected proof"
and signed it again with the butterfly.
Never has any one conveyed through
the medium of etching so much magic