New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-11-23
An Artist Made Better
Known Since His
Death
/ CHILDE HASSAM'S
WATER COLORS
A Curious VOtive Picture
by an American Pupil
of SOrOlla'S
BY ROYAL CORTISS0Z


and on his return to this country his
friends expected him to take high rank
amongst American landscape painters.
He neither disappointed nor satisfied
them. Instead, he baffed their most
POINTED inquiries. Occasionally pict-
ure Of his would appear in some ex-
hibtion, a good picture. on which
again occasionally-hs colleagues
would bestow a medal. Nevertheless,
ne remained a private personality
rather than figure in his profession,
a beloved friend concerning whose ac-
Invites with the brush one continued
to preserve a certain faith and a certain
curiosity. The present writer loafed
with him more than once in his studio
and garden at East Hampton. If there
were any canvases about they were
mostly in state of preparation. Man
never is, but always to be, blest. For
an artist of Donohos desultory habit
the solid achievement seemed always
to lie in the future. But while we
were thinking this about him he was
having, after his quiet, humorou.
fashion. a confident chuckle. all to him
self. The world did not know it, but
he was obscurely, almost secretly, oc-
cupied in the painting of good pictures.
They may be seen to-day at the Mac
beth Gallery. where a number of his
artist iutimates have arranged me-
mortal exhibition Of about thirty of his
paintings. A few, enthusiastically,
are unfinished and these few contain
some of the clearest revelations Of his
quality as a painter. Look. for eX-
ample at the Egypt Beach noe
turne which in its breadth and SIM
plicity recalls the method of Whistler.
Donoho may have been recalling him,
too, quite consciously, when he made
the study; but you feel even more the
spontaneous beauty in the thing. There
is nothing really initiative here, moth
ing of convention. The impression is
fresh and strong. Nature has her I'M
mistakable share in the picture. Ii IS
typical. The outstanding virtue OF the
exhibition is its genuineness, the IN
stinct and power of true artist fore
ing their way through the crust OF
manner Of painting not particularly
original or brilliant. We have alluded
10 his success in tn Salon. The big
"Autour de la Ferme." an old Salon
piece. is here to explain IT, 1t is eX-
actly the sort Of picture, 1t has exactly
the pedestrian merits. 10 be expected
from q pupil Of Lefebvre, Bouguereau
and others Of that ilk. Donoho made
himself a good workman in Paris and
he was content to remain one, develop
ing no technical idom of his own. But
being Donoho, or, as we would rather
saw. "Rucer," he added something or
inestimable value 10 his sound work
menship, he added charm. ..
That is what makes this eXhlDition
one Of the best we have had so lar
in the season and one OF the pest we
are likely 10 have had when the WIN
ter is ended II is full OF charm' OF
gentle, sensitive temperament, deh,
cate taste. reacting upon the appeal OF
the simplest kind Of beauty in nature.
There is no drama in these paintings,
as there is no ingenious composition
displaved in them. He took his SUD-
iects as he found them in the country
side about his home. Perhaps the best
work in the collection is the nominaily
unimportant "Hollyhocks," unimpor-
tant in respect to subject, but fascinat-
ing in the intimate impression IL con-
yeys. an impression rich IN the very
carthiness and fragrance Of Rugers
Garden. He painted that garden over
and over again in the same spirit IN
which he pottered over its flowers ana
hedges, loving it all and understanding
il. Now and then he would SAIL on
into the blue, searching after some
loneliness of color, and hndlng IL, as
in his Late Afternoon, Winter, or
the Lilly Hill in Winter" or the sum
mer Night" But his great point was
lust TO make the portrait of a scene
tha, he knew every day of his life, TO
make il very truthful and TO add, as
we have said, the charm that had IT'S
source in his happy, meditative view OF
things. His comrades have done him
good service in organizing this exnlpl-
ton. They have enabled the pubic 10
learn little Of what they have always
known. that Ruger Donoho had one OF
the finest OF all talents, the KIND tnat
Is lovable.
Mr.. Childe Hassam is showing at the
Keppel gallery the etchings with when
he introduced himself year or so
ago as an eXperimenter IN new held'
There are some plates which we DO
not remember seeing at the time. lie
exhibits also a number Of drawings and
water colors. A second opportunity to
look over the etchings only confirms
our first sense of their merit. Where
they are concerned with the hgure
thew command more respect, perhaps,
than admiration. and the nudes leave
D n l.aHe In