New-York tribune., 1917-11-14
Art Exhibitions

aNllt ~ NhdS VI Il SShool FORMING ltScN
But the sweetness of their young SEN
t.mont, The fragile grace Of their
drawing and the pure, jewel-like glow
% their simple coloration, These
things move us with gentle yet pene-
trating appeal. We miss them as they
are lost in the apparition Of stronger
though not fner figures. Witness the
progression in the Florentine group of
the dazzling madonna and Child.
With Angels by Fra Angelica. the
sculptural Madonna" attributed 20
Piero Pollaiuolo, and all those yaria-
tIons.on the familiar theme performed
by the masters here represented,
major and minor. of a more modern
technIQue Mainardi. Bartholomew di
Giovanni Cosimo Roselli. and 80 on
down to the amiable Ridolfo CHR
landajo. IL is a progression, in n
sense, quite apart from mere matters
Of chronology. Imagine one of the pio-
neers having at his finger tips the
academic sureness of Fra Angelica. the
plastic power Of Pollaiuolo, the deco
rative aplomb of Bartoiommeo III Gio-
vanni! He would have worked mir
acles.. Only in exchanging the COM
paratlvely modest state OF the ancestor
for the wealth Of the heir ne would
have been, perhaps, tine poorer-the
poorer by his sweetness, his floral
youth and freshness.
The Sienese school repeats as it is
shown here much the same lesson that
is enforced by the Florentine; one
might move with similar steps from
the Byzantinish madonna and Child
of Guido ia Siena TO the rich Renais-
sance quality of Francesca di Giorgio's
Nativity" and again in the section
given 70 the central Italian schools the
gamut is touched all the way from
Cavallini's stupendous Madonna and
Child"-ht companion, as the csta-
logue appreciatively notes. FOR the
heroic Madonnas OF Cimabue to the
suave Sentimeutality Of the Perugin-
esque type. There are also some Lom-
bard pictures, and a particularly rich
section is devoted TO Venetian and
other North Italian schools. Apropos.
we may mention that a number OF
paintings carry the exhibition well be
yond the era of the Primitives. And
this, az well as certain other Facts,
detaches us from similarities, draws
us toward the consideration of otner
issues notably, for example, the de-
yelopment of landscape, as nature
plays ever a more active part in the
treatment of backgrounds and among
these, the question of Italian portrait
ure. That phase of the subject is mag
nifcently illustrated. We have spoken
of the two notable exhibitions in Lon
don and the paintings OF the first rank
which they brought to view. Mr.
Brockwell, who was, we believe, ac-
lively concerned in the organization OF
those shows, must wish that he had
then had access to certain portraits
now visible at the Kleinberger gal
leries.
They include Mr.. Kahn's brilliant
Botticell, the wonderfully drawn
"Giuiano de Medici"; two less i'm
portant but still delightful heads by
Lorenzo di Credi and Tiorenzo di
Lorenzo; a Portrait of Lady by
Domenico Veneziano, which is thing
of ravishing beauty, despite the marks
that time has left upon it, and two
superlative works from the Morgan
collection, Ghirlandajo's Incompatible
"Giovanna Tornabuoni" and Andrea del
Castagno's Portrait of Young Man"
This last is a masterpiece of the first
water. one of those massive, plastic
designs which lift themselves above
the ruck as with the terribaud Of the
Renaissance man-at-arms. IL was for
this kind Of thing, let the reader re-
mind himself. that the fathers of ltai-
ian painting laid their foundations, for
the eff3orcsence Of their art in works
instinct with organic power, with
beauty saturated in the vitality of life.
Pattern. by itself, may be a JOY, as
is shown by the DOmenico Veneziano
and the GhirlandajO. But il is plain
that in the long run portraiture must,
in the nature Of things, stand or fall
a much by character as by design or
craftsmanship. The true art OF the
portrait painter is, of course, that in
which these elements are easily con-
Joined. There are examples here, aot
especially masterful. to be sure, but
good enough, which display the early
distinction in design. temperinc the
most robust nsturaliam OF later days.
These are the interesting portraits by
Mazzuola Lotto and TintOrettO. One
painting in this contingent, the young
Man" given 20 BOltrafliO. is sadly dis
appointing. That Milanese. though
never amongst the giants. had deli
cately persuasive way with him at his
best. which IS indiscernible in the
present cold panel
The portraits, as we have indicated.
make d wildly salient group and leave
an IMPRESSION so rich that one can see,
in the minds eye, the remarkable little
exhibition which they would make by
Themselves. Yet this remains essentially
an exhibition of devotional art, the
predominant atmosphere is that which
attaches 10 the cult of the Madonna.
On the portraits we would like TO dis
course az length. one by one, drawing
stimulus from each painting in the list,
but IL is in truth impossible 10 traverse
in detail any category in tins remark
able array OF gems. There arc religious
pictures in the collection which are Ike
80 many texts for the connolsseur or
Italian art-the enchanting little An,
uunciation," by Pesollino; the mystical
works of Sassetta, perhaps the most
intimate Of Sienese painters; the Ma
donna and Child" by Cosimo Iura' so
mall in Fcale, but with "Oigness
about u that mural painter miSht
envy: Dir. Morgan's glittering Vivarlnl'
and the set o. six scenes from the lie
Of ST. John the Baptist b. Giovanni d
Paolo. The group last mentioned, when
Mr.. Martin Ryersou, OF Chicago, was
fortunate enough TO get out OF tne
AWARD collection on It's dispersal in
1919, is particularly welcome in its rep
reEentat!on Of Primitive narrative art.
II was a naive art. like the rest, but
sometimes amazingly sufused with
Imaginative emotion. Consider the land
scape in the first of the panels By
Gjovanni di Paolo. II is AZ poetic as
orc Of Altdorfer's romantic scenes. The
Saggettas also are Of high interest TO
the student Of this aspect Of the sub
ject. They are. what the exhibition is