New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-02-18
An Exemplar of Technique, Pure and Simple

time, could see the possibilities lying in
technique as technique. Chase saw
them. His eyes had been opened IN
Munich, and II was in helping TO open
the eyes of the rising generation which
he returned TO instruct that he ranged
himself.
1t is important to keep this point
in mind when in the presence OF the
earliest of his paintings now shown,
and 10 distinguish amongst the latter.
Two or three of his Munich enUOis.
"The Dowager." "The Old Cavalier"
and Ready for the Ride" superb
cially indicate an intense preOccupa-
tion with the old masters. He seems
in the first and second of these paint
ings particularly an imitator, and
rather docile imitator at that. But
look more closely at the Ready for
the Ride" and you are struck by
the breadth with which it is painted,
you notice especially the good quality
of the blacks a quality only accessi-
Bile 10 a man who has begun 10 feel
the glamour of sheer pigment-and
then turn TO "The Apprentice" done, as
il happens, two years earlier. That IS
the kind Of picture that Duveneck and
Currier were painting. They threw
convention overheard, gave them
selves up TO the stimulus of brush
work as Rembrandt and Halls under
stood il. and affirmed the principle
that an artist justified himself IN so
far as he showed himself in sympathy
with the genius of his material They
gave paint its chance, brought into.
the foreground the manipulation Of II
for its own sake. erected manual deX-
terity into a talismanic factor Chase
cultivated this point Of view heart
and soul and brought 10 its applica-
ton q trait lacked by his accom-
plished fellows, namely. a blither
taste in color. Duveneck and Currier
were much addicted TO brown
sauce" They found it harder TO get
away from the old masters. Observe
the passages Of rose and blue in "The
Apprentice" Chase was ready TO
strike a gayer note, he was little
nearer in his sympathies TO the more
luminous keys presently TO be
brought into fashion by the impress
sionists. Thus equipped. is IT any
wonder that he exercised a tren-en-
dous influence when he came home?
He had holiness, vivacity. the in
spiriting qualities Of a dashing real
ist. and. above all. he had ease, clev-
erness. the gift for playing amusing
tricks with the brush. In the inter
esting sketch Of his life prefiXed 10
the catalogue mention is made OF the
painting class which he took under his
charge at the Art Students League in
1878, of his participation in the early
doings of the Society Of American Ar
lists. and Of the big studio there is a
painting of il herel, which came by
itself to have wide repute. These
notes are significant. They take the
memory back 10 period in which
American art was being made over
with Chase as one Of the leaders in
the transformation. He kept on
teaching all his life, and both by pre-
cept and example he asserted the dig
nifty of technique. pure and simple.
II is because he cared for good crafts
manship. practised it and promoted II
in others. that he is TO be gratefully
remembered and that this exhibition
is 70 be regarded as a tribute well
deserved.
When we forget Chase's influence and
consider only the intrinsic value OF
his work the impressions garnered here
are a little mixed. To begin with. at
posthumous function of the sort one
would like to say, Here is a great life's
work" but the depth and unity Of such
a contribution are missing One takes
the forty-fve paintings, rather, as just
so many souvenirs Of brilliant but
not by any means impressive talent.
There is a curiously misleading SEN
tence by Mr. Kenyon Cox cited in the
catalogue: 1.-THE first characteristic OF
his work that would strike a stranger to
it is probably the versatility and wide
range of subject" Chase's versatility
consisted in assimilating with extraor-