New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-03-11

y, VIA VI AIhN =
own. Which goes, again, 70 show how
personal a matter art il. how much
everything in II depends upon the gifts
you are born with. Turn 20 Mr.. De
Camps painted portraits. particularly
the Robert Treat Paine" and 20 the
head-if not the rest OF the compost
tion-in his George Chadwick Here
he Is doing what he was predestined 20
do. and doing II superlatively well. II is
so with Mr. Metcalf. How he can draw
trees. and all the forms in landscape.
And he puts into such pictures as his
sparkling May Morning the lovely
"Poplars, September" and the two
superb Impressions of winter in New
Hampshire not only good drawing but
the true spirit of his interesting sub
jects. The White Trail" one OF his
snow scenes, is an absorbing picture.
its intensely American elements first
impressing the beholder for their own
sake and then disclosing themselves
even more beguilingly as the ingre-
dents OF a well balanced design. There
are felicitOus companions for 10 among
the landscapes in the exhibition. Mr.
II ~
ways Is, does we'll enough IN bis various
studio pieces, and a good deal better
than well enough in one Of them. THE
Window, with Skyscrapers, which con-
tains some alluring colcr. But there is
a faint air OF pictorial manufacture
about these performances, vigorous as
they are. His real triumphs are in a
handful Of things done out of doors
10 E-rf du+ -
from 1855, place de la Trinite, Paris, "
the artless drawing Of the Warner
house, at Portsmouth. and. best Of all,
the Side Street, Provincetown.' This
last is gem nothing forced IN IL, its
full tones matching in their simple ar
rangement the persuasive quletude Of
the theme.
Landscape continues to occupy the
foreground, with certain other painters
amongst the Ten. Mr.. Weir sends one
or two figures which possess ms IA
miliar distinction. The Portrait IS
tine thing and especially interesting for
the almost rude freedom with which It
Is painted II is good IN tone, too.
There is an indefnable beauty in the
drawing IN red chalk he shows. q trlffe
with positive fragrance about II. In
er il be the white Oaks" with its
web of trees against the sky, or the
half mysterious "Truants," an oddly
composed picture, tremulous win
vitality. II ever sentiment was en-
bodied in a landscape II is embodied IN
this one. The boys by their fire in the
lower corner were doubtless painted
with no "literary" intention, yet the
"a
the canvas. The dim, shadowy scene
gives one a poignant sense Of place.
The very accent Of the countryside Is
there, and with il a haunting beauty
Three of Mr. Simmons's contributions
are open air sketches, deft notes Of ex-
cavations in New York, and a spirited
beach scene. His other painting Is the
Morning an interior with nude ng-
ure. a swift, capable study OF form, with
a greater suppleness In the handling
than he has shown of late. Form once
more engages Mr.. Reid. He shows
couple of his recent portrait impress
sions." including a good halt-length OF
himself. but his chief production IS
The Screen" in which the nude IS the
leading motive. All his decorative IN
genuity appears In this canvas, and, 20
even better purpose, all of his energy
and address In modelling. A certain
freshness of attack, certain elan, was
ever his best trait as a painter II IS
revived here. perfectly controlled, and
with most inspirltlng pictorial enect.
To one member of the Boston con-
ringent. Mr. De Camp. we have already
alluded. Mr.. Benson is in exceptionally
eood form. The Open Window If not
very happily designating seated
figure in the room delineated making
an isolated episode rather than a part
of a whole-is. on the other hand,
marked by a delicacy Of color and a
soft luminosity suggesting that the
artist has emerged At last from the
brittle tonality which has 30 often
hampered him. His drawings OF Wild
fowl and the painting which likewise
recalls his taste as a sportsman are en-
tirely pleasing. He IS decorative with
out convention. his designs nave the
right note of movement, they Vlvldly
denote the spacious character or MS
scenes. lie is clever m these studies
and a little more than clever They
have a light. winning quality, and there
i honest strength In them. Mr. Tarbell
appears TO be standing still. He sends
eight or ten pieces-palntlngs por-
traits and drawings nowhere IN
this body Of work DO we ind the spon-
taneitv and the individual, racy char
acter that promised so much when his
Girl Crocheting" took the town by
storm. He is as accomplished as ever
painting such q subject as the Nell
and Elinorr-ss deXterous in the mint
and cummin Of workmanship, but ms
zest seems 20 have died out. The de-
sign here is commonplace, and in the
Going for a Ride" it breaks down alto
gether. The skilful man Of his hands
pulls the portraits through-the eX-
cellently realistic "Mr. A. and HIS
Daughters" and the decorative MY
Daughter Maryland the three or four
drawings reveal the same technical au-
thoritv. That is not enough 20 coun-
terbalance the perfunctory atmosphere
of TarbelFs exhibit as a whole. lie
should take leaf out Of the book OF
the late William NJ Chase, whose still
Life. Fish" rounds out the show. The
best thing about that handsome can
vas Is the enkindling vlrtuosity WITH
which II is painted. the unmistaka0le
disclosure 10 makes of an artist eXcited
over his task.
That. of course, is the specific virtue
Of the Ten. That is what has Kept them
going They have added no new ideas
10 American painting. They have never
tried 20 do anything Of the sort. TO
psint we'll. and. as we have said before.
10 make beautiful pictures. that has
been enough for them. Their choice IS
surely justified by the present exhibit
ton. for IL shows their conception OF
art 10 be as valid now as II was twenty
years ago They wear well. tor they