New-York tribune., 1917-12-02

sensational note in tho painters career.
The "Wertheimer" made its sensation
through It's intensely candid modernity
Never was q portrait painters impres
sion franker In It's realism. The very
cigar between tho fingers OF the sitter
is expressive of character. But there
was nothing at all sensational about the
design, as a design. There Sargent got
his effect with no visible struggle. The
finest thing about the picture that the
portrait makes is It's organic simplicity.
That has been his finest trait, in his
finest portraits Of men, yet we can sec
that it has required certain inspira-
tion in the sitter for its most success.
ful action. Some arresting character.
istic has been needed-the racial tinct-
ure in Wertheimer's physiognomy and
carriage, the sporting accent In Lord
Ribblesdalo, the elegance in the hand
which VI. Leon Delafosse displays
against his dark clothing, the staccato,
black and white quality that went with
Coventry Patmore as Sargent observed
him. Always, in the stunning" por-
traits, there is an idea, trace Of pictu-
iesqueness, that seems to germinate de-
sign, 10 pull the study OF character
through and give it higher, more
strictly artistic, standing. Without il
this painter seems to remain quite cold.
And-an important point, which assists
to clearer apprehension Of his art
he is not one of those who are mex.
rably driven, no matter what their
heme, to spin out OF their entrails the
jattern not otherwise available.
We have seen him bringing a trans
orming accessory into "The Four Doc.
ors" and thereby solving his problem.
n his studies Of the single figure he
ises the same eXpedient, sometimes.
Witness the dog in the asher Wer-
theimer." lie is not so adroit when he
las neither accessory nor salient char
cteristic in the sitter TO give him his
ue. In other words, coming back. by a
possibly rather roundabout path, TO the
barrassed when there is nothing essen
TALLY pictorial in his subject, when he
must absolutely create the pictorial mo-
tive for himself, with no external aids,
bodying it forth from his inner con-
sciousness. IL is a hard job. Perhaps
that is why some of the great masters
have tackled il with such gusto. Mat
ters Of dress are sometimes assumed TO
have a good deal to DO with the prob
lem. This is not so. See what Ingres
docs with his "Bertin," in the Louvre,
the portrait of fat man in the homo
liest of bourgeois costume. No, dress
has nothing TO do with it. II is the con-
structiye faculty that counts, the art.
lists vision of his subject and his sense
Of composition. II is here that tho
"Rockefcller,' linking itself with Sas.
gents past, does so only 70 make US
feel the ftfulness Of his pictorial gift.
The picture" is missing. This ranks
with the "Sir Thos. Sutherland" or the
"Lord Watson" which is 70 say with
his pedestrian portraits, not with the
masterpieces like the asher Wer-
theimer." The head is superbly mod
clled. The rest of the painting is COM
monplace. A certain simplicity marks
the scheme as a whole, and that, by
itself, is a virtue. II does not give the
canvas an original, outstanding char
Gcter. To that extent i. would seem 20
answer our question, above, as to
whether it was time for Sargent TO turn
20 other things. 1t does not mark n
eliminating point, 1t is the kind of
portrait that he has over and over again
taken in his stride. No one else could
have painted the head as he has painted
il. More than one of his contempo-
rarics could have done the rest Of the
work. In other words, the painting of
the figure, of the white trousers, Of the
background, though we'll enough, is in
no wise remarkable. 1t doesn't amount
TO that heightening of the charm of
mere technique which will sometimes
serve alone to make a work of art.
This latter point is brought to mind
by two pastels Of Manet's that hang
gust now in the Durand-Ruel gallery,
forming part Of casual little group of
pictures. Neither is espe-
cially interesting as regards subject.
Both are fascinating as exercises in
technique, and particularly the portrait
of a man, "L'Homme Blond" George
Moore, who denied originality to
Nanet, considering him simply an ex,
emplar Of superb execution, has some
amusing passages in his "Iodern
Painting which might apply TO this
very pastel. They relate to the paint
ing OF his own portrait, which came
about and progressed as follows:
Being q fresh compleXioned, fair
haired young man, the type most suit
able to Manet's palette, he az once
asked me TO sit. The portrait
did not come right; ultimately it was
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