New-York tribune., 1918-12-15

ground, for the grasp upon character
shown in the drawing of the interest
ing head and face. There are several
military portraits, sympathetic can
vases, in which Mr.. Smedlcy, Mr.. Cur
ran and others have painted their sons
ana thcre is an unusual group of por-
traits of artists by their friends. Mr.
Daniel c. French has thus been com
memoratcd by Mr.. Vonnoh, Mr. julius
nolshoven by Mr.. O. D. Grover, and
Nlr. Frank Duveneck by Mr.. Dixie Sell
oeh. Mr.. Kenyon Cox sends portrait
tynically searching in draughtsman-
ship. Mr.. A. M. Todd" and there are
gracious portraits of women by Miss
LYDIA Emmett, Mr.. Louis Belts, Mr.. w.
>. Kendall and others.
:, Mr. Leopold Seyffert's "Lacquer
screen is clever salon commonplace
one more of those multitudinous
nudes in which the figure is supposed
to gain some aesthetic relief from a
pizarrc accessory, only the screen in
TINS case, unlike Mr. Hassam's, is DULY
PAINTED. For the really satisfactory
treatment of still life painted on such
scale the artist needs the virtuosity
OF a painter like the late Alfred
stevens. He must know how to turn
lacquer into lacquer, which is to say to
match the charm of his screen with
beauty of painted surface. Mr.. Seyf-
fert is dry. He is dry, by the way, in
drawing also. The figure in this pict-
ure has its somewhat repellent arti-
tclality redeemed by no magic of work
manshlp.. The nude of Miss Genth,
Forest Music" is a graceful and freely
painted performance, hurt a little by
trite composition. This artist has SO
much dexterity that it seems pity
that she should adhere so closely TO
her beaten path. 1t is the prevailing
foible, the other side of the medal in
that matter of painting what inter
est me-" to which we have referred.
"The Garden Seat" precisely the bit of
trOu fYOu that he has been painting
over and over again. Mr.. F. c. Friesekc
does the same thing in his "Girl in
Blue" though it must be confessed thai
the simplicity of his color scheme OH
this occasion is a little novel, for him.
1t is all amusing enough-and without
any artistic nourishment in it for the
patient beholdcr. There is an immense
amount of this sophisticated, arid stuff
in the show. One turns from it with I.
sense of relief to a sketch like Mr.. Max
Bohm's "Joy," hung in the morgue, 4
quite unimportant but at least restful
bit Of painting.
To get out of the rut is for the artist
terrible task, and, as we have
shown, the mere effort to vary ones in
tercst is not by any means sufficient.
But when the effort really marks a
gain we cannot be too cordial in our
congratulations Witness the ex-
perience Of Mr.. Irving R. Wiles. We
have known him hitherto only as a
painter Of portraits. Now he amazing
y turns up IN the character of sea
painter. His "Wind and Mist" is not,
to be sure, The skilfullest or most per
suasive of marines. 1t unquestionably
lacks the quality which we may observe,
for example, in such painting as Mr..
Ritschel's spacious composition, "And
There Was Light" But it has spirit,
movement, the touch of genuinely in
terested hand. We hope he will go on
with his experiments 1t is diverting
to look for similar variations of mood
among the landscape men, and, not
infrequently. to find them. Mr. w. l..
Lathrop, whose work always reflects
personality and direct insight into ma
ture, is delightfully."- broadening his
style. The change tells to advantage
in both his contributions, "Space and
Light" and pasture Glade" A new
vein is opened also by Mr.. Ernest Al =
bert, who has put into his "Night" bet
ter color and a subtler atmospheric
quality than he mas ever secured before.
Mr.. Emil Carlson continues to develop
the delicate blond tones which have
marked his later work, steadily i'm
proving his treatment of a new key
Mr.. w. A. Coffin, painting a night
scene full of artificial light, Central
Park and the Plaza" achieves d pic