New-York tribune., 1919-04-20
Random Impressions
Zn Current Exhibitions

exhibition Of old laces and embroider-
les. There will be first view on the
afternoon of the 2Sth, at which the
members of the Needle and Bobbin
Club will be the guests of honor. A
feature Of the reception will be inter
pretative classic dances by Nine. Ter
esa Cerutti. About thousand speci-
ton, which is to continue through the
month of May.
One Of the most brilliant of the
craftsmen who have dealt with the
war, Captain Spencer Pryse, is the hero
of an exhibition of Autographs at the
Enrich gallery. We call him a
craftsman. but the truth is that one
needs more than a technical designa-
tlon properly to characterize this art
lst faculty for drawing accurately
and with originality is only one of his
resources. He has style and q large,
impressive way of looking at his dra-
matte, sometimes tragic, motives. The
source of all his merits would seem to
be an imaginative grasp upon life.
Some of his designs drawn before the
war are shown. hunting scenes done in
England. They are full of movement,
they abound in types vividly drawn
with penetrating sympathy, but what
particularly impresses us is the gift
that Captain Pryse has for Welding
figures and background into a compost
tion as new and artistic as it is life
like. When he came to design his
posters and other Autographs Of the
war he raised his ability to a higher
power, drew more eloquently and
heightened while he simplifed his pic
torial conceptions. His Belgium,
1914" is one of the noblest schemes
the martyrdom of that heroic country
has inspired. 1t has a searching
pathos. All of this artists sorrowful
compositions have that. And with the
pathos there goes a remarkable dig
nifty, the beauty and strength of art
uplifting what is bitter in the sub
iect.
Two other exhibitions associated with
the war may be seen just now at the
Kennedy gallery. One of them is de-
voted to drawings and water colors by
members of the Kennel Club, an or
ganiZaton of artists, writer's and maya
zine men who served in the 9th Divi-
sion They are clever and often anus
ing sketches. Mr.. c. c. Beall's types
are skilfully drawn. The humor of
Lauren Stout makes his contributions
attractive There is good fun, too, in
the drawings by Raeburn Van Buren,.
The average of technique throughout
the show is not very high, but the gen
eral atmosphere is nevertheless so
spirited as to be very sympathetic In
striking contrast at this gallery is the
collection of forty or fifty drawings
made for The Illustrated London
News" by Frederic Villiers, the veteran
of many campaigns. He is too sea
soned a craftsman of the field to
be content with mere cleverness.
He is, indeed. fashioned" in that
ne IS palnstaklngly literal, keeping his
eye always on the fact and delineating
it with map-like precision. This, and
the consistent gray tone OF his pict-
ures, makes for a rather conventional
effect, but, on the other hand, he
achieves convincing reality Here, we
feel, is war as it is actually waged,
with no significant detail OF action
or of horror-omitted. Inscriptions are
frequently added, within the confines
OF the drawing, to make verisimilitudc
doubly sure. 1t is another old fashioned
trait, but we do not regret it, On the
contrary, we are grateful in his exhbi-
ton for an amazingly eloquent pano-
rama Of action a. the front in France
and Flanders.