The sun., 1919-10-05

ceived instruction. Five years later
in 1872, he went abroad, and after A
short stay in London, where he met
and received some valuable sugpes.
tons from Whistler, he proceeded IN
Paris and entered the atelier OF
Gerome at the BeauX Arts. The next
four years he divided between Paris
and Barbizon, and during this interval
was fortunate enough to become
sort of protege of Millets. who both
criticised his work and fe"orpci mn
with good advice. Miilet's influence
of course, is evident in much of
Eaton's painting of this period, but he
was neither a dopyist nor a servile
imitator, and very soon thereafter had
developed very characteristic as well
as a very distinguished style of his
own. Shortly after his return to this
country he Joined with Walter Shir.
law Augustus st. Gaudens and Others
in the formation, in 1877, of the So
ciety of American Artists, of which hs
was the first SECRETARY.
The remaining nude of Eaton's ia
though unfinished, hardly less lovely
than the Ariadne. Formerly the prom
erty of the late William NJ. Chase and
entitled "Lassitude." it is fascinating
study of ?. model resting against a
greenish drapery in slumberous re-
Taxation, the light falling full upon the
figure and emphasizing the graceful
physical beauty of the supple form and
the evanescent pearl and ivory tones
of the nude flesh. The workmanship
is wonderful in it's suggestion of the
painters understanding of the prob
lem; everything is finished in its final.
ity as far as he has gone with the can
vas; and because one feels how surely
it would have eventually realized MI
expectations IL he had lived to com.
plete it it has somehow almost the
distinction of a finished work
The "Reverie" is a picture of more
popular pattern, but a very unusual
and expressive one. Its chief interest
is as an Interpretation of particular
mood, though the obvious elegance Of
the arrangement or design is too ap-
parent not to occasion remark The
| brushwork is very deft, the touch flu
ent and the color gracious and re-
served. as BELTS the subject No de-
| tail of dress, or surroundings is suf-
| ficiently developed to divert ones at
| tention, howsoever slightly or momen-
| tarily, from the supreme interest OF
the canvas, and yet the fabrics Of the
costume are painted with consummate
skill and the reflection in the mirror
| is well nigh a real piece of pure per-
| fection in pictorial art.
Wyatt Eaton's oil paintings are not
common only three that I know Of
are in public museums-the Aradne
at Washington, the Harvester at
Rest" in the Hillyer Art Gallery
Northampton, Mass, and theN William
| Cullen Bryant in Brooklyn. Several
others l am familiar with are in pri-
vate collections, besides a number Of
portraits in Canadian homes. His
work in oil is, / think. almost as lovely
as it is rare, and any representative
exhibition OF it would, feel confident,
result in a belated realization of the
genuineness of his genius and might
rank him with the relatively few
American masters.
One unconsciously recalls the old
| saying about "those whom the gods
| love. dying young" when looking at
the most beautiful OF wyatt Ea;o5s
pictures though, save in the sense that
he did not live to be an old man. he
was not really young when death
overlook him. He died June Z, 1896, at
! Newport, r. L. in his forty eighth year,
His works, whether portrait, figure
composition, nude or landscape al
ways have about them an air of clas-
sic simplicity.