New-York tribune., 1919-11-23
An Interesting Type of
American Craftsmanship

The question as to what constitutes
good American painting is peculiarly in
the air this winter, thanks very large
ly to the proceedings of the new Soci-
ETY. of Painters, Sculptors and Gravers.
mat body has made it's exhibition
KIND of challenge, inviting reflection
as TO the merits of this or that ten
oency IN current art. An important
contribution is MADE to the discussion
by Mr.. Childe Hassam. He is an i'm
partial exhibitor if ever there was one
lie shows at the Academy and with the
new organization. His flag pictures are
on view at the Parish House of the
| Church Of the Ascension. And now he
has opened at the Mich gallery an ex-
hlb1t1on, retrospective in character. of
paintings, water colors, pastels, etch
lngs, autographs and drawings. This
last is rather courageous affirmation.
MI. Hassam held much the Same sort
OF show at the Montross gallery onlv
tour years ago. A lesser painter. in
the same circumstances, might be in
Va "SoA ing OuC HIS welcome.
and, to tell the truth, not even Mr.
Hassam is quite secure in thus assert
ing himself. If he makes plain his
strength he also makes plain his
weakness. But he has strength enough
to justify, on the whole, the frequency
of his public appearances, and this
latest demonstration is, as we have
limited, especially opposite. It illumi-
mates little that question of good
American painting."
AS Mr.. John c. Van Dyke has pointed
out, in the book traversed in this place
last Sunday, lot of good American
painting has been, in sense, good
French painting. Its best qualities
have been rooted in French technique.
Mr.. Hassam is pat with a picture to
confirm this hypothesis. His eau
tumn," full-length portrait of
shabby old harpist shambling across
tall canvas, wos shown in the Salon
of 1888. 1t is Enthusiastically a Salon
picture. 1t could have been painted
only in France, under the influence of
French ideas. Like so many Salon pic
lures, it wears a rather faded air. One
feels that it served it's purpose long
ago. Long ago Mr.. Hassam travelled
to much higher plane. Yet it makes
its mild appeal in genuine fashion and
the point is significant. The indurated
Salonnier is known by the barefaced
nature Of his tricks. He wants to
make hole in the WALL" to attract
attention, and to this end he is capa-
BILE Of almost any sensationalsm. One
thing that saves the Autumn" is its
sincerity. 1t is painted not to make
a hole in the wall, but because the art
ist was interested in his technique for
its own sake. The force of this truth
becomes the more apparent as the OBJ
server goes through the show with q
certain care for it's chronology. He
sees then how Mr. Hassam grows in
his art, paints better and better, al
ways spurred on by his love for his
medium. Little by little there develops
from this ardor something which
transcends the French character Of his
work. There develops the personal
touch, the individual qualities Of color,
texture, brushwork, which give the
artist his rank. You see at this point
also why it is that Mr.. Hassam finds
it perfectly convenient to exhibit with
both the new society and the Academy.
He has nothing to do with the ten
dencies, such as they are, in either
camp. He lives in his own ivory tower.
His associates in the recent "seces-
sion" might remark that that is pre-
cisely what they are trying to do. Per-