New-York tribune., 1919-04-27
The Light 7hro,vn BY Them
Upon Our Modern School

dress. but there is no convincing vivac-
lty about his resolute sprightliness.
mere Is some snap and dash in Mr..
Haggin's canvas, "My Baby's Portrait
OF His Mother" A rollicking idea is
neatly expressed in this Mr.. Leopold
Seyhert is clever, as he always is. in
his glimpse OF the theatre, Miss Es-
teile Winwood as Armande in No
mere, but he is clever without the
glamour that the theme invites.
Looking at the exhibition as whole.
one is agreeably conscious of the
healthy absence from it of the mere
pretty girl portrait, the fashy, pa
perry affair of which we have seen for
years only too much. There is a sign
OF IT, 1t is true, in the portrait by Mr..
Belts, cited above, and there are other
echoes, but in the main, if this collec-
ton offers any criterion, the mode is
dying out A good testimony is that
offered by Mr.. Philip Hale's "Agnes."
The temptation was there to lure him
into a facile convention, youthful
light dress, string of huge beads ard
kitten IN the sitter's lap to round out
the pretty plan. But Mr. Hale has
brought all this into a more serious
harmony by dint of good painting and
an lngratlating sincerity. He has taken
great stride ahead in this portrait.
1t denotes an appropriate point of tran
sltion to the portraits in which the
chief thing considered is the character
of the sitter These are divisible into
two groups, in one of which dexteritv
plays compelling part. Mr.. Wayran
Adams takes high rank in this cate
CORY with his 'Philadelphian" and his
professor Otto Stark" He is, no
doubt, somewhat superficial. His skill
wants weight. But the skill is there.
He paints with fluent, pointed man
ner, of which it would seem that almost
anything might be expected. Mr. George
Bellows and Mr.. George Luks are of the
same essentially modern movement.
with more robust energy behind their
work, greater depth. Mr. Bellows is
powerful impression of an interesting
type. The portrait of young woman
by Mr.. luks is 70 be signalized for its
unexpected serenity of tone, it's rarely
likable character. His wonted cruditv
leaves him. He attains to something
like charm. In Mrs. Rands two por-
traits of men the appeal Of tempera-
ment of an individual point of view is
less apparent On the other hand, in
both works there is the refreshmentto
be had from sound workmanship.
To that we turn with unqualified
satisfaction in number of the por-
traits shown. II is rich source Of the
dignity belonging to MIR. Eugene
Speicher's "portrait of Russian
Womau," q thoroughgoing technical
exercise, through which n grave, fine
purpose shines forth, There is SIM
liar virtue in the portraits of men by
Miss Mary Foote, the "Thomas Has
tings, Esq" and the OR. Smith Ely Jel-
life" A certain admirable delibera-
tion goes to the making of her por-
traits. Her brush work might have, in
deed, little more nervous force. But
that might possibly dislocate the unity
which is the special mark of what she
produces The particular merit of one
Of her portraits lies in the fact that
she has conceived it as a whole, a well
knit balance Of form and color. 1t is
precious trait, one of more permanent
significance than the vividness of tech
nical attack which sometimes goes
home more quickly And in raising
that issue Miss Foote brings as back
to the questions with which we started.
The National Association of Portrait
Painters is tolerably representative.
It's exhibition sets one to thinking upon
the general drift of portraiture in this
country.
1t is the drift of an epoch of realism.
Tradition, as such, has next to no hold
upon our portrait painters. And by
this we do not mean the tradition of
any era or school, but that which links
all the great schools Of portrature to-
gether, which you feel alike in Titian's
Man With the Glove" Whistler's
portrait Of My Mother" and the mag