New-York tribune., 1919-12-14
factors in what might be called the
modern past
Some Echoes From the
Salon and Its Rivals

oalon and Its Rivals
Where the past 10 concerned the
Tricnnale discloses no particular sys-
tenn. Rather capriciously, in fact, it
draws upon The art Of the seniors.
Capriciously, but not unwisely. Why
Rafaelli, for example7 Well. the
kaffaelli is the best painting on the
walls. His "Notre Dame dc Paris" is
the most exquisite thing Of his we have
ever seen. The towers Of the great
church are lifted in the distance, be-
yond a broad stretch OF the river.
Trees bring the beauty Of landscape
into both sides Of the composition. In
the foreground the sandy Quai and its
busy figures are painted with the deli
cate realism characteristic of this ar
tist The whole scene is bathed in cool
daylight. 1t is studio work, touched,
but not dominated, by the ideas Of the
impressionist. The canvas is full Of
Raffaelli's intensely personal-and ex-
act-draftsmanship. The reason for
Its inclusion is, as we have limited.
anything but obvious, but that the pic
ture is there is cause for rejoicing.
Warmly welcome. too, are the canvases
bys Renoir, whose recent death will
doubtless send many to study, with re-
newed interest, his work. In "The
Bath" his rich technique has a fusion
of homely sentiment. "The Bather" is
one Of his sumptuous nudes, as plan
gent in its color, as luxurious in its ex-
preston OF form, as some tropical
flower. There Is q singular souvenir
OF Claude Monet in LA Japonaise,"
painted in 1873. It comes, chronology
cally speaking, some years after the
fair. Whistler had long before ex-
hausted tho Oriental theme. Monet,
at all events, found no inspiration in
it. The picture has here and there a
handsomely painted passage, but, on
the whole, it Is overwrought, It's heavy
surfaces repeating throughout the
rather awkward effect most marked in
the tasteless spotting of fans against
the background. Monet dealt now and
then skillfully enough with the figure
in his earlier period, but this canvas
is not one of his successes.
Along with Raffaelli and the two
members of the impressionist group
comes most Unexpectedly the once eel
ebrated designer Of posters, Jules
Cheret. "The Farandale" Is good
specimen of his clever frou irou. bright
in color and as gay in brushwork as
it is in theme. A fairly sympathetic
compa anion, is provided for him in Hell
leu. one Of whose sparkling prints, ded-
icated to the feminine type inseparable
from his sophisticated art, fickers in
the show like a pretty apparition.
Among the prints, by the way, there
are several etchngs and Autographs
by men of the older, more established,
school. Forain, Odilon Redon and Au-
guste Lepere are here conspicuous.
Room is also made for Steinlen, Louis
Legrand and Jean Weber. Montmartre,
in word, is not forgotten. We think
of it again when we come upon Felix
Valotton among the painters. His
charming, broadly silhouetted Breton
Moorland' is delightful landscape in
the more personal, ingenious phase of
the Partisan tradition. Only a clever
essentially urban, type could have
painted this open air impression. Val
lotion is the modern Frenchman, who
pays his tribute to nature, but is first
and last devotee of chic. Rene Plot
especially admirable in his designs for