New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-01-12


American Art Galleries, the late John
W. Sterling, of New York. and the late
Governor Oliver Ames of Massachu-
sets, both appear 20 have been active
at about the sane time. in the neriod
Oh twenty or more years ago The
costume picture was popular then, the
carefully elaborated design in which
the dress and manners of bygone ages
were reproduced with a more or less
"anccdotic" interest injected into the
subject. These paintings are old-fash-
toned now, and in room full of them
one must look closely for the better
things.
They arc there. Curiously, in the
group of Mr.. Sterling's pictures. one
of the better productions is from a
hand that long ago lost its vogue, that
of Vibert, the painter of fat cardinals
and discreet ecclesiastical jokes. His
"Scntinel," as it happens, is an early
work, painted in 1869, before he had
fallen into the routine that gave him
a passing celebrity. This little pict-
ure of medieval halberdicr, watch
ing at the foot Of a stone staircase in
some romantic castle, might have been
painted by Mcissonier at his best. 1t
is minute study of detail but there
is some breadth in the treatment. A
similar perfection of technique is OBJ
servable in the nude by Jules Le
febvre, after the Bath" Artists to-
day would handle the theme far more
freely-but rarely with anything like
the mastery drawing that this reveals.
There is q good deal of this sort of
Salon stuff in the Sterling collection,
pretty things by Kacmmerer, Jacquet
and the like, the effect of Academic
sentiment eliminating in the two com
panion pictures by Cot, the we'll known
"Sprngtime" and "The Storm" These
are Fashioned, yes, but in their
polished, scholarly way they are mar
vellously we'll done.
There IS q good Rice in the show, a
typically g1ittering "Venice," and there
is better Cain, the "Elsinore," which
presents a really charming impression
crumbling walls surmounted by slender
poplars, with still water in the fore
ground. For certain gravity of feel
ing, welcome enough amid the too nu-
merous pictures of historic millinery,
there should be mentioned with the
Cain Dutch landscape with figures,
Evening"" by Artz. This canvas, for
merly in the Seney collection, is adj
mirably composed and in delicate land
scape quality makes one of the bright
spots i'll the exhibition. The single ex-
ample OF Schroyer is handsome one,
there is delightful specimen in GO
ing to Church" of Boughton's skilful
way OF illustrating our old Colonial
life. and among the landscapes Bruce
Cranes Evening Glow" commands IA
vorable comment
The most interesting episode sup
Piled by the Ames collection is that
which introduces group of three
pictures by the late George Inness.
Two of these (Nos. "a and 29) are in
his earlier manner closely analysed
and rather tight" in execution. The
third No. 45) is souvenir Of the later
lnness, much richer in color and far
more loosely painted. All three land
scapes are works of notable sincerity,
OF sensitively wrought beauty, and with
That note OF style in them which a man
like lnness possesses even when he is
not in the plenitude of his powers
Governor Ames was otherwise attract
cd by European art of the sort that has
become outmoded, clever sentimentali-
ties and studies of dress, but the IN
ness pictures are not the sole indica-
tons that he had a special prediction
for landscape. This led him, for ex-
ample, to acquire the "Carlsbad" of
Munkacsy, about the most lkable work
by the deXterous Hungarian we have
ever seen. The figures in this disclose
his usual rather meretricious touch.
but the grove which is his main theme
is capitally painted. There are pleas
ant landscapes by Visconti, Oudinet
and Voltz, and among the American
pieces there is a really striking coast
scene by the late William L. Picknell.
1t is pity that the German picture
of a Spanish interior, the "Peasants in
Town." by Armonz, is not little bet
ter painted. In it's humorous quality
it makes an unusual effect
Besides the pictures in the Ames col
lection there is a quantity Of household
belonglngs-rugs, glassware, porcelain,
and so on-~from which the discerning
buyer may pick up an occasional good
thing. The Venetian glass makes a col
the rugs are good. These objects will
be sold at the American Art Galleries
on the afternoons of January 16 and
II. The pictures will be disposed of in
the grand ballroom of the Plaza on
Thursday evening. On Friday evening
at the same place the Sterling collcc-
ton will be sold. r. c.
At the DurardRuel gallery there is
an attractive exhibition of works of the
Spanish painter Ricardo Canals. He
is a type of French tendencies, show
ing particularly the influence of Re-
noir. His subjects, drawn chiefly from
the life Of Seville, embrace the bull
ring, dancers, cigarette makers in the
familiar great factory, and-above all
the black-eyed, graceful Spanish
woman. He is picturesque in his ap-
peal, with a romantic touch lifting
some of his figures to higher plane.
On the whole, nc is rather heavy hand
ed, but the charm which makes itself
felt at intervals in this exhibition is
authentic. Its principal ingredient,
after the thoroughly Spanish quality
of the painters themes, is the rich and
sometimes handsome character of his
color