New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1919-12-07
Random Impressions
In Current Exhibitions
Continued from page slevsm

In Current Exhibitions
Continued from page slevsm
figures In the making OF the magazines.
Mr.. M. D. c. Crawford treats Of tex
tiles. There is page on art as 1t is
applied to advertising, written by Mr..
H. A. Weissberger, and Mr.. John Cotton
Dana deals with Industrial art. The
fifty large plates, many Of which are
printed In color, range from cover de-
signs and posters to stage decorations
and to decorative silks. They give a
Kaleidoscope views Of the subject from
which 1t is difficult to detach any broad
lines Of artistic meaning. One or two
points are, however, sufficiently clear
The first is that American craftsmen
are coming to be lighter in hand, moro
given to certain dainty gayety. The
other is that they have astonishing
manual dexterity, to match their clever
ness in invention and their audacitv in
color. The general idea suggested by
this portfolio is that French chic has
been acclimatized in American applied
art.
The latest Of the portrait etchines
produced by Mr. jacques Reich Is
fine head and shoulders of Edgar Allan
Poe, based on rare daguerreotype be-
longing to the Players. 1t gives
a peculiarly sympathetic impression of
the poet. The romantic traits in his
countenance are we'll denoted, the fine
eyes, the picturesque hair above the
spacious brow. In the flowing tie and
the carelessly worn waistcoat there
Is also the touch Of the Bohemian.
But the haggard, morbid Poe is for
once forgotten. Mr.. Reich portrays
him rather In p phase Of wellbeing
handsome. robust and, save for bit
terness subtly lurking about the mouth,
happy. The plate, as is customary with
this artist, is etched both with freedom
and firmness. 1t has an unusual warmth
of tone. Smaller in scale than usual.
1t makes very pleasant, ingratiating
memorial.
At the Macbeth gallery there is
collection Of twenty-three paintings bv
INT. William B. Closson. He has a
pretty fancy. choosing for his themes
young girls dancing out Of doors. When
he is ambitious he depicts them in
decorative compositions elaborated
with some care. These are not espe-
cially attractive. When he is light
and spontaneous, using perhaps the
palette knife in summary fashion
rather than the brush. he produces
some charming little pictures. Then
he seems q clever and creditable
disciple of Monticello.
Contemporary American landscape is
illustrated in the show Of forty-seven
paintings lately brought forward at
the Reinhardt gallery. 1t is an inter-
esting show, in that it is fairly repre-
sentative and that nearly everybody
concerned appears to have that racy
,Yigor which is Characteristic of our
school. 1t is instructive, too, in the
light it throws upon the prevailing
current. A rich or suave surface is
not very much the fashion to-day. Some
of these painters are terrific men with
their hands. They fling pigment about
as though they kept it in buckets. TOO
much of the work displayed is, in fact,
very roughly wrought. Paintings like
the poetic afternoon Light" Of Mr.
C. H. Davis, or the decorative Dawn"
by Mr.. Childe Hassam are exceptional
The tendency is all toward the swiftly
registered impression, toward a thor
oughly robustious handling of nature.
There are signs of kind Of power in
the mass of material exhibited. There
ed Of the delicate sensitiveness which
meant SO much to the founders of
American landscape and to which some
of our painters are happily still de-
voted. The effect Of the exhibition as
a whole is to suggest that ideals Of
truth are stanchly upheld, but that
ideals of beauty are waning under the
pressure of ruthless individualism.
Mr.. Peter Van Veen, at the Ralston
gallery, shows a collection of his re-
cent paintings. They denote an earnest
feeling for landscape sentiment. The
early Morning" typifies most sue
cessfully this artists endeavor to fuse
with his careful statement Of facts an
emotional Interpretation of romantic
scene. His best picture in respect to
color and light is "The Last Leaves"
persuasive autumnal impression,
deity painted. The special note of
his show is faithful portraiture Of the
American countryside as it is observed
in the woods and along the streams Of
Connecticut.
W;1J;ovn Copparfa oil naiDtinr9 of