New-York tribune., 1920-01-10

The patina that the years lay upon his
work is slow affair and not notice.
ably 'rich," as that epithet goes. It is
more like a fine, dimly perceptible
bloom. Chiefly time seems to work
upon his canvases in the sense Of deep
ening their unity. The tone seems To
grow mealower, purer. That extraor-
dinarily vivid atmospheric quality of
his increases in potency. His sunlight
is more like the light of heaven. His
fogs are cloudier and more splendid.
Above al, time has in some mysterious
way quieted the appeal Of Monet. He
IS, In his way, as serene as an old mas
ter. OF course, allowance must be
made for our own greater familiarity
with his art. The shock Of the SOS
and '70s wore off long ago. But the
work itself has settled down into the
canvas to a certain extent. It's orig
inality and power affirm themselves
with calm assurance. This collection
is like monument. 1t shows Monet
at full length, man of high ideas
nobly stated.
Period Well Represented
The men of his period and circle are
we'll represented. Along with this un-
precedented array of his works there
are nine examples of Renoir, ranging
from the Femme L'Ombrelle," which
finely illustrates his more precise
handling of form and his cooler key of
color, to his "Canotiers Chaton,"
which was painted only six years later,
but which proclaims with exuberant
~ 11sss s~s>Isuous Sceadth of
his prime. Besides the portrait afore-
mentioned there is in the Femme ct
Enfant" notable instance of his
robust treatment of form, but the
Renoirs generally are significant of his
gift as a colorist. They sound q
plangent note beside the more closely
woven tonality of Monet. Pissarro and
Sisley are present, each with single
excellent picture. The Manets form
striking trio. The two pastel portraits
by him are precious as examples of his
strength in achieving sheer actuality.
The study of a woman's back, the
famous "Devant la Psyche" is one of
his great tours de force, piece of
flesh painting to drive any student Of
technique to envious despair. Two
pastels by Degas reflect sharply diff
ferertiated aspects of his art. The
"Danseuses Rose" recaptures the grace
and beauty of the ballet. The Femme
Sortant du Balm" is one Of his prose
poems in praise of ugliness, repellent
Impression recorded with diabolical
address,
The rooms which have been desig-
mated as harboring the more miscel-
painting of unusual interest. This is
the "Sketch Of a Laborer," by John
Sargent. Regardless of its date, which
for all we know may be recent, it re-
fleets the Sargent Of the old days
when he was the prize pupil Of Carolus-
Duran, the man to make a hole in the
wall of the Salon with a prodigiously
clever "academy.' For manual dex-
terity it could hardly be matched. 1t
is fragment of supremely self-conf-
dent virtuosity. Near by hang the Bar
bizon landscapes. lovely specimens of
Corot and Daubigny, Dupre and Millet,
in their usual, form Diaz alone makes
an unexpected appearance. The two
figure subjects from the collection of
the late Albert Spencer are unique
gems, one Of them, can Apotheosis," q
nude in an almost academic vein, drawn
with a purity Of line which we do not
recall ever seeing before in a painting
by this romanticist. Around the Barbi-
zon men are gathered some Of the mod
ern Dutchmen, notably Willem Maris
and there are numerous fine landscape.
from widely separated felds-a rich BIZ
Of color by Courbet, four or five solemn
hill scenes by the Scotchman D. Y
Cameron, an early and amusing Seine
study by Martin Rico, Michel, which
departs in stimulating fashion from hi!
accustomed stereotyped role Of compo
sition, and handful of good American
paintings by J. Francis Murphy, Will
lard Metcalf, George Inness and others
One point should especially be notet
about these Barbizon things and thi
works shown with them. They are no
simply Of high quality but are nostl,
modest in scale, cabinet pictures, agree
able to live with.
Excellent Venetian scenes
The old masters, chiefly from the