New-York tribune., 1920-08-15

nique OF these modern Poles is broad
and unsubtle, even to the VIRGO =,
coarseness; the impression in open-a,,
effects IS strong, direct and within cor.
tain limits truthful. Making leisurelv
survey Of the galleries one ACQUIRES
fair notion of the far-stretching land
and it's Inhabitants soldiers, peasants
horse dealers, civilians, women fresh
bright and gaiyly attired-
swans and their happy partners.
"Then we have encounters betwes,
man and man, between beast and beas.
teams of horses driven at tremendop.
speed along broad roads and across snow.
draped plains. New 70 US are these ON.
counters between the massive wild boar
with his murderous tusk and imnens.
trable hide, and the snarling treacherous
wolf, who dares not face, but CREEPING
circumvents his formidable foe
One marked feature of modern Polish
painting is the building up, in paint. ~
vast architectural sub jects-churches
monasteres, city gates and squares
that seem rooted for all time in rock or
earth. BY Bronislas Kopczynski we
have The Bernardin Church and The
Dominican Cloister (Lubin); by jean
nette Nowotny The Ruthen;an Church
at Lwow'; by Sophy Dziurznska two
simple yet monumental features of Po-
lands capital, A Square in Warsaw
and Market in Warsaw 1t would be
unfair, having called attention to the
relative absence of true roman.icism in
modern Polish art as here exempIiSed
not to call attention to some few in
stances in which downright realism Is
transformed by true poetry. In The
Witches Dance the interlaced figures Of
youthful, half naked women move in
rhythm audacious in widness. yet per-
fecJly sure and harmonious. a very
curious group of paintings by n.
Wawrzyniecki would appear 10 present
idols Of Slavonic type, and TO illustrate
ancient Slavonic legends. We make this
suggestion tentatively only, the cata-
logue affording but little guidance on the
point to the puzzled visitor.
"The grotesque yet impressive idols
in The White Cod and Temple of
the Sun suggest to Us something mid
way between the Central American and
the Maori styles. They may or may not
be archeologically correct-they are, at
any rate, mysterious ard arresting ap-
pearances Most tragic of all these sub
jects is The Commanders Tombstone
All solitary in the dusk but that she is
surrounded By rough-hewn. grewsome
idols, naked woman of powerful build
appears, bound with ruthless brutality
to one of these. Hopeless and paralyzed
with fear she awaits her fate. VIII she
not perish human sacrifice to the chief
whose monument this is? Again. this
Interpretation is mere surmise; we may
or may not be on the right path here.
The fault is with those who have not
vouchsafed to furnish an explanation
which would have added greatly 10 the
interest and value of those striking
archaeological fantasies. old II omen
hy Gustave Pillatti, is in its way fault
less piece of everyday realism -soldly
painted, satisfactorily composed, clear
and cool in general tonaity, but lacking
that individuality which would have
lifted 1t into higher regions of art. The
same defect-that of lack of personality
-detracts from our enjoyment Of
Stephen Popowski's rich-toned, firmly
painted landscape A Mill at Sunset In
tensity of expression, passionate en-
phasis in its right placc-these are the
qualities which cause us to pause before
II. Szczyglinski's Corner of War Gem
etery.' Not less satisfactory in another
way is AN Old Polish Manor House, by
the same artist.
Great purity in the rendering of un-
sullied snow is the chief attraction in
Jan Skotnicki's Winter in Poland Dat
ing back, as we surmise, further than
anything else in the exhibition, Stanislas
Zawadski's 'Salome' is p study from the
nude, finely painted and appropriately
rich IN somber yet llcent color The
treatment of the figure suggests fanil-
larlty with the school of Gerome. Pain
ful, on the other hand, is the excessive
sentimeDtality of the same paint
er's conception in Portrait of
Chopin We are reminded of AIRY
Schefer in his most unattractive
phase Of pseudo -idealism. To for
get this repellent picture of a
divine master, ever fresh and ever
young, let us evoke his image as Della
croix, prophet and king of the greater
Romantcism, has painted it, The CONF
pletest and most attractive landscape
IN the exhibition is, to our thinking, On
the River Dnieper,' by w. Nelecz. The
broad, silvery river winds its way, peace
ful of aspect, though swift and strong,
through vast plains, canopied by rainy
sky, in its benefcent softness quite IN
harmony with the rest Those VINO are
IN love with the more reasonable mo-
dernity will probably-as we do-select
as the most attractive example of this
style to be seen in the galleries Casimir
Slchulski's not very a.tiy named High
lander With Pitcher A dewy fresh
ness of aspect, suggestion of sponta-
neity, of enjoyment in the making,
,oD -l.e.,