New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-01-16
Random Impressions
In Current Exhibitions


10, preparatory to sale from the !
18th to the goth, inclusive. The OBJ
jects listed include Greek and Roman
marbles, Gothic sculptures, primitive
paintings, tapestries, rugs and so on.
Some Of these things are from the col.
lections Of Alphonse Kann, in Paris,
the late Sir Hugh Lane, the Duke of
Hamilton, Lord Swansea and other
connoisseurs. There are more than
eight hundred items, ands the plates in
the catalogue give decidedly inter-il
esting impression of them.
Miss Matilda Brownell is an artist Of
versatility. She paints admirable por-
traits. We saw a good moonlight
scene of hers in recent exhibition,
and now she shows at the Mussmann
gallery collection of sixteen paint
ings Of still life. Flowers appear in
them, and Oriental jars, fgurines and
other objects are conspicuous. These
canvases are all essays in one of the
most difficult of the arts. The painter
must conceal his own knowingness. AS
Chardin demonstrated long ago, still
life must seem to have happened, not
to have been too studiously arranged.
Miss Brownell has we'll pondered this
principle. Some of her designs, espe-
cially those in which she introduces
her porcelain Dog Foo" are little
overcrowded. They present rather
tangled harmony of forms and tones.
Simplicity almost to badness is safer
in still life. But we would not be dog
matte on the point, for, as a matter
of fact, one of this artists most am
bilious pictures, the "Chrysanthemums
With Grapes" is also zone of her best
She is effective in her handling of
textures, avoiding the sickness into
which painters of still life so easily
slip. Tonal quality is the great thing
in work of this kind, but it is a mistake
to worry it into preciosity. There is
good tone in Miss Brownell's work.
We fancy it will be better when it his
mellowed somewhat. Her technical
ability takes her far and enables her to
paint solidly handsome pictures. 1t
has not yet enabled her to invest those
pictures with the dusky bloom toward
which her art must ultimately tend.
'sThe Old Decanter" indicates an ap-
preach to the desired patina.
An exhibition of etchings just opened
at the Kennedy gallery gives the first
place to Rembrandt. He is surrounded
by number of early Dutchmen, and
the exhibition embraces unique COL
lection of the complete etched work of
Antoine Waterloo.
The etchings of Zorn are shown in
fine form at the Knoedler gallery,
where two rooms are filled with his
works, giving comprehensive idea of
their merits. Those are high merits,
so far as they go, but Zorn
will never rank among the mas
tiers of pure etched line His is the
style of the pen craftsman rather
than that of the etcher. AS define
ator of the nude he is brilliant without
charm. His portraits are superb. The
Renan is one of the great achievements
OF the nineteenth century. At this
place there may also be seen small
group of portraits by Miss Olive Til
ton. She has great talent. In the por-
trait of "Adeline" she is carefully
accurate craftsman. In her other
eanvases she uses dashing breadth
which tells in both form and color. She
has facility without the thinness that
so often goes with this dangerous trait.
Under the auspices of the Walpole
gallery there begins tomorrow in the
large supper room at Delmonico's an
exhibition of Japanese color prints be-
longing to "a distinguished French con-
Hoisseur of Paris" There are nearly
seven hundred examples, which will be
sold next Thursday, Friday and Satur-
day evenings. The illustrated cata-
logue, compiled by the expert, Mr..
Frederick w. Gookin, opens with
preface stating that among these prints
are many such as collectors speak of as
prizes" The walpole galleries have
been lucky in their collections of Jap
anese prints and lively expectations
are aroused in this case. The catalogue
is exciting, which catalogues are not
always bound to be.
Pictures by the late A. P, Ryder and
by Mr.. Arthur B. Davies are shown to-
gether at the Ferargil gallery. They
meet alphabetically but with qualifca-
lions. When Mr.. Davies is his old self.
as in the ''Rose to Rose" he is in Ryder's
Economically imaginative atmosphere.
One thinks, long way off, of Giorgionc,
or Of Palma and other Venetians, when
looking at this picture. But in the
nudes, which form the bulk of Mr..
Davies's exhibit the sweetness which
once was his disappears and he seems
to be fumbling after beauty of form
rather than to be achieving it. The
most successful of these experiments of
his is the breathing SPRING" which has
something of the jeweled poetry of a
Gustav Moreau.
The Ryders form & varied group Of
1dylls, pastorals and Biblical or CLASH