New-York tribune., 1921-02-08

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another interesting body of prints
comes into view. This la the prop
erty Of Carl sehraubstadter and ls
shown at che American Art Galleries,
where IL is to be sold through five ses-
sions, beginning next Thursday eve-
ming and continuing on the 1lth and
12th. 1t is q fascinating collection, the
interests Of which have been we'll
served by the production OF an usual
ly good catalogue.
OF the catalogue for the reason that IL
never claims too much, but is really
Terminating In its references to im-
preston and condition. There are, to
be sure, many brilliant prints In this
prodigious array of over nine hundred
examples; but we would commend the
mass not SO much for any sensational
note struck in II, but for the excel
lent aaverage. Besides the impressions
recorded as perfect" or "fne" there
are many which are listed as merely
good" The circumstance invites the
friendiiest comment. After all, the
Japanese print ought not TO be cult
for extravagant connoisseurs alone,
who are ready to pay anything for a
rarity or for perfection" 1t is one
ot those forms Of art which ought tc
be truly popular, entering into almost
any household, whether che household
! of q collector or that of the person
who! merely cares for charming bit
of decoration.
Coioring Is Unusual
| There is nothing else in the world
print. nothing ranging in more de-
iightfut manner from the utmost deli.
! cacy to the most plangent afftrmations
1t IS in the printers registration of the
! designers intention as regards color
that this collection peculiarly we'll il.
illustrates an acceptable standard The
! prints are 80 numerous that it seems
almost absurd TO particulariza. We
are tempted to do that almost too often
But we must cite few specimens OF
the purity. of printing which Mr.
Schrapbstadter has made such point
or seeking. Consider the lovely green's
in Kyonaga's Cherry Blossom Picnic
| No. SOD; the blues in the print by
him which hangs near by (No. 3O1) :;
the pale yellows in the "Two Beauties
No. 27S1 of Koriusai, or the superb
blao 5 in Kiyonaga's initiate Koiima
Takanori" (No. 300), These tones have
bell-like fullness and sorority. One
sympathizes with the cstaloguer's use
of confident epithets of appraisal, and
feels that he might even have been q
little more enthusiastic.
Every collector of Japanese prints
has conspicuously or uncons ciously q
tendency to assemble pieces IF one
special interest or another. Mr.
schraubstadter is particularly rich in
the theatrical portraits of Shunsho and
others. They make indeed an absorb.
| ing little gallery by themselves, q
mirror Of the Oriental stage which, in
spite of the elements that battle oul
Western sympathies, is eloquent
enough in Characterization to break
down the barriers of racial habit
There Is, by the way, flung in among
the studies of actors by Shunsho one
extraordinary print (No. 739) called
| of the japanese artist gives way to a
positively mystical motive, and in the
process Shunsho takes on an unusual
breadth of style,
Some Works Are Collahorations
Another salient group is made up OF
"surmono," the little prints which are
used as New Year cards or for other
! private social purposes. The series
begins with little miracle OF pearly
tones (No. 652) studied from seaweeG
gatherers by Hokkei, and continues
through, many compositions by this
artist, by Hokusai, Kuniyoshi, Kuni
sada and others. A curious example
is "The Country Girl and the Tayu'
(No. 600), which is the work of col
laboration between Utamaro and five
others, including three amateurs.
These "surimono" prints are typca
Of the Schraubstadter collection in it,
inclusion of things not too familiar
It abounds in the classics of the school
We find the expected things of Hiro
shige, of Hokusai, of Sharaku, of Uta
marc and SO on. But we find ais,
things of a certain freshness, like tina
Shunshs "Ghost" or Kiyonaga's huge
"Echigoya Emporium" mo. $685. Q,
the rare modern print after Hokusai'.
adorable "Awabi Diver" (No. 365), Of
the beautiful theatrical might Scene
(No. 532), by Toyokun. This is an
other way of saying that the collection
has q decidedly animated interest, tha
it gives richly varied illustration o;
the subject. The average, we repeat
is exceptionally good. A very salts
factory sale should ensue.
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