The New York herald., 1921-11-20

There is so much that's effeminate
IN the American school of painting
that the mere manliness of Mr.. Bel
lows's style is enough in itself to dis
tinguish him. So far so good.
Admiration for ambition and cour-
age in time when both qualities
seem somewhat scarce need not lead
us into confusing ambition with
achievement. The fact is that this
artist has not yet overcome the Sc
rous handicaps with which he started
out. He paints more and more as
he gets older in a manner that calls
aloud for a precision in draughtsman-
ship to which he is not equal. He
improves in drawing and it must be
apparent to any one that he takes
great pains with his drawing, but the
early deficiencies In his training now
have to be severely paid for. At an
age when. drawing should be an un-
conscious but sure prop to his brush
he has to grope every inch of the way
and the spectator is uneasily aware
OF il.
Compare a photograph of this por-
trait with photograph of good
Courbet or a good Ingres and see the
difference. There is no fiinching in an
Tngres. The thing marches straight
forwardly to say what the artist had
in mind in the beginning. and it is
only afterward that the student thinks
of the drawing.
In the Bellows portrait the hands
and arms were evidently trouble to
the artist to place. One feels in
stinctively the artist swaying them
backward and forward uncertainty
and finally and in spite of the Ham
bidge theory saying to himself. Hang
II all. I'll let 'em go like that" Draw
ing, however. is merely an intellectual
attribute to expression, and / see no
reason why Bellows should not attain
at least enough of il to make it drop
out OF sight in a discussion OF his
work. AS to his color am less hope
full. Color seems to be more a matter
OF temperament than OF brains, and
I never heard of any one who i'm
proved his color sense by taking
counsel. Even in color, however. the
present portrait is better than most
of it's recent predecessors, simply be-
cause the color in it has been reduced
10 the minimum. the blacks doing
most of the work. Technically some
Of the best work is in the accessories,
the reflected objects seen in the mir
ror being especially clever.
Young Girls Portrait" by Eugene
Speicher Mr.. Speicher is not so dy-
manic as Mr.. Bellows, and I fear not
so earnest. Therefore he shall not be
subjected to so severe a criticism. He
shall not be compared with Courbet
and Ingres. He will be compared only
with himself. In that test he comes
Off with flying colors, for in the pres
ent portrait he is better than he used
to be. He. in fact. as portraitist be-
gins to be somebody.
The figure Of the young girl has
been nicely placed, the color is agree
able and the painting is sufficiently
broad. The only drawback is the
slight hardness or touch OF self-con-
seriousness, or something. that got into
the face and hands. Mr.. Speicher
used 10 affect cheeks on young girls
that had an apple-red showiness and
glitter--a trick he got from Renoir.
He has not quite yet got rid of this
tendency.
Portrait Study and Virginia" by
Jerome Myers. Exceedingly COM
mendable work. The first Of these is
a self portrait. Mr.. Myers has done
in his time almost as many self por-
traits as Rembrandt. and. like the
early master too. does some OF his
best painting when posing for him
self. The present study has some-
thing in II which for want OF bet
ter word may be called German :"
but It has class just the same. The
portrait of the artists daughter vir-
ginia Is thoroughly charming.
Portrait of c. III. Chavant' by Ed
nund Quinn. A first rate head in
bronze. Full of expression and char
-cter.
The JOY OF Living" by George
I.ulSs. A dcplorabe figure study; a
hollow echo OF this artists earlier sue
cesses.
Landscape" by Samuel Halpert.
The best landscape this painter has
awbihi.od FOR aot,,n fftnc \, q, t,ol1 ori