New-York tribune., 1921-02-13
Emil Carlsen
His Work in Landscape, Sea
Painting and Still Life

For the first time in many years Mr..
Emil Carlsen has an exhibition all to
himself, one at the Macbeth gallery in
which he presents fifteen of his pic
lures. These include, naturally, sew
tral of the studies of still life which
from the beginning of his career have
been expected from him as a matter of
course. For long time, indeed, he was
known in no other branch of art. He
came into view as a man with q rare
gift for the portrayal x@ inanimate
objects, and, by the same token, the
painter of beautiful surfaces Inevita-
bly,, as he has gone on with still life,
he has made his paintings of it more
complex in the harmonization of val
ues. "The Picture From Tibet" with
it's richly decorative background, is an
illustration Of his later tendency. The
web of rose, ivory and gold in it is a
lovely one. Yet we are not sure that
Mr.. Carlson is altogether we'll advised
i. these more subtle excursions of his.
He was nearer to Chardin, in the old
days, when his color schemes were
simpler and broader; and we think,
too, there was more authoritative
touch in his handling of them. The
present studies seem a shade over
wrought, to be little too precious" j"
end in their extreme refinement to
rave lost some valuable elements of
strength.
The transcripts from nature invite
similar reflections. There is very
gracious art in them, perhaps too
much. Take, for example, the "SuWmer
Sea-" 1t is well composed. The great
cliff on the left is lifted above the
water with true feeling for design.
There is fine color in this, too, espe-
cially in the sea. But when he comes
to paint the cliff Mr.. Carlsen works
over his surface with much the same
solicitude for tone that he shows in
beautiful tone, but in some strange
way loses his grasp upon structure and
texture, so that what should be a
heroically massive cliff is in no wise
impressive. The virtue of nature is
squeezed out of it. This remains an
interesting piece of painting rather
than a powerful expression of nature
mighty truth. In another big sea
piece, 1.-THE Miraculous Draught," real
ism is again subdued to the key of a
romantic exercise in color. The fisher
men in their boat and the tall Christ
have no really dramatic significance.
All that we feel is the delicate, almost
Whistlerian harmony of blues and
grays that the artist has achieved. To
have achieved that much is something,
and there Is great charm in Mr. Carl
sens landscapes, especially In those
which suggest the influence of Weir.
Whether painted at noon or by moon
light these pictures are POLITICALLY
luminous In them all, too, there is q
certain engaging personal quality. But
over them all there is spread the effect
of an ineiastic style-a technical
method which long addiction to still
life no doubt partially explains. The
transition from porcelains and metals
to the works of nature is not made
with absolute success. Mr.. Carlsen
continues co produce sensuously beau
tifui surfaces. Even while we respond
to. their beguiling appeal we find our
selves wishing that his views of land
scapes were bigger and freer: that he
had broadened his definition OF ground,
Tree and cloud forms.
In the lower rooms at this gallery
two other collections are shown. Mr..
F, Luis Mora exhibits the water colors
in which he cpmmemorates summer
in ''the quiet 9 Connecticut hillside"
There lis nothing In the least important