The New York herald., 1921-02-20

cluded in the show and they will prob
ably puzzle our public. since. alas. as 4
nation we are still far from being up on
technique and are quite incapable OF
guessing at an artists intentions. The
finished portraits. however. indicate that
this artist can take a prominent place. il
he chooses. The likenesses of Homer St.
Gaudens. Edward Litchfield. Cornelius
Rybner and Yeatman Griffith contain
excellent, straightforward work. There
is portrait of gentleman in a fur
coat that is extremely facle and will be
much praised, although the manner of
the painting indicates the particular
danger that confronts the artist The
brush has been allowed to gallop so at
its own sweet will that the gentleman's
face Ct forget his name) has become
somewhat CLASSY. This is the pit into
which the late and clever William NJ.
Chase was always falling.
Mr.. Stevenson probably gets enough
advice from his master without yearning
for any from outsiders. but an exhibition
invites advice. and the following feeling,
in regard to all those who would seize
the Sargent mantle. will not be sup
pressed. 1T is this--not to bother with
namby pamby sitters any more than Is
absolutely necessary. Sargent managed
turesque personages in a period when
the picking was better than it Is at pres
ent Now one has to go energetically
forth to seek them. There is nothing
that is such a help to a portrait painter
as having important people to do. Then,
too. Sargent always saw in the diverse
individuals who mounted upon his studio
dais something more important than
their mere lneaments, and that was a
clear sharply cut portrait scheme. But
Sargent is always telling you that. Mr..
Stevenson. himself l dare say. However.
there is nothing so deadly az posing each
newcomer up against the wall in the
same studio chair or sofa, and 1t Is
astonishing how quickly mechanical
habits descend upon one if one Yields to
such a procedure.
Dewitt Parshall \. A. who also is
exposing in the Kingore Galleries, loves
large subjects. He loves the Arizona
Canyon and paints it frequently. The
Arizona Canyon is a hard thing to paint.
II Is really worse than Niagara Falls
and most Eastern artists have quit fool
ing with Niagara Falls. The reason is
that Nature In these instances doesn't
give the painter a fair chance. Nature
does too much herself On the other
hand. should the artist assert himself
the public would be up in arms. What.
take liberties with the Arizona Canyon.
You call that daub Niagara Falls! Fie
upon you, &C., &c.
Mr.. Parshall falls somewhere between
the two courses. In one little picture
that shows but a snowbanlS and only
ono or two cliffs he almost pleases me.
1t is an abstract affair that suggests
something in nature and is not labor-
ously composed. On the other hand. the
artists clientele. il he rejoices in
clientele will fall upon him and rend
him limb from limb when they see it.
claiming him TO be a cubist The big
Canyon pictures. those the clientele
likes. leave me speechless. l cannot en-
ter into the mind Of one who would
paint such things. ! would just as lief
paint a coup d'oeil in the central places
of Macy's or Wanamakers, attempting
to put everything in. Mr.. Parshall
doesn't put everything in-who could p
but he puts in far too much. II an artist
really insists upon painting the Grand
Canyon the best equipment he could
have would be a large supply of
naivete Some OF the best pictures |
have seen of Niagara Falls and similar
grandiose subjects have been chromos