The New York herald., 1921-11-19
National Academy Has Vanishing Day
Prize Winners Native in Theme-Landscapes Attract
Much Attention-Mr. Fuchs Shows Portrait.

"Varnishing day" at the Academy Is
usually vanishing day in name only
but yesterday there actually was one
young artist who had the temerity to
take down his canvas from the walls
and apply the revivifying varnish. But
this young man was the only one among
the company of artists who had assem-
bled to pass Judgment upon the general
effect who had any pep. For the most
part a strange apathy prevailed. The
artists were enthusiastic about meeting
each other, for the fall vanishing day
Is the official moment for the reentry
into town after the summers work but
they were not enthusiastic about meet
ing the pictures
No one could be found among them
who felt that the exhibition marked
any great progress upon the part or the
aged institution. Same old Academy"
was the remark that was most IRE
quently heard. AS IL was invariably an
academician who was speaking 1t may
be taken as authentic that this exhibi-
ton, therefore, makes no departure from
the standards that have prevailed on
Fifty-seventh street for some years
Up" by Carl Rungius. and "Supersti-
t5,.r by 4. l.. Blumenshein, were
treated with especial coolness. 1t is
often difficult, when the merit Of the
picture is not obvious to know the rea-
son upon which the committee OF awards
acted, but In the present case, or casee,
there was apparently a wish to foster
the native subject and the native tradi-
ton. This Is commendable in itself
Mr.. Rungius's picture Is correct
enough doubtless, In it's topography and
all that, but as art it Is not strong.
There is a generally evasive air about
the work, as though the painter had not
been heart and soul interested In 1t HIM
self The only bit that suggests per-
sonal observation is the section that In
cludes the horses heads. The heads Of
the two men officiating at the round
UP are blurred over II the committee
had meant to emphasize the native sub
ject II might have more pointedly called
attention to such material by giving the
prize to w. Herbert Dunton, whose
Cattle Buyer has much more life in
1t than the one finally chosen. Mr..
Dunton certainly paints the West as
though his heart and soul were in the
West, and that's the chief thing to be
asked of painter. His present cattle
picture is much more bold and theatric
than some of his former pictures, but 1t
still guards the air of having been pro-
duced from experience.
Mr. Blumenshein's Superstition" is a
cheap and tawdry Indian picture. The
Indians have suffered a great deal from
the white man in times past, but 1T be-
gins to seem as though we were destined
to hound them to the very end. Mr..
IJfers Indian pictures are equally with
out artistic excuse. He shows the base
uses to which the once noble red man
has now descended-he paints a squaw
acting as table maid for an artist In the
Taos colony, and Mr.. Blumenshein gives
us an ex-warrior working at the plaster
er's trade. Considering everything. these
are painful themes and nothing in the
treatment awarded them redeems them.
The centre of interest yesterday for
the artists seemed to lie in the north
east corner Of the Vanderbilt Gallery,
w...re there was landscape, "Primeval
Forest" by Charles S. Chapman. and a
bust OF the Baby Angela" by the sculp-
tor Emilio Angela. Between these two
there was a painting of a young girl In
a hammock by Leon Kroll, by long odds
the most snowy picture in the whole ex-
hibition, but most Of the talk centred