The New York herald., 1921-01-30
SEEN IN THE GALLERIES.

SEEN IN THE GALLERIES.
The recently completed works" Of 7.
Mortimer Lchtenauer. now on view in
the Powell Galleries. prove TO be mostly
portraits. There are ono or two san
gufne studies for the mural decorations
that Mr.. Lichtenauer made for the Shu-
bert Theatre. but the exhibition en-
phasizes the portraits.
Mr.. Lichtenauer as a portraitist Is
able. He draws we'll. composes well. is
not indifferent TO textures. and gets more
than the likeness He seeks for the best
moment OF his sitters, and while securing
always degree of animation does no.
force this to the point OF affectation.
stylistically. they lack the freedom of,
say, Boldini or Sargert--but then por-
trait painters who are really free are
| Iew. 1t seems TO be a difficult period
lor this art, and among the many rea-
| sons for the difficulty a certain discrep-
anoy in the sitters may be mentioned.
IL takes series of extremely compla-
cent sitters to produce Sargent-sitters
who have oceans OF character and do
not care how it is represented.
Other artists exhibiting at resent In
the Powell Galleries are Carolyn Mase.
Marion Eldridge and Amanda Forbes.
The exhibition of the New York Wa
ter Color Club is now progressing in the
Fine Arts Building, on E'ifty-seventh
| street. The club has evidently been
| inviting some guest works for the show.
and so, two by John Singer Sargent and
group by f. c. Frieseke, adorn the
| walls. The two Sargents are sketches
made at the, camp when the artist was
visiting Lake Louise in Canada some
seasons ago. They have the facility for
which the artist is famous. but as ex-
amples Of style in the use of water color
do not reach the higher levels Mr..
Sargent's mind still works in oil, and he
works very cleverly, 1t is true. but he
aims for the heavy Opaque effects best
f, obtained with oil paint.
Miss Rene Clarke is one of the few
| among the exhibitors who possesses an
| individual manner Her winter views OF
| the Hudson are extremely crisp and
decorative Mr.. Frieseke's little water
colors are muddy and confused, with
| little to recommend them A self-por-
! trait by George Luks is also disappoint-
| ng. 1t is badly drawn. not very like.
and peculiarly lifeless in color. The
exhibition. in fact, presents nothing for
| discussion.
| Mrs. George Oberteuffer, a French
| woman. born in Havre, Is holding an
exhibition in the Arlington Galleries.
She has command OF exceedingly agree
| able color, has good touch and is
altogether credit to the impressionist
| school OF painting. Nine. Oberteuffer
studied AZ the Academic Julien under
Jean Paul Laurens and BENJAMIN Con-
slant. She has exhibited at the salon
and is societaire of the Salon d'Au-
tomne she has exhibited at PhiladeI-
phia, Pittsburg and Buffalo; she has
| mad a picture purchased by the French
Government and has also a professorat
du dessin from the French Government
For the catalogue OF the Mucha ex-
hibition at the Brooklyn Museum DR..
Christian Brinton has written q bio
graphical Introduction. Some of the most
picturesque of the material at his COM
mand came. as it usually does, from the
student days in the life OF the painter.
Mucha. IL seems, Is one OF those whose
| lives overlapped with that OF the now
| fashionable Gauguin. Dr. Brinton re-
counts:
"Mucha's Paris apprenticeship was not
without its picturesque features. His
modest quarters at 13 Rue de la Grande
Chaumiere were located above the
cremerie kept by Nine Charlotte. a true
to foregather Strindberg, Gauguin. Wis.,
pensjl, and Mucha's faithful friend
Vucha. They formed a close and con-
genial circle. and were In the habit OF
dining together almost every evening
chez Nine. Charlotte. Strindberg, al
ways a trifle austere, was at that par
ticular period deeply absorbed In pho
tographic and chemical researches.
though often he would mount the
taf,
pulsng panorama OF Paris from the
roof top, or stroll abstractedly in the
Cimitiere du Montparnasse, meditating
upon some novel or play. Gauguin was
restless, talkativc and not overindus-
trious until he returned from his first
island sojourn burning with enthusiasm
for the primitive solitude and the won-
drous Venus noires he had left behind.
And II Is interesting in this connection
to recall that II was in Mucha's humble
studio just across the way. at 10 Rue
de la Grande Chaumiere. that Gauguin
added the final touches TO his Tahitian
paintings before they were placed on
tentative exhibition.
The Brooklyn Society OF Etchers Is
to hold its first exhibition In Manhat-
tan in the Brown Robertson Galleries
February l to 81 In connection with
the exhibition VIII Simmons VIII give
a lecture on Etching and the Graphic
Arts In America" on February at 5
T.. NJ, and there will be public demon
strations of the printing OF etchings.
mezxotints and color plates on Febru-
ary H. 10 and IA by Frederick Reynolds,
Paul Roche and VIII Simmons. There
will also be a permanent display OF
Frank f. Haskell, First Lieut.. Clifton NJ.
Brown, First Lieut.. Harold s. Kelley, First
Il .knut. Donald Coray. The following named