New-York tribune., 1921-12-18

q jury should be most alert, in watch
ing for the good picture to be let in or
in watching for the bad one and bar
ring it out. And by the "had one'' we
mean more particularly the speciously
smooth article which is essentially
mediocre. 1t is the plague Of all our
exhibitions. The Corcoran Gallery has
not altogether escaped it's ravages But
the show is refreshingly significant of
high standard, sagaciously and coura-
geously maintained.
There has been kind of moral in
fiuence flowing from the Washington
hypothesis of what an exhibition
should be. The artists recognize the
value of their opportunity and send the
Corcoran Gallery of their best. If there
is one thing more than another which
prevails in our broad impression of the
ensemble 1t is a sense of professional
solidarity, of the ardor with which
numbers of our leading artists have got
together to make g good exhibition.
They form fairly impressive COM
pany, having for its slogan "skillful
technique" And circumstances make
the efforts of this band of painters
peculiarly worth while. The prizes Of
fered are on an attractive scale and
Senator Clark's recent gift of 100000
lends a special interest to the subject
this year. 1t settles the security Of
arrangements which from the begin
ming have owed everything to his gen.
erosity. But, without Understanding
the potency of the prizes in drawing
ambitious works to the show, we are
| inclined to attach even greater I'M
I, portance to the mode Of hanging.
Every artist is "on the line" and profits
by the ample space that is left between
himself and his neighbor to the right
Or to the left. There is no second line
The result is serene and dignified eff
1 feet which must be like balm to the ex-
hibitor. 1t must also add enormously
to the pleasure of the public.
There are centers, Of course, in the
different rooms, places Of honor in
which it is not unnatural to look for
works in themselves salient From a
short-sighted point of view these posi-
tions might be regarded as disappoint-
ing. They are taken by no spectacular
canvases. The Corcoran Gallery con-
tains no picture of the year" 1t tes-
titles once more to the weakness of the
American school in creative power, in
the invention which might give us
great designs. In our exploitation of
the human figure we are persistentIy
decorative, not dramatic. Where does
the explanation lie? Perhaps in the
foolish fear of. the literary, anecdotic
motive which fell into such disrepute
about the time of our discovery of "art
for arts sake But what we lack in
the adventurous sphere of design we
make up in taste and in feeling for
sensuous charm.
Mr.. I. w. Dewing we'll illustrates in
ala Peche" the fruitful indifference to
human passion which we have in mind
The lady with the fishing rod who
gives the picture its title is, we sur
mise, no more interested in possible
catch than are her companions ON the
scene. Like them she is in evening
dress. Like them she figures in land
scape for no other purpose than to
crafty the artists whim. But what if
the whim happens to be that of man
envisioning beauty for its own sake?
Dewing's figures are akin, in essence,
to those rustling In the gardens of
Fragonard or gliding romantically
through the sylvan glades of Monti-
celli. What they are doing does not
matter; it is enough that they exist.
Comparatively few of this painters COM
positions are based on open air sub
jects. When they are so conceived
they possess remarkable interest.
This example is masterful. The green
tones in it make us wish that he would
more often tackle landscape. Several
of his comrades of "The. Ten American
Painters" are represented on this occa-
sion. Metcalf has two fine landscapes,
one of them the beautiful "Benedic-
tion," in which an old New England
meeting house takes on the majestic
character of a temple under the night
light which bathes the scene. This is
an instance Of tender emotion lifting &
familiar theme to a higher plane, in
vesting fact with the interest that
springs from personal feeling 1t is an
appealing bit of subjective painting.
Objective, we suppose. in the strict
sense, is Mr.. Benson's essay in still
! life, "The Silver Screen" yet here, too,
there is something more than the ade-
quate reproduction of the things seen.
There is kind Of happy ardor in the
manipulation of color, the successful
search after beauty in the subtleties of
painted surface. Mr.. Benson sends
also one Of his studies from the figure.
lightly touched canvas. having GER
tain elegance. It is good performance.
| but it is in "The Silver Screen" that he
achieves real triumph. Mr.. De Camp is
| in a felicitous vein also in "The Window
+! Blind" but this interior with figure,
! one Of the broadest and handsomest
canvases to come from a member of the
Boston group since that group began