New-York tribune., 1921-05-01
European Art
Examples Of Its Ordinary Gait
and Demeanor

Examples of Its Ordinary Gait
and Demeanor
There Is, perhaps, one point on which
the distribution Of tho prizes, in 1921
- suggestive. In assigning the medals
to Americans the jury has ratified the
impression which any open-minded OBJ
server is bound to receive---the impress
sion that the foreign contributors have
not held their end up particularly we'll.
The two English members of the fury.
Massrs. Clausen and Nicholson, play
ing modest parts in the ensemble, sym
bolize the relation Of their countrymen
to the exhibition. Mr.. Clausen's two
little heads are creditable, but in no.
wise original or exceptional bits of
painting. Mr.. Nicholson, who might
have sent good portrait. is content to
be present in three fragments of still
life, and only one of these, the
Grapes" rises slightly above pedes-
trian level. 1t is somewhat surprising.
He has notable talent, from which it
would have been pleasant to hear in
really characteristic terms. 1t is just
in the ordinary, competent, but rather
commonplace nature of their casual
souvenirs that these two artists reveal
only too faithfully temper prevalent
in their school. English painting, so
far as it is here revealed, is common
place painting. There is talent In it.,
yes, but it does not carry it's possessors
very far.
Sir John Lavery Is capable crafts
man. He can paint stretch Of sea
with delightful sense of color, a de-
lightful ease and certainty. And he
can do this without leaving a trace of
downright distinction on his canvas.
Edward A. Hornell is always momen-
tarily beguiling in his studies of chill
dren and flowers. If his effect is gone
in fash it is because he gives you
manner rather than style. The much
belauded Augustus John is merely fat
and banal in his canadian Soldier"
The cleverness and glitter Of Laura
Knight are as evanescent as the
smoothness Of Sir John Lavery. There
are hints, just hints, of interest in the
pictures by Henry S. luke, w. Dacre
Adams, r. Aiming Bell and one or two
others. OF substantial quality there is
painful lack. The only English epi-
sodes genuinely attractive are supplied
1 by the low toned landscapes of Ber-
tram Priestman and the pictures
painted by two illustrators, Maurice
| Grieffenhagen and W. Russell Flint.
The former has made capital design
in "The Sirens" and the technique in
Mr.. Flint's water color of "The Balus-
trade" is the technique of born
craftsman.
The Frenchmen make a curious group.
One Of them, Henri LIE Sidaner, enjoys
something like triumph. He has a
room to himself with twenty-five pic
lures in it, enchanting studies of gar
dens and architecture, of big empty
squares enframed by old houses, of
moonlit scenes, of subjects which bring
out all the romanticism in his deli
cate temperament. His technical meth
cd places a sort Of veil between his
subject and his public. 1t is an over
wrought method, self-conscious, dedi-
Gated too narrowly to broken tones and
search after vibrations in color. But
he manages to hold his serene har-
monies together and his point Of view,
though Fictitious, is unmistakably his
own. He has grace and a gentle, en-
dearing emotion. Altogether M. LIE
Sidaner justifes the hospitality ex-
tended to him and leads one to thoughts
Of that thin1y populated wing of French
art-a wing never densely filed in any
school-in which painting is personal
lied. given new and admirable accents.
He stands by himself, as has been said,
in separate room, and his isolation
! is otherwise made plain.
The trouble with his colleagues from
Paris is that they smack too much OF
Salon routine. Naturally, they know
their way about. Frenehmen. are we'll
trained. Charles Cottet's full length
of Lucien Simon is an adequate per-
formance. So likewise is Simon's
luminous landscape with figures,
"Easter Tide" Neither painting, on
the other hand, is more than work
manlike exercise in technique. Rene
Menard gives the French section, If it
NAV be so described, perceptible lift
with his classical pastoral "The Farm
at Paestum," and his Normandy scenes
are we'll painted. He commands re-
spect, and perhaps need of apprecia-
|tion slightly warmer. 1t is respect al
together cool and reserved that goes
out to Paul Chabas and Maurice
Chabas, Henri Lerolle, Maurice Lsobre,
Blanche, Dauchez and the few other
IFrenchmen who contribute. Henri Mar
tin alone, in couple of vivid land
scapes, does what Menard does, car
ries the current French mode up into q
more individualized sphere. Two Span
|iards give pleasant account of them
selyes-Jose Pinazo, who has charm
;nrly decorative way with him, and Va
Ilentin de Zubiarre, an interesting and
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