New-York tribune., 1922-04-02

his role or the TcfiCH CtASCeAfU
LAST Paris has discovered balm
~ for struggling outcrers against mod
( "a era portraiture who still insist on
being portraitod. The fight against
.,o,o,r;sn, was admittedly lost, and only the
,,os. bard.skinned dared murmur aloud any
,oroer when Marie NassiiicH and her carlca-
-ure dolls we're discovered. To be sure one
r,,+ have a genuine sense Of humor and not
too much conceit to stand being carlcatureo'
hut after all, what are the blessings OF
tr.rt caricature as compared with an OIL
,ortrait done in green skin that is supposed
to look like you?
Yesterday one came to Europe to travel and
an pcsscnt had portrait done IN DAINTY
bue or pink frocl against a background OF
brown and yellow autumn tones ana reu
velvet chair, excellently painted. Before 'ha'
il was delicate miniatures that you took home
10 show YOUR friends. But miniatures 1eil
out Of favor long ago. After all, they we're
insipid and had strange likeness one to the
other. Portraits were better. At least, por-
traits were better until the painters began
getting notions about orange skin and mis-
shapen faces.
1t is little discoura ging to look at por"
trait of yourself, be the artist ever so grca'
or Matissian, and hear your artlstlcaily III
clned friends declare that the pale green chlh
that sags several inches to the lett ana inc
warty-looking nose leaning in the opposite OIL
recton "is an excellent likeness of you. IL
is hard. 1t is even worse now that ARTISTS
have appeared who insist on mixing your pof-
trait up with background of chemical re-
torts, tobacco labels, odds and ends OF rags
dug up from an old paintboX and few BABY S
alphabet blocks and other domestic articles
that have no connection with your life No1
even the patrons of art can quite forgive thls'
and they are not to be blamed who have fed
frantically to the side of the art photographers
IN the discussion of what Is Art?"
And even in the very bosom of photography
you no longer tell what strange things
may happen any more. There is brilliant
young American artist, newly come to Parls
who has almost forsaken his art of painting
harmoncally" perfectly marked rulers, glass
bottles and bubbles-one of the greatest pant
efs Of pure form, color and hne-tor th'
artistic JOY of "harmonic photography III
mas just taken photograph of young CIR
IN the Latin Quarter, arranging his lights s.
taat her face has the appearance of being one
haf colored and one-half blond. She as
sures me, little belligerently, that it is YER
chic" done So
Just when affairs had reached this appalln
state and the travelling art patrons fro1
america and Scandinavia we're about to abar
uoh the artists of Paris for their more SAM
" ieSs well known. "home talent Vassllle1
poapees appeared. Nassilieff is little Rus
san artist, well known to the entire quartle
ioT the last fifteen years. She began sever
ssen years ago, when she came from Mosco
faris to study with Matisse, and very SOC
was exhibiting her paintings in the salon
"aIer she started one of the first mode1
s.hoos OF painting in Paris and brought e
a'o1s OF modern Russian paintings there. 81
uAo cafe for soldier artists during the WI
rendezvous for artists, soldiers. duke
'ounts and countesses and even for 'Trotz
aao his political following. Paris knows h
II eao her work well.
oue 1t wasn't until the vanishing day
~s nsw salon ct Cafe Rotonde few wee
'so that visiting America In Europe, whi