The New York herald., 1922-02-26
Art of the Sea,
BY a WorShiper

worshiper of things marine and ships
and seascapes in actually, 1 never miss
an opportunity to visit an art gallery
where marine pictures are to be seen.
For a sea picture which has caught
the spirit. the life and color of the scene
portrayed 1 have a profound admira-
tion-an admiration sufficient to awaken
an ambition to possess at any price and
to spend hours gazing upon it from all
angles and under all lights.
This week, local papers heralded the
arrival of a new marine artist, sue
cessor" to Winslow Homer. in the per-
son of Mr.. Eric Hudson. Knowing how
scarce the breed is these days. 1 Wis
tied Mr. Hudsons exhibition at the
Ferargil Galleries and came away with
the feeling l had anticipated, viz, dis
appointment. For, in my humble opin-
ion, Mr.. Hudson Is not marine painter.
In my unsophisticated eyes Mr.. Hud-
son is an artist who does things
with oil paints-odd things, queer
things, imaginative fancies only to be
appreciated by art patrons whose vision
and judgment are keyed up to planes
beyond my commonplace understanding.
1 cannot describe my self as an art"
critic, nor call myself an artist, there
fore, I presume that what l say will
not amount to a hill of beans" But
as an excuse for my temerity in thus
arrogating the functions OF a critic
might state. with due humility that
have been a sailor at odd times in
steam, square rig and fore-and-aft, and
have even skippered a small sailing ves-
sci. My name has been appended to
two novels and two volumes of short
stories, and I have contributed to va
rious well known journals on marine
topics besides establishing one maga-
zine. and at present editing another
devoted to the fishing industry phase
of marine effort extremely common as
an artistic field of portrayal.
Knowing something of nautical tech
nique and having seen salt water in
most of its varied moods. I may be par
doned for saying things about marine"
artists. Mr.. Hudson's pictures may
represent art as she is known, but to
me they represent inarticulate daubs
of color which absolutely fail to delin-
cate their titles. One painting. entitled
"A Heavy Sea" is. in my eyes, an in
describable splotch of pigment well
paralleled In the crazy quilt of color
one would see In ships paint locker
after 1t had been cleaned out by a
boarding comber. Another scene en-
titled "Off Shore Breeze" has the un-
pardonable nautical error of having the
main boom of the sloop over the weather
quarter-at least it appears that way.
The other paintings exhibited are pass
able but some are as crude in design
and coloring as the amateurish daubs
one used to see inside the lid of SAIL
ave oh nf 70 .fG1a
door.
Now. Mr.. Hudson is not the worst Of
fender in the line of marine" art. There
are dozens of others, well-known and
highly placed in the artistic world,
whose Grimes on canvas" litter the gal
eries of this and other countries-pos
sibly this more than others, for in Eu-
rope they seem to have better discern
ment Only a day or two ago / looked
over another highly lauded marine"
atrocity at the National Arts Club--a
picture entitled Fresh Breeze. Moon
light" by Hayley Lever. and a prize
winner. In this fantastic composition
the sea is portrayed as / never saw It
in moonlight or any other kind of light
Yet another marine" at the same club
exhibit aspires TO represent what the
artist calls Moonlight on the Grand
Banks" This Is assumed to be scene
of fishing schooners and dories fishing
but the foreground depicts the quarter
deck of vessel big enough to carry a
fishing schooner on her davits. with
thick ungainly gobs of rigging stream
ing out of the clouds. In the middle dis
tance is a presumed schooner with main
sail and gaff-topsail set and every
thing stripped off the foremast. The
presumptuous writer has seen n few
moonlight nights on the Grand Banks.
but never one like this, nor vessels of the
type deineated
Coming away from Europe with its
Wyllie, Bernard Gribble, Napier Henry.
Charles Pears. Norman Wilkinson.
Charles Dixon and others who know
the sea and ships, / will take the liberty
of mentioning one ore two present day
American marine artists who know their
subject and can pass the most rigid
nautical criticism. There is w. ]. Ayl-
ward-at present in Europa painter
who can handle the subject with accur-
acy and skillful coloring. Anton Otto
Fischer. more Of an illustrator that
gallery painter. but nevertheless, an
artist who has been TO sea and pos
sesses the ability to transfer color and
action 20 canvas correctly.
Charles r. Patterson is n New York
artist in marine subjects whose pictures
OF seas and ships command the admira-
ton of men who know these things.
have seer many OF Patterson's paintings
and can testify to the skill with which
he catches the spirit of wide and
waters and the wind filled
canvas OF tall and leaning ship.
Patterson was a deep water sailor be-
fore he became an artist, but genuine
appreciation OF his efforts seem 10 come
only from the old shellbacks who view
his pictures and have themselves seen
the things he portrays. Clifford Ashley
also has done some crediteble marines.
and recall an artist. Norton. by name.
who painted n fine picture Of square
ringer coming about off the Irish Coast
Henry Reuterdahl has been hailed as
marine artist in America.
II may be that am like the crew In
Masefield's "Dauber"-you recall the
lines Of the hard case bos'n anent the
Dauber's painting
Here's Dauber makes a circus for the
men.
lie calls this thing a ship-this hell's
delight 20
But after all. who are the best
critics Of a marine portrayal? The blase
arblter OF artistic standards, eye wearled
with the sight OF many paintings. keyri
up TO the appreciation of bizarre AMI
exotic expressions IN pigment and but