New-York tribune., 1922-05-28

or worse than the old British art,
ought to have place in a national ex-
hIbition One critic complains that ex-
ampes Of it are isolated like lepers';
but it is at least equally possible that
the segregation implies a recognition
that the Academy, if it is to be repre-
sentative without injuring pictures of
different kinds by incongruous juxta-
position, must aim at some kind of di-
vision into schools or tendencies.
A feature of the exhibition, to use
an lrishisn', is the progressive disap-
pearance of subject pictures. A. Clut-
ton-Brock, a foremost English art
critic, advances more or less seriously
the suggestion that the movies" have
killed the old Academy picture. "When
you can see the Queen of Sheba's whole
imaginary and moving history,' ne
asks, "why paint one frozen moment
of it?' The picture of the year ought
traditionally to be q subject picture
and, if possible, A "problcm picture" ,"
But iii this exhibition there is no such
thing. Even the Hon John Collier,
who can usually be counted on for a
"problem picture,' fails to provide one
this time. in name, at least, The
Royal Marriage by Richard Jack, is
subject picture, but il might we'll be
any ma rriage in Westminster Abbey.
Sir John Lavery had an easier task
with The Wedding Procession' out
doors.
The place of honor in the exhibition
is given to John Sargent's Some Cen
eral Officers of the Great War
summed up by one critic as "a row Of
distinguished soldiers. al! in khaki and
all doing nothing except standing to
be painted" There is only one prom
inent war picture, and that is an after
war picture, "The Arrival of the Cana
dian Corps on the Rhine by Sheldon
Williams. 1t received nothing like the
attention that it would have gained
year or two ago In sculpture the war
IS very prominent, but, judging by the
attitude of the crowd this country is
very little interested in plastic art.
The most interesting paintings are
the portraits, among which there are
some notable studies. For the first
time Augustus John exhibits portraits
in the Academy-another SIGN that,
though there may still be mutterings
in the studios OF Chelsea, the breach
between the Academy and the ed
vanced" schools is repaired Outstand-
ing among the John portraits is his
Bernard Shaw a tremendous study
Of the author as the DEVILS Disciple,
or even as Mephistopheles himself.
Sargent, who reappears as a portrait
painter, aside from his group of gem
erals. has portrait Of Lady Rochssv-
age, but this is overshadowed b.
Charles Sims's more striking study Of
Lady Rocksavage and her little son,
which is half q portrait ard half an
idyll. Sir William Orpen has six nor-
traits, of which the best. is "sir
Charles Villiers Stanford"
Every year, it is estimated. 10000
pictures are submitted 70 tho Acad-
eny. This year 1,464 were selected
for hanging. Even after the nrst Sc.
lection it was found, IS usual, that
for reasons Of size and arrangement.
about hundred of the chosen pic
lures could not be hung. For the ben
eft Of those artists whose work was
accepted and then thrown out at the
last moment, Gordon Selfridce is this
year staging the usual Overflow Acad-
cmy."
Probably nowhere so we'll as at the