Evening star., 1923-06-14
The North Window
BY LEILA MECHLIN

OF cotemporary American painters.
There are twenty-five paintings in all.
They are displayed in the semi-cir-
cular gallery on the second floor,
| which they nicely fill. Rarely does
one find in private ownership a col
as this: 1t includes not only works
by Weir and Tarbell. Hassam. Alex
ander and Benson, but examples or
the works of these painters at their
best. and an hour spent in their midst
provides not only unusual pleasure.
but sends one away with a feeling of
having been in excellent company.
Take, for example, the two Alex
anders, Aurora Lee" and 1.-THE But
terfiy." How decorative they are and
how completely they set forth the
characteristics of MIR. Alexander's
work, his flowing rhythmicas line, his
rather Cat treatment Of broad sur
faces his nice adjustment of values.
| He was the painter, it will be re-
| membered, of the series of mural
| paintings picturing "The Evolution OF
the Book" in the Library of Congress,
and he has to his credit the wall
paintings representing THE Spirit OF
Pittsburgh in the Carnegie Institute,
| Pittsburgh, which in the minds of
many are among the finest mural
paintings by an American yet pro-
! duced, because not only Of their ar
tistic merit. but on account OF the
| fact that in them allegory and CO.
! temporary life are so combined that
they carry significance and relate the
| work TO the life of the people.
| Mr.. Alexander was a consummate
craftsman He first won attention
iby his portrait drawings of celebrated
| persons which appeared in one or
the New York magazines: ne nao
a gift for portraiture and his por-
| trait of Walt Whitman is one CT the
proud possessions of the Metropolitan
! Museum of Art. But he was more
than all this-he was man OF vision.
| one who was always helping others;
He strove not only to achieve, but
to advance art. At the time OF his
death he was president Of the Ma
| tional Academy Of Design. He was
! also president of the School Ar's
League. in New York. and on the
| purcha sing committee for the Metro
f, noiitan Museum of Art. yet he was
never too busy to receive any VINO
were asking aid or advice, and
great deal ofshis strength was spent
in furthering the activities or various
art organizations. He was interested
not merely in painting, but in the
drama. in literature and all phases OF
| art activity, and when a good many
wears ago Miss Maude Adams wanted
| some assistance with her stage set
ting and costuming for new play,
he gave it to her cheeriully ana
without price. This was the begin
ming of a very happy friendly rela-
| tionship, and for number OF years 5
Mr., and Mrs. Alexander, Miss ADAMS
and Mr.. Homer Saint-Gaudens ex,
perimented in stage setting ana
worked out together some very sue
cessful results. All these memories
aurora Lee" and The Butterfly"
recall.
Ouite Of a different sort is the
work of ChiIde Hassam, who is rep
| resented in this collection by four
! paintings. each of different type
and all uncommonly attractive. Mr.
Hassam is the leading exponent OF
French impressionism in this coun-
try He is the artist who holds hrst
and always that his own art is most
important and that art for arts sake
is the motto which should be fol-
lowed. But he has rare ability, and
| whether he draws or etches, paints
in water color Or in oil, whatever he
does is insistent with artistic feel
ing AS a rule his figures are less
| attractive than his landscapes, but
in The Bowl of Goldfish" in this
collection he has painted a figure of
supreme beauty. A young woman is
seen standing against window along
side of table on which the bowl of
goldfish rests. 1t is remarkable in
tterpretation of illusions of light and
air seen indoors and outdoors. and
| the figure silhouetted against the
light is exquisitely portrayed. not
as a piece of still life. but as a
living being, personality with
charm. The figure droops just a
little, but enough to suggest pause,
and the color is exquisite-so ex-
quisite. In fact, that it causes one
to catch ones breath.
a Scarcely ssor less engaging ing is sron The
high Viewpoint looking down-an
, extremely complicated composition,
but one full of loveliness. Sun
idown-Newport" is much more tone
full and lower-keyed than Mr.. Has
SANS paintings are as a rule. 'The
Sunlit Brook" again is in his sure
and happiest mood.
| French impressionism, OF which
Monet was perhaps the father. has
certainly done much for modern art,
opening the windows, letting in the
sunshine, showing how the Illusion
Of light and air can be rendered in
though Childe Hassam had even out
done his master.
If artists were asked to name five
of the greatest American painters
(and they were more than forty
iyears of age) they would all probably
mention as one of the number
j. Alden Weir, for he was essentially
la painters painter. one whose
sincerity and technical skill called
forth from his conferees universal ap-
preciation. Never did he paint a
tlovelier figure than that entitled ''The
Reverie." in this loan collection now
lat the Corcoran Gallery of Art. 1t
lis in reality a portrait study-a
iyoung girl not particularly beautiful
but refined and evidently character
iful, one essentially womanly, Depend
liable, feminine in the extreme and in
the best sense. She is pictured wear
ing white gown which. through the
the tint of old ivory; the background
is brown. II one examines closely,
the discovery Is made that the paint
has been laid on heavily in a kind
OF impaSto, with the surface some
what niggled, yet the texture is beau
Itiful and possesses much the same
iauality that one finds in lacquer
There is no striking high light or
impressive deep shadow, the scale is
short upon which this composition is
lplayed, but n is extremely harmoni-
Ious, very beautiful-the kind of pic
Iture which means much more than
jappears and which grows more sig
nifcant as 1t becomes more familiar
tAgain one has In this work an in
lterpretation of spirit as well as form.