Evening star., 1924-01-27

there have been only two
supreme etchers-Rembrandt ana
whistler" Adding: II am not sure
there have even been two, but am
sure the latter artist is the greater
etcher." He then goes on to eNpiaih Il
that the reason why these two artis's
occupy the place they do is because
they employed their genius ana 'he
art of etching m the right way the
sright way" to him meaning the
most vital, as well as the te"est INES
possible for the expression III the
most perfect manner of their IDEAS, Oh
their impressions.
This is peculiarly interesting TO re
call at this time because OF All eAhip
tion of etchings and lithographs ~
Whistler. which has just peeh Gp ~; tbe
I'm the Freer Gallery. There, IN tne
rooms wherein have been SHOWN
paintings by Thayer, pewlns' Troy ui
and other American artists aLe ho
70 be seen beautiful eXaihplss ,,hg
whistIers etchinEs and lithoerapnss'
each framed in the simplest OF "oou
en- holdings and appearing to tne pei. pei.
possible advantage on the dehca'e's
tinted gray walls. Nv. two
Among the etchings shown are wv
,nscribed TO the etcher'S motheF III
his own handwriting, and with uis
own signature There is also Il very
beautiful etching of his mother, iu
length showing her Stepplhs
the observer. There are numptii On
nortrait etchings in the coitectloi
such, for example, as the 81
"Becquet," and the scarcey less nd nd
mons .IJrouet," "ANen1eio any
"Riault" Turuiug to the Penneii
"Iif.. pf lanes McNeill Whistler, one
finds on page ~ an interesting stat
ncnt concerning these etchihss anu
whe they are doe.
70 ouutc the Pcnu-lls. lis in ms work,
in his pictures aud prints, "hich ale
amazing III quality ana quaati.S
the student who. Sir EDWARD ioihtei
believes work ed in two or three year
only as many weeks. IL would be
nearer tn. truth TO say that he never
stopped working. Every thlns tnat
Interested him he made use ot. me
Women n, dan%r1 Ia, I3a, WIN .' NE And his
friend had to pose for him-l)rouet'
In the plate, done. he told us III l~o
sittings. one of two and nan nouls
and the other of one hour and halt !;
Axenft,d the brother of FAMOUS
phvsician; Beyquet. the sculptor-mu-
sician, .the greatest man VINO ever
lived to his friends TO the worla uh-
known: AstrCuc. painter, Sculptor
poet and editor of LArtiste. OF whom
his wife said that he was the hrst
man since the renaissance VINO COM
bined all the arts. but who is only
remembered in Whistler's print; De-
sraver The streets where
Whistler wandered. the restaurants
where he dined. became his studios.
There is hardly one of these etchings
that i" not record OF ms dallT me
and the people among whom he lived.
though to make such record was
the last thing he was thinking OF.
= * s. i:
As one studies this collection, it Is
"A borne in upon the understanding
how great a genius Whistler was.
how the least drawing that he made
vas insistent with this Understandable
quality. OF course. with genius hand
In hand went skill, and without the
latter the former would have been
less apparent. According to Mr.. PEN
good schooI@-the first. the West
Point Military Academy. where he
learned Typographical drawing; the
second. the United States coast sur
graphical etching. accurate etching
a severe and exact" school. and,
third. the French studios. with the
French artists. His works show, of
course. moreover. the influence Of
Rembrandt and of the japanese print
makers. an Indebtedness which
Whistler himself never hesitated to
acknowledge. but always. invara bly,,
irresistit!y. Whistler was himself.
"A MONG his earliest plates is one en-
titled The Unsafe Tenement"
This is included in the exhibition now
on view in the rFeer Gallery, and, as
IN all Instances, it is a beautiful
proof. This plate is in what Mr.. PEN
nell terms "Whistlers West Point
manner carried out and elaborated
endlessly. and it shows quite plainly
the Rembrandt influence. The coIlec-
tion also includes Il brilliant proof Of
"The Black Lion wharf an etching
which. in Mr. P"nnell's opinion. has
never been approached by any etcher
series" Whistler told Mr.. Pennell
that he spent three weeks drawing on
the plate. but he had spent most of a
year down by the river to learn it
TO study this etching alone is worth a
trip to The Freer Gallery. because, we
are told. every line means plaster,
brick. wood and tiles and every house
on the other side of the river: and
all over the plate the same simple,
vital. expressive line is used. every
line meaning something and drawn
with purpose-and this plate was
done by a young man of twenty-four.
ADAM ana I4Nt-o u SnelSed, an
other of the London series, is to be
found in this collection. in which his
chief critic finds an advance. even,
over The Black Lion Wharf"-'a
ever tried for previously and no one
has succeeded in getting since
These first proofs were the work of
Delatre, by whose side Whistler stood
while the proofs were being drawn
and on whose press he worked before
ha had one of his own
When we come to the Venetian
etchings we find them simpler still
and the Belgium set. Brussels series.
though setting forth the houses in
network OF design, are likewise mar
wells of simplicity. Every line tells
The Venetian etchings, it is stated
each of which is a masterpiece. coul'
at one time have been purchased for
about $3.50 apiece, and at Whistlers
death quite number of unsold proofs
were in his studio. Among all those
shown it is difficult to choose, not one
but a half dozen favoriteS, they are
all so beautiful and each so different.
= !: Il );
TURNING now briefly to the litho-
graphs: Whistler was one of those
who did much to revive an interest
IN this art in England. and in this
respect, as we'll as in his results
achieved, holds an equally important
place" with Fantin-Latour and Men
xel' A few facts in connection with
whistIer's Autographs are interest
ing. Between 1873 and 1895 Whistler
Is supposed to have made about 16O
designs for photographic reproduction.
HE drew on stone in the 70's and on
paper in the 90s.i He also worked in
wash. He drew with chalk. painted
with a stump. and occasionally used
color with great delicacy and re-
straint" To look through his litho-