Evening star., 1925-01-15
The North Window
BY LEILA MECHLIN

10 LUiB IrOItl O''" 20
the Retrospective exhibition Of Brit
ish paintings which is being shown
in the Grand Central Art Galleries
under the auspices of the English
Speaking Union from January 10 TO
February 2S, and the other Is the
collection of paintings by the great
Spanish artist, Ignacio Iuloaga,
which opened in the Reinhardt Gal
'eries January and will continue 70
January 81. During the first week
that the latter exhibition was open
It was visited. according to report.
by over $500 persons, and at any
time during that period the galleries
wherein these pictures were hung
were much too crowded for one to
see the paintings to advantage. The
British exhibition, which opened with
a reception to the British Ambas-
sador, is proving no less popular,
but of the two IL is certainly the
more conservative, tho less sensa-
tionai.
There has been consid erabe agl
ration recently, both here and abroad,
concerning the desirability Of an. ex-
change of art as a means OF increas-
ing international good fellowship and
understanding. Art Is a universal
language and is used, supposedly, for
the expression of ideals. 1t is, there
fore, common ground and basis of
sympathetic understanding. To an
exhibition of paintings of this sort
sent to this country for these rea-
sons most courteous and hospitable
reception should be given.
The pictures in the British exhibi
tion are not for sale. They have been
generously lent by their owners, who
have deprived themselves Of their
possession temporarily and have as
sumed the risk of allowing them to
travel across the seas in order TO
demonstrate a friendliness toward
the people of these United States.
Under these circumstances adverse
criticism is silenced.
There are several interesting fes-
lures OF this British exhibition which,
however, may well be remarked, one
of which is the fact that herein
works by cotemporary painters are
hung side by side with the works of
the painters of the great English
without in the least detriment to
either. We talk a great deal about
the old masters, little realizing per-
haps that the masters of today are
old masters in the making. Further
more. there has been a prevalent be-
lief that modern works could not be
hung with old works and that there
fore II one were SO fortunate as to
acquire an old master 1t was neces-
Sary TO Danish from the same room
the works of modern masters. The
Phillips Memorial Gallery in this city
has already done something to dispel
here this misapprehension, for from
the beginning Mr.. Phillips has dar-
ingiy hung in juxtaposition the
works of masters of all schools and
all periods, thus proving the univer-
salty OF art-great art.
= x ::
A second interesting thought sug-
gested By this British exhibition is
with regard to the quality of works
by masters of the great English
school already comprised in American
public and private collections. Here
is a collection got together by Alfred
Yockney of London, under the super
vision of Sir Robert Witt and John
Sargent, selected from private as well
as public collections and purposed to
show US in America, or at least in
New York. the high quality of attain
ment by British artists. Yet for al
most every painters work shown
painters of the eighteenth century
of foremost reputation--we could to-
day produce from our own public or
private collections Here In America az
good, II notbetter, outstanding exam
pie. Which does not mean. however.
that II is not a privilege and a pleas
ure to thus enlarge, through the op.
portunity this exhibition affords, our
acquaintance, but does indicate that
our collectors have been, extremely
discriminating in judgment and that
,x, 10 t..
We have perhaps been aware.
1t is in the works of the lesser mas
ters and the modern painters that this
exhibition offers new material and
holds special Interest. There are two
charming portraits of Laura and
Charlotte Walpole by Francis -Cotes
| lent b. o. Gutekunst, and beautifui
self-portrait by J. Watson Gordon
lent by the Royal Scottish Academy.
| Among the cotemporary painters
there are interesting works by the
| late J. J. Shannon. who. by the way,
was an American by birth: by Lavery.
| Augustus John, Sir William Orpen,
Furse, Muirhead Bone and James Nc
Bey, the last two better known by
their etchings than their paintings.
Like the works of our own artists,
these cotemporary British painters
are frank in expression and apparent
iy sincere.
x i; I; ::
A special feature OF this exhibition
is g. group of 10 paintings by our own
John S. Sargent. who is, to be sure, a
member of the Royal Academy and
the Royal Water Color Society, but a
citisen Of the United States. These
| works, with but one exception, are all
owned by Sir Philip Sassoon and have
never before been shown in the United
| States. They are eminently worth
seeing. They are. more still. occa-
sion for patriotic pride. Mr.. Sargent,
the American, more than holds his
| own in this collection of works by
British painters, and despite his long
residence in England his painting is
more akin to that of the American
school than the British.
When wesee in the British National
Gallery paintings by Sargent and
Whistler and the late Frank Millet
| labeled British school" we have a
little feeling of resentment, but in
| this present instance what is there to
say when the painter himself is ac-
| countable for such listing? Does Mr..
| Sargent belong to the British or to
| the American school, or is he an out
| standing manifestation OF the fact
that art has become International and
/ that there are no longer national
schools?
! :: s !;
To such a suggestion the Iuloasa
| exhibition gives the lie, for Zuloags
| is essentially of Spain, and whatever
he paints he makes Spanish. This is
equally true of his portraits OF
| American women and of Spanish
| peasants and bullf1ghters. AS Chris
tian Brinton in the foreword to
the catalogue Of this exhibition says
| ''Zuloaga's art is eloquent of count
| less latent atavisms, an art perneated
! with the spirit of imperious abso-