Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-10
NEW BOOKS
AT RANDOM
I. C. NJ.


THE LIFE AND ART OF DWIGHT
WILLIAM TRYON. BY Henry O.
White. Boston: Houghton, Miniin
Company.
In effect, actual and close, this is a
house. Not q book. Windows many and
wide to the afternoon sun. The outer
door open for free passage into q range
Of rooms. Rooms broad and not over
high. Along the middle depth of these
a procession of paintings makes its way.
A company Is gathered here. Nota-
BILE men and women about whom gen.
eral curiosity and interest are ever
keen. Artists, writer's, scholars, Presi-
dent-to-be. In some measure their
names date the event Mark Twain,
Joe Jefferson. Grover Cleveland. Later
ones, besides.
Art is the house Of Dwight William
Tryon, American painter. The only
house he has. Just as any mans life,
summed In its full achievement and
significance, is the sole abode Of which
he himself stands possessed. So with all
of us, whether it be the "Statelier man
sion" of the poets abjuration to his
soul or, otherwise, the ramshackle
makeshift of inconstant purpose and
tickle pursuit, the fact remains. Each
is, within himself, the house OF his own
triumph or defeat.
A fair dwelling, this one. High set,
open, modern, American. An invitation
to one passing by for few hours Of
pleasure deeper than that Of the COM
mon days doings. A rendezvous for
brothers of the craft, where q thousand
questions of art, mostly current ques-
| tons, come up for discussion and set
tlement-till tomorrow, when they must
be all settled over again, and differ
emily.
Now to the book. Biography in form.
Autobiography in effect. Such by virtue
| of the fact that the artist himself chose
the man to write his story. From the
nearest and most understanding OF his
| friends, I take it, did he make the
choice. Once q pupil. To this biog-
rapher,' moreover, Mr.. Tryon turned
over deal of first-hand substance from
the earlier years of his life. The book,
| therefore, is like the first run Of sap,
rich and full. Still, information and
| understanding do not make complete
! equipment for such work. Henry White
is, besides, q most communicable man,
taking the reader along in an adven-
ture Of clear collaboration.
The story takes the familiar trail OF
the artiSt-study at home, study abroad,
| OA
scant means on the one hand, of an
unmindful leather-hearted world on the
/ other. BY this time the reader is
actually going along in rejoicing over
| such successes as begin slowly to appear,
| in plain resentment against the public
over failures. A distinct New England
strain directs this painter, q sturdy and
provident fellow who, wanting to be
| an artist, prepares himself to be one
Nv 70 hi
purpose. No reason, so far as he can
see, why man must starve in a garnet
in order to demonstrate his genius, In
| order to promote his career. like that
and so will you. A sportsman as well
as an artist, Mr.. Tryon, and here are
| incidents, many and interesting, of this
| seaman of the New England Coast on
fishing trips with Grover Cleveland or
another, all spinning yarns. to be sure.
stripe. This passion for the sea ascribed
to the artist by his biographer as o
sign Of dual nature? Hardly. Rather
was 1t not, means of gathering IN
/ Spiration for the one and only nature
Of the man to express in the artists
| medium?
The completeness Of this study Is most
gratifying. Here Is the story, rich and
full. A chapter in the history of Amer
lean art, II that is what you are after.
Here are many photographs of the
artists paintings, little book of them
at the end, setting out the general line
of his themes, indicating in a measure
his mode of approach to them and his
manner Of treatment. Admirable that.
Again his paintings are placed, here
and there, in this museum or that
gallery or in the private possession OF
one or another fortunate person. One
here In Washington can find Tryon's
paintings In the National Gallery, In
the Corcoran and the Freer Galleries.
once more, there is q short and ex-
cellent photography, one made use of
by Mr.. White, for the reader to follow.
Students, readers and artists them
selves are sure to find in this vivid and
complete record Of the life and work of
Dwight Tryon the definite information
which they seek, or the companionship
OF the craft or the pure pleasure of Just
reading the inspiring story of an artists
career.
JOHN ELLIOTT. The Story Of an Ar
list. BY Maud Howe Elliott, Bos-
ton: Houghton, Min1in Co.
Leafing the volume uneagerIy, a shade
cool toward the notion Of making init
mate personal letters serve the purpose
Of geographic disclosure, came, not far
along, TO page that spoke to me, Or
did 1t speak? Was 1t instead, maybe,
the faint echo of joyous halloo out of
some infinitely far past when life itself
was young? When laughter and play
and dancing measures and caroling
wordleSs tunes were the ways by which
all the live things came together in
happy companies = plants and little
creatures of field and wood, children
too, and sunlight and soft breezes.
Grown folks, too? M-m-m-hardly,
think.
The picture-just Pan, when he was
very, very young, out a-larking with
two Of his friends-all three piping
tunes with blown-out cheeks. Tunes so
persuasive that right under the flower
ing tree nearby faun and q goat came
dancing, face to face, in a measure of
sheer abandon and perfect beauty. Oh,
lovely! And that is John Elliott, poet
at work here, or at play.
And apologize for that lukewarm
entering upon this most beautiful ad-
venture. Sheer ignorance and nothing
else. So, first read the STORY of an