Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-07-25
By Leila Mechin.


~ of Art Is Sunset in the
Woods" by George Inness, large
canvas, 48 by 70 inches in dimensions,
picturing dramatic effect of late aft
ernoon sunlight in dark wood. The
sun Is let In through an aperture In
the foliage and falls with intensity on
the trunk of great tree in the fore
ground. Painted in 1891, toward the
close Of the artists career. it sums up
in a measure his knowledge and ex-
perience. THE material of this pic
ture," wrote Inness in July, 1891, was
taken from a sketch made near Hast
ings, Westminster County, New York,
20 years ago. It was commenced seven
years ago, but until last Winter I had
not obtained any idea commensurate
with the impression received on the
spot. The idea Is to represent an eff
feet of light in the woods toward sun
down, but to allow the imagination to
predominant.
Inness is known as the father of
landscape painting in America, be-
cause he broke away from tradition
and became one Of the leaders in the
new school which substituted interpre-
tation for mere imitation. He was
born in Newburgh, N. Y, May /, 1925,
but his boyhood was spent in Newark,
N. j., to which city his family re-
moved during his early childhood. His
father was a grocer, and the expecta-
ton was that he would follow in the
same business, but his inclinations
we're all toward art. His first posi-
ton was with firm of map engrav-
ers, but this did not suit him any bet
ter than shop-keeping; his great desire
was to sketch from nature and at the
age of 20 he took a few lessons in
painting from French artist visit
ing America, Regis Gignoux by name,
after which he assiduously studied
prints of old paintings.
In 1847, a friend offered to send
him to Europe and after stopping in
London he passed IS months in
Rome He made two other trips to
Europe for study. On the first Of
these he spent a whole year in Paris,
whereas on the second he divided his
time between Paris and Rome. That
he was not influenced by this contact
it would be absurd to suggest, but he
was no imitator; what he saw he as
simulated and he thought for him
self
Landscape painting as a separate
art was very Young when InneSS be-
gan his studies. John Constable OF
England, who was the first to turn
from the classical ideal to naturalistic
Interpretation, was born in 1776 and
lived until 1897; Ceot was born in
1896 and lived until 1875; the birth
dates Of Rousseau, Millet and Daub-
igny fall between 1912 and 1917 and
they lived until the late COS or early
70s; Courbet and Harpignies were
only few years later.
The Dutch school of painting had,
to be sure, produced some magnificent
landscape paintings; the names of
Ruisdael and Hobbema, to say nothing
Of Rembrandt, are in this field out
standing. The French Claude Lor-
rain had painted landscapes under
Italian influence and, according to
Ruskin, put the sun in the sky"
while in England, Wilson and Gains
borough had both produced land
scapes of importance without, how
ever, attaining a vogue and the fact
is that all of these works were pri-
marily compositions rendered with
pictorial intent-a measured classic
ism.
At THE time that 1nness took up
= landscape painting. the Hudson
River School had come into being in
this country and was making its in
f1uence felt Among the men compos-
ing this school were Kensett, Cole,
Whittredge, Hart and Durand, and
their aim was to picture accurately
scenes in the Hudson River country
as they saw them, with an almost
Photographic precision. 1t was OBJ
jective realism reduced to a formula.
"They told me-" said Inness, that
I would never succeed, that I was q
fool to try to set myself against the
rules laid down by my betters, and If
I did not paint my trees brown in the
foreground I was sure to fail" But
he refused to accept dictation and he
attained success.
It is true, however, that in his
earlier work Inness shows the in
fuence of contemporary thought and
fashion Such paintings as The
Delaware Valley" Autumn Oaks,
Peace and Plenty" in the Metropol-
itan Museum, New York, all represent
broad views of open country, are COM
positions which SAVIOUR of the classical.
authentic and full of large truth,
great conceptions carried out with
sustained strength. A series of such
pictures was painted by InnesS for the
Erie Railroad, to be reproduced and
used for advertising about the time
the road was completed. They were
huge canvases but have become widely
scattered. One, the painter himself
once found in a little shop in Mexico
City, bought for a few Mexican dol
lars and brought "gleefully" home.
In interesting contrast is the story
of the sale of his Wood Gatherers, y
when the collection assembled by Mr..
Hearn was disbursed at auction in
New York in 1918 At this sale, the
painting fetched 10000, and upon its
being knocked down" at that price,
those in attendance gave expression
of approval and qualification by spon-
taneous cheers.
Like 1.-THE Wood CATERERS" the
four paintings by Inness in the Evans
collections of the National Gallery of
Art, represent Inness when he had
developed a style of his own and had
sufficiently mastered his medium to be
free to express his own visions. As
soon as he felt himself established as
q painter, after his first long sojourn
in Europe, Inness settled at Mont
clair. N. j.. in which vicinity many
Of his most significant canvases were
painted. Montclair was also the home
Of william r. Evans, and there is little
doubt that Inness' art was influential
in the development Of the collectors