Evening star., 1937-08-28
ART GROUP RADIATES BEAUTY
Room in Freer Gallery Devoted American Works Holds Com
peted Collection, to Which No Additions Are to Be Made
Under Terms of Deed of Gift.

both OF these instances has charm
ingly and inconspicuously peopled his
landscapes, used q short stroke and
positive color, whereas Tryon OBJ
liberated as far as possible all brush
strokes and stressed the more subtle
effects Of atmosphere, permitting only
the gentleSt modulations OF light. It
was Tryon who taught us to recognize
the planes, like gauze curtains let
down across a stage, marking distance,
and 1t was he and his colleague who
manifested to us the loveliness of light
through air and playing upon it, like
symphony by Beethoven, or some
other of the great composers, who so
delighted in the subtleties Of sound
Tryon and Dewing, whose works here
hang side by side, were both great
friends Of Mr.. Freer, and their works
gave him great esthetic pleasure, not
merely because OF what they ex-
pressed but of their suggestion. In
them he found certain kinship with
the works Of the Oriental painters who
sought the spirit rather than the
material fact, and of the potters who
found delight not merely in form but
in colorful glazes never sufficiently
brilliant to be insistent at glance
Dewing's figures are essentially the
stuff of which dreams are made-but
how exquisitely rendered and with
what freshness and freedom! What
an atmosphere both actual and of en-
vironment they possess.
THE Sargent paintings in this group
are small canvases, done without
question for the delight of the doing
in measure stunts-extraordin
effects Of light and shade-very elab-
orate compositions and rendered with
all the amazing art Of this brilliantly
gifted painter. 1t is the fashion now
to deride Sargent, but in these two
small paintings his genius is so OBJ
vious that even the unframed eve
must see 1t and be satisfied. One is of
a group Of Weavers at their looms in
a room dark because of the dazzling
sunshine without, seen through its
portals; the other is of a couple Of
ladies breakfasting in a sunny lopeia.
In both Of these paintings there is
much detail, but detail established and
made known by the smallest stroke Of
a pregnant brush. The observer is
literally blinded by the dazzling sun
light on white walls. but cannot fail
to be Impressed in each instance bv
the oneness and veracity of the COM
position. The two ladies at the break
last table are an infinitely small fac
TOR III the scene Transcribed, and yet
they completely dominate it: and
what is more they are both definite
personalities. In the "Weavers" As
one looks, more and more becomes dis
cernlble. and the rhythm Of weaving
lmpresses itself upon the onlooker's
consciousness. Sargent was indeed
the master Of elimination as was
Whlstler-but in different way. His
was not art for arts sake, but art
as rejecting life, life at its best, full
OF beauty, warmed, enriched, orna-
mented by it.
According to the will and deed of
gift OF Mr.. Freer, no additional paint
lngs by American artists may be added
to the collection which he assembled
1he selection which was his is COM
plete-as chapter in hts collecting
and in the history of American paint
ing-a delightful incident to be
treasured, and now enjoyed by all,