Evening star., 1938-07-10


A/ English woman asked Mrs
wv George Hitchcock, wife o.
an American artist lone
resident abroad If, perchance, there
were any American portrait painters
of distinction. her quick reply was
Indeed, yes, the two most eminen
today in London, Sargent and Shan.
non, are Americans" To which hel
questioner calculated scornfully-
Sargent and Shannon, you say? Why
surely you greedy Americans will soor
be claiming Whistler"
Very truly and rightfully we do
claim all these, but in the British ma
tional collection their works are la
beled as Of the British school. To
an extent this is not complete in
Justice, nor .misappropriation, mas
much as all three of these artists pro-
duced the majority of the works on
which their regulations rest, found
their chief public and patronage. made
their homes, for many years, in Lon
don. And yet all three were in q
way more characteristically American
than many of their countrymen who
remained and painted in the United
States. Sargent was typically Amer
ican In his vivacity and versatility;
Shannon in his breadth and freedom
from tradition: Whistler in his in
dependence and odd admixture of
humility and self-conceit.
In the Freer collection. and in
the Library of Congress, Whistler is
euperbly represented; in fact, repre-
sented more fully than is any other
artist that has ever lived. Sargent is
represented in the Freer collection
by two oil paintings-subject pictures,
the painting of which was with him
q recreational side issue-and by a
portrait. but not typical nor good
one in the Gellatly collection. wherein
two of Shannon's best are to be
found.
ITO BE sure, there are in the Cor
coran Gallery of Art at present.
on loan, the mastery and most lovely
full-length portrait by Sargent of the
late Mrs Henry White, and the ad-
mirable likeness that he painted dur
ing the Theodore Roosevelt admin
istration of Gen. Leonard A. Wood,
besides landscape painted in Italy
and study head of working man.
done as token of obligation, purchased
by the gallery some years ago, but
this is rather pitiful showing of the
work of one who in his field has
taken highest rank. Shannon fares
better. for both of his paintings In
the Gellatly collection are charming,
and he is admirably represented in
the Corcoran Gallery by Girl in
Brown" which was painted in 1907
when the artist was at the zenith Of
his power with sitters in abundance
and among them the highest in the
land. and honors such as few even
In their prime have had showered
upon him.
Few have had more remarkable
careers than James J. Shannon, but
also few have, it would seem, been
so quickly forgotten. Born in Au-
burn. NJ Y. in February, 1862. of
parents of Irish descent, he early
manifested an aptitude for art When
o schoolboy he chanced to see in a
shop window in ST. GATHERINGS, Can
ada, where his young days were
spent, a painting of rabbit and a
dead bird hung on a wooden door,
With amazing self-assurance, he made
UP his mind that he could improve
upon the work of this artist. played
truant from school, shot a rabbit and
bird to use as models, and with
available house paints produced his
first picture on heavy piece of card
board. Whether he was found out, or
pride in accomplishment made him
disclose his escapades to his parents,
does not matter, the result was that
they Immediately placed him under
the instruction of Mr.. Wright, the
towns leading artist. 1t was he who
urged that young James should be
sent abroad for study, and at the age
of Is he entered the South Kensing-
ton Art School, London, of which Ed
ward Poynter was then head master.
A T THE end of his first year he
took silver medal for life-class
work and at the close of the second
year won a gold medal in a national
competition. Then he set up for him
self, and from the first fortune favored
him. His first commission was for q
portrait of one of the maids of honor,
Miss Horatia Stopford, which was
later exhibited at the Royal Academy
by royal command This Was a tour
de force and the critics were a bit
sceptical Of his staying powers until,
Grosvenor Gallery, "a simple, broad
and direct full-length of Mrs. Shan
non, entitled "A Lady in Black"
This. it is said established his
claim to consideration on sheer merit
In the same gallery year later he
exhibited full-length and mastery
portrait of an elderly Englishman,
Henry Vigne, esq, in riding togs,
which fully established his reputation
Subsequently this portrait, which is
correctly described as "forceful in
characterization, fluent in craftsman
ship and fine in design" won for the
painter first honors in Paris, Berlin
and Vienna Election as an associate
of the Royal Academy followed in due
course, and beginning with an order
for portrait from the marchioness
of CRANKY whom he painted several
times he was inundated by commits
sions." In fact. from then until his
death, in March, 1923. he enjoyed
vogue almost without parallel.
Shannons home and studio were
ut No. Holland Park road, next door
to where Sir Frederick Leighton the
famous British painter, once lived.
The house, which was in the Dutch
renaissance style, set back from the
street and was surrounded by high
brick wall with wrought-iron gates.