Evening star., 1940-01-14

fore which in ones youth one stood
with awe and admiration, precious
performances not to be criticized
but accepted as creations rich and
rare. We were not SO analytical
then as now-nor perhaps quite sc
bold-but we had a rather happy
time, upon which, even in the pres
ent progressive age, we can look back
with complacence.
In the second half of the 10Th
century artists like Eugene Vail
painted pictures because of the in
terest awakened in them by subjects
and desire to pass on their own
visual pleasure to others. Sometimes
these were huge canvaSes purposed
for display at the Salon in Paris, OF
other great exhibitions, where, be-
cause of the proportions of the gall
leries, little canvaseS would sink to
insignificance and not be seen at all
But for private patrons, and to
please themselves, they did medium
size pictures which looked we'll on
the walls of a drawing room. The
gigantic canvases brought honors
and awards which helped to sell the
small ones, so after all a fair bal
ance was maintained.
In 1889 Mr.. Vail received gold
medal of the first class in the EX-
position Universalle, Paris, for his
spare a Virer" C'Ready About')
which was purchased by the Cor
coran Gallery for its permanent
collection, and later his painting
lie Veuve" c'The Widow, also in
cluded in this current exhibition,
brought him a much-coveted award
when shown in the salon. Both
are fine, strong paintings which only
a good craftsman and one who COM
manded his medium could have
produced. Ready About shows
fishermen in a sloop plying their
trade in a very rough sea-one at
the tiller and two hauling in the
sheet. In the bottom OF the boat,
to the right, is pile of fish, painted
as realistically and as we'll as even
Chase might have done. The sea IN
the background is mountainous and
well depicted-there is salty flavor
to the whole work and in its rem
dering the artist has sustained
strength in expression.
Gentle and Dramatic.
"The Widow" is gentler, al
though more dramatic, theme, at
least through inference. The soil
tary figure of a young peasant
woman, clasping little boy BY the
hand, is seen crossing the sands,
from which the tide has lately re-
ceded. She is in black and looks
far away with melancholy mien.
Behind her is a gray but rather
luminous sky, very well painted
The art, as we'll as the literature, OF
the third quarter of the 18th CEN
tury was essentially tinged with
sadness, which for some reason
hard to explain, especially pleased
a contented, pleasure-loving public
But it should be directly noted that
in his painting of THE Widow" Mr.
Vail did not overdramatize his
theme. Despite the fact of seeming
now unnecessarily large, it has great
dignity.
Eugene Vail was born in Brittany
of a French mother and American
father. Despite the fact that ms
father was a water colorist and his
paternal grandfather a painter OF
miniatures, he was educated at
Stevens Institute of Technology IN
this country as mechanical en-
gineer before he was permitted to
indulge his artistic inclinatlons.
Chase was his first art teacher;
then, in Paris, he studied under
Cabanel and his associates OF the
Ecole des Beaux-Arts; but, perhaps,
after all, he learned most from his
fellow students and the French ar
lists of his day with whom, for
summer after summer, he painted
on the coast of Picardy. Among
these was Henri lie Sidaner, who,
when an exhibition Of Mr.. Valls
work was held in France some time
ago, wrote with great admiration OF
his gift and sincerity, his ability to
perceive beauty and transcribe it
sensitively as we'll as truthfully.
There are certain figures in this
exhibition such as "On the Bridge
and along the Riva' which are
very suggestive of Whistler Pos
sibly they were inspired from the
same source-Japanese prints-but
If so, the impression made was less
viril. Possibly also these works were
produced in the interval between the
dominance of the old school and the
new. 1t was long step from Caba-
mel to Renoir, but Wallis subject
paintings reflect the "Ecole," over
which the former presided, and his
flower paintings are closely akin to
the art of the latter. Strangely
enough, whatever influence the
French Impressionists eXerted on
others, there is no trace OF 1t In
Wallis paintings. Because OF his long
and close association with LIE Slda-
ner this is the more remarkable.
Perhaps it may be accounted for by
the fact that Vail Travelled much
and was always engaged by subjec-
tive interest. Some of the best OF
his paintings in this exhibition were
done in Italy, notably Rainy Eve
ning-Florence," and Poetry OF
Night" Venice), both outstanding
examples. The latter, in its skill
full Interpretation of moonlight, re-
minds one of Metcalf's charming
MAY Night" painted at Old Lyme
and now owned by the Corcoran
Gallery of Art. In comparison, the
former is essentially modern in
feeling.
French Landscape, Etaples" re-
calls, more than little, work by
Cain, but Church at Coutances'
and "The Campo-Siena" are both
quite individualistic, well composed
and vigorously rendered.
Likewise, rather in the modern
idiom, are several paintings OF
Switzerland, when winter sports
were on; fresh, vivid paintings, but
not always we'll composed, nor daz-
zling, as that magnificent little
Id L. -