1
Matters of Art El Greco and Goya.Matisse.A! Wliistlerian Farce. m r, is a »touch off humor about the .vh.r.ti":' "' I "I1,i,,,i:: 1>V K1 °reCO ;""1 V will"*« ?>*»* bet ti opened at the Knoedhr Calk "lOB for the benefit of the 0f woman's suffrage. I Spain. If Uvher un-** wer., to-day, the status "¡¦'the to* ¦*"IJ fi,,!T,'f, wlth mcdlRvnl- , .. and it seems a little droll that not , jpaniah «ft bul Spanish types as Solou- aa Goya'a "Duch^a off /lba» 'nd hla "Woman <»n the »Balcony." to Zy nothing off tbr,t appalling -id witch he had so Often t.« portray. Queen .vlai ia ,. «ra. should bave b en rho.en to pletd T"th» cause aforesaid Ut the point > not one to be labored. The essential appeal '> rn;,<i' ,n ,,l,s sh,)W nnt by d.ad and apm ladlaa bul by ll/lng a-t of him as a great master .tnd n-Jection of hlni as a morbid eccentric. GOYA THE SATIRIST. Th» contrmat between Bl Greco and «;»»>a is profound. One us«-d in hi« pictur«M a light Hint tnver was on land <«r sen. The Other used the famlll «>' light «.f the worhl in Which he livcl. The genuineness of VA tíreeo's mysticism wc cannot QiMStíon, however we may speculate as i its ultimate value. «Soya's religions «-motion, when ho brought it into play, was not pr. «is -lv insincere, but it ctsrteinl) had no depth. no lea) force. il«- t««o, like Kl «'.r.io. 11 v. -41 bj «has. bul they were the ideas oi satirist, and m ineffably worldly-wise satirist B1 that. His art is saturated in Intelligence, it is sa modern in feeling as ii Is in to, hnique There ate ten ul his paintings in this exhibition, all i CABDINAL DON FERNANDO NINO I>K QCEVABA .'From the portrait by Kl fir»«-,, The fourteen pictures form a deeply In¬ teresting collection, which may not be fully representative in chara» ter. but neverthele«.!« throws fairly rieh light <m the masters in question. A SPANISH MYSTIC. El Greco is .me of the painters who have lived by ideas. The melod rama tie aspect of much of hta t**ca*k has obscured this fact. Criticism has ¡Men WAVd by the eccentric elongation <«f form which frequently marks his treatment of the fl,«rure, by his strange aid ev«an sinister traits as a coloriât, ami by his some¬ times unduly forced eflf« ts of light and .hade. The impression he conveys, a s of a genius lying in a sort of penumbra, outride the traditional lines of »level».p* ment iH F.urnpean painting, has been, happily summariZ'-.l by a »lever Eng- li?h arfst and writer, Charh-s Ki.ketts. The works of El (Ire»«., he has said, look as if they bad been painted l»y torch¬ light in a dungeon of the Inquisition. The saying is perfect save for the im- fllcatlon it «arries of an atmosphere harsh and cruel. M. Barre« takes us nearer to the painter's aacret in his in- tenious hypothesis making El Greco .tnply the predestined Inten reter of the .Plrit of Toledo. A mystic in the. last, Mottest Ingredients of his being, be threw In his fortunes with a centre .«f mysticism when be mad.- the (,|,j cathe¬ dral town the scene <>f his labors. Man of the world though he was. and vividly Hllva to all things touching the eye and the mind, his genius aw nn artist was «.tin In harmony with the sentiment of the Church. This \i«vv of the matter many not be conclusive, but at all events It affords a profitai.], clew, inasmuch At it direct« attention t<» i:i Qrwoo'a more spiritual »lualiti..<-. These come out In all four of the paintings in the pres¬ ent exhibition. The connolcsfîur ,,f technique wili «W-ats* appreciatively over the large pOT- 'rait. "Cardinal Don Ferdinand Nin-, da .luevara." but If he is wise he will go *»n to consider the sympathy with which P MMMtertu] p,inco of tnp church is tainted, looking weil into the gleaming 'Tes and at the month and hands. In u»i« portrait, no less than In the "St. Pfter" and the "Christ Bearing the Ototif," then - something mystariottaly fc>l**nant. h sombre emotion, a point <>f "«w which ¡s not that <<t a painter mer*l>" but of a man sunk in hall Mhjfu! reverie. The amazing "View <»f Toledo," doubly welcome here as almost the role souvenir off El Greco'a Intereal ln landscape, is remarkable f,,r much ,no«*e than its dramatic sky, its Intense JjjBraqueneBB." what chiefly Im« l'eues its charaiter as a spiritual record. The theatricality off the piece due to no misreading of nature, but to «fact that the seen» has iH.,.n observed th «»..,,. Indefinable "Inner sis-Ion" "«.a that vision notably Inspired? Do owe to Its op.ration pictures .,f . x- r*ordlnary moment? Despite the fervor *'».¦ which El Greco Is appraised In *0Inf' quarters, one may be permitted J doubt. The «»cent craz»- for the * masters has promoted variad »i-- !Z)Pm*ntS Wh'" tm' dealers, ran¬ ging Europa anew, turned their at- ««bnn to bpaln. El Greco came In for '* a»tonlKhini{ and not alUigother ra- ÍJjonalla^d popularity. His present rath. j*rk vogue Is not neceaearlly going last. When the e. static- OOOOO from f'^bllnK and the scoffera are at rest, JPPrecUtlon .f Kl Greco will probably ".found somewhere betw«*en acceptanc» tii'-m portraits save 'i*Tie tVomen the Halcony," which ranks, nominn at any rate, as a subject pi'tur«-. 'I distinction would have bored Goya. his sitters were "subje« ts." That is w his work has such tremendous vital! It interested him to the point of passi. Style in art is of pers«»nalit> all co r'a« t. You .m read mans charae ! in the play of his brush. Goya's histr is writ plain across the surfaces th« se portraits of his. He was an eager, militant cr«BatU The peri«««! «>f social decadence in whl he lived enraged but could not dtogl or depress him H.- looked upon t vtaious court with a scoi*n he would n pretend to disguise, but he pointed with delight and gratitud«*. For s im f»f his moods and sardonic, inquirii mind what could have been more wi come than such a niass <«f raw materia ¡And l.esiiles the had ami the weak t lu wer* so many figures in Goya's spa that were, on the surface, merely beaut ful. Look at the "Maria Tensa. Pri: «ess of .the P«sace" (No. 8), and <>bser« the delicacy with which th«- paint. ¡«rosses an eX'lUisite motive. Wat«* him nu he renders the elusive «harm texture in the dresses of "The Worn» on th»- Halcony," or glv»-s himself up the sensuous gra« <. of "The l-'anun nookseller <«f tin- Calls «i<- las Csrret** Beauty <<f t<jrm and of rotor, the mag of light, the dramati« signifícame , movement.these things find in Im truly "the devouring eye" and a han itching to translate the thing seen int terms of paint ''ova is of Ills time, « <ourse, and his portraits are Spanish t th«: «cor*. His faculty for »«lending th »ase of everyday »actuality with a CM t.-tin stliYnoss attributable to court! modes carries us straight back . eighteenth century Madrid. Bui in thai ruthless psychology and in their peculls technical biilllancy, which Is w renke« upon human natur«- as upon so mucl "still life,'' these portrait* might bar boon painted y**ter«aay. There are tin ii.isoiis why the show ought to prov« su. essful, As a matt»-r of sh.-er paint Ing, <>f the stuff that appeals t<« th« artist, it is packed with Interest. An in its richness of Character, of historical human elementa, tin- most incurious lav man must find it stirring. "DOUBLE-DUTCH." Sooner <»r later, wo suppose, me [tal« lian "Futurists." who have been making their Utile sensation in Paris and Lon¬ don, will be introduced to New fork. Meanwhile WO have opportunity <»ften enough to s«'*' NV¦.1,. is hatng don.- by th«- artists wh«» think there Is some¬ thing tallsmanlC about running «(»unter t«. tradition Ths latest chance <>f this sort has been offered at the Photo-S«-- «ession ("Hllery. where some sculptures and drawings by M. Henri Matisse havs Peen .shown. The actual merits of this artist arc not at all difficult to «lis« ein. He has that power of expressivgpsjgf which is not in Itself remurkabb The late Augustus Saint-tîaudens could with a few »crutch*-* ot th«- peOtCM dehn«- a Hgure with oreOmnUtM vividness, but It never <-<-<-urred to him to plume himself as a d.aftsman. «ireat line in black and wht. was not his provin« ». His genius was piastre pnraly. -Many ;. minor ¡.».list can fling a skei. u upon paper with tearem any exp.-iidlture of time or eff«»rt and still >'.'>' «.*« H,''. 1" ff*>« 11>- woll what he is driving at. Thus. In the «Irawings of Matisse a .citai., facility in ,-.. denotement of farm is ut «»nee per« CefJtlbta, Hut suppoacit is? How much forrader have -we pro'..? Beyond the hint at truth there is nothing; no distinction, no style, no beauty. It la the same with his sculpture. Here and there it dis¬ closes a lucky paaaage. a bit of form ac¬ curately expr.ssed. But what it is that separates these commonpla« ... "hints'' from those of any young atudenl at the L*eague r.anaína a myatery- la it Indeed a myatery? Aa a matter <>f r«act, the enigma Is largely In the eye off the be- holder. The fad la ever with us. There is alwaya a "movement" which, by virtue of being the latest, is, for son people, lmm«eaaurably precloua For a certain type off mind tijera la no anguish noue terrible than that superinduced i>i the fleera of the "elect." To be "left out" when a nee cult is toward la to suffer unbearable humiliation Well, a little humor la a great help in the solu¬ tion of these fearsome problems. Mr. Walter Sickert, a s.«...i painter and a good writer, reminds ua <>f tin? in a paaaage on Matisse recentl) printed In "The English Review." In it he says; My mother' «>ld cook, aben she failed, she sometlmi s did, to understand the enrliesl efforts ol my younger brothers In the formation off a prose style, was wont t<> console herself bj telling them that the) wir, talking "Double-Dutch." I too, used, ii earlier da* a, t.. n-v »,, unrav. l the Double-Dutch of the Higher Art Criticism Kill I have |. 11 l; given it lip. r< ineiiib, r the occasion ol m* definitive renunciation, haps should call it my def« at. used to follow, with 111- respectful awe oi a i»eaa- ant m the presence ..i learning, the Hornea, the l.' rs and the Herensons In theli complex Incantations How ran an) »in.-," l i»sed to think, "Know s,, much?" once knew a l-'rein h governess who, whin de¬ feated ¡h it struggle t«. express herself In bei still Imperfect Kngllsh, would say. "Enfin! Je me comprends." "Perhaps," thought "the) understand themselves, If not rach other." But. In a moment of Im¬ prudence, Mr Bereneon, who. i understand can command a serious fee for giving au oiiIpI».n ih- Hiithentlclt) off the obscuresi of obscure «l<i masters, promulgated, as the cr, am of all his Investigations, the conclu¬ sion that Matisse the great modern mas¬ ter! Thst kind of connolsseurship. «hen. must have B nut« mystical basis It »tust i.ntlrel) unrelated t«> th»N more pedestrian .-rlticistn that is baaed on euch trivial grounds as tradition, observation and comparison It enters rather into the region of dogma, and Is purely subjective 0 d capricious. For me. an for my mother's old cook, it must remain Double-Dutch The "Double-Dutchness" of the orgclea who would have us regard Matisse with reverence la never more w«aarlsome than when it aeeka to identify his empty rhetoric with the large utterance <»f the early c«"is To recapture that utterance n mod, in Prilal must be horn again lie c.'intiot ; chleve the synthesis of the Egyptians or the Oreeka i.v arbitrarily taking thought. Their genius must be in his blood, and if it is there ii«' will give us work of b really convincing grandeur, it Is conceivable that Ma¬ tisse luis floating about in his mind stimulating memories <>f the flniehed re- suits of great Primitive art Mut this does not automatically mean that has learne»! t»n "|c¡ heroic language "i- has anything t«. -ray. Both his sculptures and his drawings suggest ,-, niiin v.),». could use ;i tolerably efflclenl l»**chnlque If he chose t<> do so. but has prcfl ri. d li diffus«' a mu,ill tal« it In a welter off futile theory THE CLASSIC SPIRIT. \ greal atumbllng ¡'.«.«k in the path of the young artist trying t.. make up his mind about .s..m«' ti«'W ,:t.«l mu» b l«. lauded principle Is his fiar that he may be asked, by those who warn him against it. to take up with some old an«i tried form da. The best wa) In which to s.are a student Into the arma of th» wildest »>f Innovators is to talk to him to., urgently about the lassies. H<- particularly afraid of the »lassie»., id thinks that contact with them la bound to blast and annihilate the unpreoe« dented originality burning In his bo-.,.m However, if the young artist has an) sense at all he can gel over these aolemr perturbations Ifhecannol »loso.it ma) be remarked In passing, he should lost in» time In hurrying la«i\ to th*- farm; the Jojra of art ar<- not for him. In th«t right handa, which la to aay, in thoa< which are modeetl) and generously ceptlve, th» re « <«n!<i nol i.¦¦ pía» ed b better b<"«k than "The «Classic Point ol View" »«'liarles Bcrlbner'a Bona), a col' lection of six lectures "ti painting re ,-ently delivered by Mr, Kenyon Coa ai the Ar» Inatitute «>f Chicago. Hla them» la not. b) any mi ans. the laasl» school." It is. rather, an Idea, the cultl ration off win« h Is compatible wltl in« mbersliip In almost any school. ThUI lie states it The Claaaii spun th» disinterest«**] search for »perfection; it Is the love ol clearness and reasonableness and eelf-con troi; it Is, above all. th- love of perma¬ nent'» and oi contlnult! " ssks of s w..i i off art, not that It shall be novel or af¬ fective but that it shall be fine and noble li seeks not merel) to express lndlvlduaJ.lt) or emotion, but t., express disciplined emo¬ tion and Indlvlduallt) restrained by law li strives for the essentiel rather than iIm accidental, the eternal rath.: than lie momentary loves Impersonality mor» personality, bu«i feels more power in th» ordert) succession <>f the hours and th» seasons than in the violence «.f earthquak) an«! off storm And It loves t., steep Itsell in tradition. It w.-uhl have each new Wort connect itself in the mind of him who ¦¦¦ It *tth all the noble and loveti works o th« pHst. bringing them to his memon and making iheli beaut) and «harm span of the beauty and chai in of the work h- furo him it do.» not deny originality em indivldtiallly.«hey are as welcome as in¬ evitable. It «loes not consider tradition as Immutable or ael rigid bounds t<« Invention. Hut it desires that each new presentation Of truth ami beauty shall show us »he old truth end the old heaay, »mm only from a different engte an 1 colored by a «lifferent medium It wishes to add link by link to th.- chain of tr.olition, but it do« s not wish to break the «-bain. In the development this valuable Ides Mr. «'««x Inevitably, perhaps, paye the penalty of his professions! expert« ¦-ri«'.-. Th.- artist who writes ..n art dOSS so niccessfulls not becauas he is an artist bul in spite Of his being one Th t.« hni-al experience that tiri'-uestionnbly THE KAMI»I S l.onKsi.LLl.ii 1)0 THE CALLE DE LAS CARRETAS. (Prom the portrait by «Joya.» gives him aid also handicaps him. The artist is notoriously the victim of "what h«- likes" far mora often than Is the lay¬ man of the familiar an«-«lot«. He can¬ not Jump off his shadow nor can he fre himself from the tyranny of that Indi- Vldual point of v nvv whi« h a lifetime o. labor has made as natural to him breathing and seemingly as «*onclu*lvo in Its force as ¡my natural law. Thus WS find Mi. Cos alluding to the Impres¬ sionists with patronage that Ig ¦ Ut¬ il«- bewildering 'Tin movement." he [><.t\n. "was scientific rallier than artls- ti«-. and the pictures of Its strongest man. «'huid Monet, often seem lik.« a sori«-* of demonstrations rather than things <«f beauty creat«sd for human delight it is. really, only In iins country that the Im« pression ist formula baa been seised upon f r its capabilities «>f beauty and in the hands of Hassam and others hem to the en.ls >«f do. oration." There have, glaringly appar*nt. th« «miner« ability ««r ths artist as critic. Th«» kind "f «t thai antithetical to his own h«- rarely likes or under- !stan«l-- Onl) some su.h veil as this could hav-i k«pt Mr Cog from appr« ruling th«- "things Of beauty ere- .-.ted inr hitman delight" which fill ciiint- ies- . iquisite landacapea by «'laud Monet Burelj n«> one In this country ««.¦ nnyvt'here Ise has put such ravishing loveliness It.to paintings of flower«- In Ihs open air as M«n«'t has put Into his !.. eti« sertas of **N**mpha*s**.M There are other ^Igns In this book that Mr. r*«.\- aometlmss tends to lapse from the plane ««f th«- "i bísalo spirit" to that of the "< I**** scttvaoL" In his chapter on "The Bubje« I 111 Art" he goes perilously n«ai to drawing up a «lass list, thai foil.].- of the doctrinaire. n<- almost for« nets the eternal apposttcn«ess of the say¬ ing which ho approving!) quot<ss from Saint-«; uni« us m this vetv chapter. "Von may do anything; It Is the way von d«> it that counts." Bui if we p*uee upon tbes«- slips of the author's it is only in order t.. characterise them at their true value and lo warn the reader thai they do nol effect th«- essential «tritt of the leeturer'a argument. There, as we Indicated ..' the ««uts.-t. he gi»«'s golden ounsel, and In his sdvocsc) «>f "ths dis interested search for perfection" In de- sign, m drawing, In light and shade, m «¦olor ami in technique, he shows forth the ".¡issic spirit" h a valid .-our. <>f progress. This is a wholesome b«><>k. v. hoi« some and kindling. Mr, <'«>x has usver written to more practical pur¬ pose poor whistler: u ¡th «in«- apologtas for the use of ¦ ¦omewhal ancient locution we are con- strained to remark thai if tin- "caae" <«f Whiatler wen- n««t Irreetatibl) funny It would be patlietl.. The pathos lie« m tb« deplorable "fussing'' which baa taken place over his "remains." There Was the "fuss" tivi-r bis letters.and that re- mlnda us thai In ¦ lecenl Kngiish cata« logue a letter <«f his t«> Predertak Sandys was held at C21. More recently tb«'re lili; \\n.\li;.\ <>N THE BALCONY. iKií.m the painting b> «,;.«} u.) I hau been the "fuss" originating In a mis¬ taken «late in the preface to * catalogue. The n-adt-r will re« all how Mr. Walter «""reaves, an old pupil of Whistler's, was the hen» of an exhibition in London last May. and how, for a time, there was sum«- talk in the press about his having antedated Whlstb-r In ¡the invention «>f a certain artistic effect, It WM perfectly plain that «'reaves had meant nothing disloyal to hi» old master, and the steps promptly taken by Mar- chant A «V»., the managers of the (îou- pll Gallery, where the show was held, to set the matt»r straight, left nothing to be d«'«ired by the most exacting ad¬ mirers of Whistler's genius. Hut Mr. Joseph P'-iin.-ll Is ¦ Uttta more than ex¬ acting and he forthwith sailed int » print, turning a «iuite unimportant epi¬ sode int«, a portentous controversy. The arbole affair is now preserved in print. Marchant & Company having published nil the do.-umonts, with esposltory com« ment», in "A Repl) to an Attack," a booklet of fours« ««re pages. Anything more pitifull- absurd it. would t,e difficult to imagine. ,\ moun« tain is made out of a molehill. An o«- curreM* scarce worthy to be reinem« beted at all Is treated at endbss length with the gravity <«f history. We c»n hardly blame the gallery people for wanting to pul tin- fact* on record, What seems positively childish Is that they should have been goa«l«*«i into tak- ing h much trouble. We have quoted Mr. Sickert ««nee to-day, but we must ouote him again, in an article »reprinted in this pamphtat he speaks of Mr. Pen- nell as having "appointed himself official scold to the memorv of Whistler." The phrase is not unjust. It pat ms a groat pity that, having collaborated In the preparation of an excellent hi«-graphy Of Whistler, Mr. Penm-ll should not he con¬ tent and let the a (Ta 1rs of the master alone. Nobody doubts his loyaltv, h«it It is not unreasonable to observe that he lack» skill gnd jti'lgment in controversy. It is told of Whistler that ho on«e made to«« obvious an effort to attract atten¬ tion with his wit. whereupon Degas, Who was present at the time, gave him a friendly rebuke, pointing out that If he went on exerting himself In that tashlon people Would think had no talent. If Mr. Pennoll does not abandon his air of being a kind of protector of j Whistler's lie will cause «piantities of! |.-.iplo to think that Whistler needs pro- t'-i turn.and aobodj ever needed It less. Imagination l>oggtas *t what he him« self would have had to say about all this posthumous fussing.'' He like«! to] i«.- a figure In come4y. Bui how he « detach him-elf from the ruck. It is, of course, «he painter of some personal force wl,o succeeds In doing this. Mr. W. Elmer Schofleld, for example, has been well advised to make an exhibition Of his own nt the Katr. Gallery. His art is sincere, there is a kind of sturdy en- eig.v behind It, and his winter scenes have the cutatandlng merit of a pro¬ found raclnesa None of our landscape painters la more eloquent than he i'.i the internretiition of the purely American M-.'vic In the present exhibition he also v \ li;w OF TOLEDO (From tin- pointing by Kl Greco WOUld have hated to have found him- s. if enmeahed ¡n farce! We can get sonic Idea of his probable emotions In such ir.umstan.es from ¡< story told bv the Britlah artist Thad¬ dens m his recentl) published "Recollec- tlona <'f a Court .Painter." it acema that wins-tier was once descanting upon the A,.k of Ve|as«|U.v. and Tluiddeii- ventured to remark that the »Spaniard did not draw anímala as faithful!) aa h»' drew n -ii "ii being challenged to Cite an animal painter of any distinc¬ tion he mentioned l.atulseer with elec¬ trical eff-SCt. The tale continues as fol¬ lows: ..Gentlemen.' cried »hlstler. you have «li heard what this ...incut person has said He bus the audacity, the audarttj gentlemen ... to my far«- . that Landseer . . .a cheap tea-tray performer knew how to paint anímala!" He mt. tided saying n.i more, but -' ti,, o he gave an undulstory movement m niv direction, m"i I, oblivious ..f the enor- mltj ol the ..t. drew him g.-titlv on to my kn.e »Somehow "i' «"her I had I har.y l«iea at the time that, if l had not thus Intel cepted the downward movement, he might nave -at on the floor. \t first he seemed appeased by the pleas¬ ant support so unexpectedly afforded To render hli repose there still m«.r.- comfort abb' and sure, I placed my arm around Inn wnist and. In ordei t" soothe hi- ruffled, feelings pass.-.l my ting»rs caressingly] through hi- raven h»(r and th) pn- i ,11,1 s,-, dreamily, my heart overflowing with good will '" -i|! men, and toward him In particular, with only «>n«' desire, to make things pleasant all round H,- tor' iilms.-lf from m) emhrn«-e as if S ftftai had stung him, hysterically scream Ina "Menpe*.Menpes!" whilst vaguely wondered .it his »udden departure. It seemed t" me an unreasonabli ind In¬ comprehensible thing for him to d«> Kushing toward the mirror In the room, sunoortea b) his alarmed host, be gave one rued lock in 'he «lass, and collapaed Into .i,,, divan el Ita foot with .. groan. The White Loch I""' disappeared! ; nrofane »lagers had don.- the fell u.'.rk h.i-1 mlaed up th»- whit.- hairs with the black. ¦.'¦"'' VVHM n"w ,"sl beyona re* ''"\ii"awfui hush eame over the room Presently Menpea approached me solemn- iv descrifrng li"««1"1" line of besuty In Mm , " Whilst the others cluster-l BWffiPcfA fom, off WhWler. ".ylMv ^°mthfftoaWfur said Menpes. hoatselv as be sank into a chair by my noarseir. ¦ ., know what rou«ve done' île'11 ne\'" torgrrr, U.t**sr«srt ¦!>< i «ball 1,el ^r^o's}'«'«! ""no'iher drink to my host, to ii« , hi,,', m- and, as we clinked glasses, ^.¦¡gtlVS^Ä T*** iWlUî thT warmth i . *P**tad, I Ml «-«grlevea Menpes Sariffhl b. his foreboding NEW SHOWS. The art Ml**1 «ww-Wl near to Us cb>s<-, but as OUT W****|J .«''''.'"»lar" shows, th.re is no diminution,of the activity in local gallerlea This results, m fact, In i positively bewildering profusion of new picture* MHl ¡t .*»-«». «" -*. .uiti- an achievement for an arti.n to illustrat.-s some excursions ho has made abroad. At the .Macbeth Gallery Mr. Richard B. Miller bring* forward six- teen «>r his »nor«' recent paintings. Whether Indoors or In the ««pen air he paints his subjects under ¦ i ia> «>f light. His color is fresh ;«n«l «-harming. He draws nol nly with udroltmsM, but with breadth, and, In fact, the whole impres- sion «¦on'.eye is thai <d' an artist who sees life In a large, exhilarating way and palnta it with a kind of happy fervor. His work has been aeon before In New York. but. never to such advantage as «»n this ««. «asioii. For th»- nrst tiin« his Inlivlduallty makes Its full effect it has liara- ter, Interest, and Is unmistakably Imbued with the right feeling for beauty. The observer who takes note of elements of progress In American painting >hould j «.i miss tins exhibition, AI th«- Kuoedler Gallery, where El Greco and Goy* hold the centre of tlv stage Just now. there is also an exhibition of paintings by Mr. «'barks lloffbatier. The vast canvas. Triumph of a CondOt« tiere" with which he won the pri\ d<* Baton, Is "in entirely creditable pie. r of I work of « p«'bstrlan sort but his small .ludiea of ii'ght scones m New York an» | m««re t«« the point. In tlies» be paints I with an «Mtgi ging spontaneity and shovvs hi.ns. It' to he a plowing c««lorist. His Impression* «.t the city are entertaining In substance as writ as «lever in execu¬ tion, ih MacDowell Club has opened another eshlbltlon «>f Araeri«*an pictures. this lime of works by women, The ex¬ hibitors at«- Irene Hrowi-, Matilda Browne, Sarah Henry. .Mice Larkln, Margaret Longatreth, Helen Main«-. Ber« ,iia i ». »3*nders, Beatrice Btevena ami Helen M. Turner. At the galleries at No. lit Last Kid street then ¡s *n exhibition of old masters In aid of the Diverts Centenary Fund. It C. DECLINE OF THE INVALIDES. From tin- Paris «'>rn spoiuh-nt of the Standard The Invalides, where are found the tomb ... N'-i-joleon and the Military Mu- s.-um. which contains an even more im¬ portant «-«tlleetlon Of Napoleonic relics than the Malma'son, Is threatened with reform«*. The menace is no small mat¬ ter in this « ase. f««r the Invalides is one of the few institutions in Paris where the formality Of Uta old regime is ob¬ served as much in the spirit as in the dted Hie reverential spirit in the (¡Tench character, ho often denied by uraory obaervera, is always found on the la«es of the crowd that gathers ev- erj Sunday to P**r over the balustrade at the red granit* aarootphagjua of the Kmp« roi' But alas! there are tastet and fewer oi th«- old p- nsioners to Interest th. crowd with th»> gnat "Legende de Nnpoièon.'' or t«> take visitera down the St*P* ta a e the great bronze doors with TÍ1K DUOHBM OF ALBA. .From the portrait by Go3'a.) the keyhole in the form of th« Cross of the Lesion of Honor. Yesterday after¬ noon there were only three on duty, which meant that only one was able in move about beneath the dome, while another stood on guard beside th«» bronze doors, and the third saw the tra¬ ditional rule, "hats off," was observ«»d at the door. Noticing this, I asked about the full number of pensioners still left. They number eleven all told, but eight of them are bedridden. They are all veterans of the campaigns in Italy, Mexico, and th«* war of 1870. I believe the last Crimean veteran, who with two comradea con-i ducted a modest but persistent cam-i palgn In favor of the Fintente Cordial«» «they had a profound respect for the name of Queen Victoria, who had pre- rented them with the Crimean modal). has died. I notice that the fewness of numbers has caused General Niox, th«* «.Iroctor of the Invalides, to ask the Min¬ ister of War to consider the situation. It needs only an accident to leave Na¬ poleon's tomb without a giiard. The matter, however, Is to be fully discussed. The easiest solution would be to draff, a picket from the nearest Infantry bar¬ racks, hut It is felt tht the tradition of having a pensioner to mount guard should ho kept up. For thlsnt would bo necessaiv to admit new pensioners, but so far there has been no agreement as to how to establish the conditions of ad¬ mittance. Since the conscription re- tot ins following the war of 1S70 the po¬ sition of army pensioners has changed so greatly that the problem is really a dif¬ ficult one t? solve. CALENDAR OF EXHIBITIONS Current Displays of Paintings. Objerti of Art and Prints. Brooklyn Institute.Landscapes and ma- i Ines by F. J. Waugh J,V, A- Cof¬ fin and R«*n Foster. ondlnK April 21. CltyClub.Paint,ng-. by TV Gednoy .- u n c e; endlntr April VI. Ccttier Oallsriea.F£*rly i-jnaiisii mas¬ ters; ending April II. Ehrich Galleries.French portraits. Polrom Qsltartea. Paintings by L<eon i.abo, Mdiflg April i Qorham Company original breaotni by r G. H Hot!.; erne- > i»"(î April 22. ><3*llertaS.Prints by old and modern masters. Kats «Saltarles.»Painting« by Rime« Bchofleld opening April v Kennedy Qaltary.Printe by nem- brandt, Dürer, Van i.« - den, Mervon, Whistler. Haden and « ameron. Keppel Gallery. Etchings by Zorn; ending April -.'T. Knoedler Gail, ries.Palntlnga by Charlea Ifnffbauer and llonr«- «"j o 1 d e n »-artb. ending, re- sfxHrtlvely, April 11 ;«n-i It, an«! ¦ loan exhibition of paint- inKs by El «jreeo «loya. ending April ¡ft Admission .-¿Oc. Kraushaar «iallery. ...Palntlnga by Henri f,e Sldan. r and Frank Kranswyn ; ending April li Macbeth 'allery.Paintings bv Rlohar«) K Mill, r .-inline April ft* National Aoadernv of Design.Spring exhibition ; endlntr April 11. National Art« Club.Kmerson McMülln collection of paint¬ ings, embrolderl»« and textiles New York Public Li¬ brary.Japanese prints from ths collection of « liarles Stewart. Smith, ending ftf*) 1, and book-p1at"s and engravings by the. late «"liarles **>' Sherborn. ending April». New York «riio«-«] of Applied l">e«dgn for tvomes .Loan exhibition of paintings by the ia«e «*eora* Inness; ending May 6. Ad¬ mission .V*'. Sun¬ days fr»* New arkPuhd« Library.Modern German ap¬ plied arts, ending April %% Scott É F'ovsles Gal¬ lery.Three paintings hy Gainsborough. Snedei-or Gallerv.Paintings hy Fletch¬ er C. Ransom, end¬ ing April 11. Women's Co*mopoitt*a Club.Paintings by ftf, p Prendergast; end ing April ÎT. Frederick Keppel & Co. 4East39thSt.NewYork Etchings * BV ZORN ON EXHIBITION UNTIL APRIL 27TH Frederick Keppel & Co. 4East39thSt.NewYork j

New York Tribune.(New York, NY) 1912-04-07 [p 7].chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1912-04-07/… ·  · 2009-10-15Matters of Art El Greco andGoya.Matisse.A! Wliistlerian

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Matters of ArtEl Greco and Goya.Matisse.A!

Wliistlerian Farce.m r, is a »touch off humor about the

.vh.r.ti":' "' I "I1,i,,,i:: 1>V K1 °reCO ;""1

V will"*« ?>*»* bet ti opened at the

Knoedhr Calk "lOB for the benefit of the

0f woman's suffrage. I Spain. If

Uvher un-** wer., to-day, the status

"¡¦'the to* I« ¦*"IJ fi,,!T,'f, wlth mcdlRvnl-

, .. and it seems a little droll that not

, jpaniah «ft bul Spanish types as

Solou- aa Goya'a "Duch^a off /lba»

'nd hla "Woman <»n the »Balcony." to

Zy nothing off tbr,t appalling -id witch

he had so Often t.« portray. Queen .vlai ia

,. «ra. should bave b en rho.en to pletdT"th» cause aforesaid Ut the point

> not one to be labored. The essential

appeal '> rn;,<i' ,n ,,l,s sh,)W nnt byd.ad and apm ladlaa bul by ll/lng a-t

of him as a great master .tnd n-Jectionof hlni as a morbid eccentric.

GOYA THE SATIRIST.Th» contrmat between Bl Greco and

«;»»>a is profound. One us«-d in hi«pictur«M a light Hint tnver was on land<«r sen. The Other used the famlll «>'

light «.f the worhl in Which he livcl.The genuineness of VA tíreeo's mysticismwc cannot QiMStíon, however we mayspeculate as i its ultimate value.«Soya's religions «-motion, when hobrought it into play, was not pr. «is -lvinsincere, but it ctsrteinl) had no depth.no lea) force. il«- t««o, like Kl «'.r.io.11 v. -41 bj «has. bul they were the ideas oi

.« satirist, and m ineffably worldly-wisesatirist B1 that. His art is saturated inIntelligence, it is sa modern in feelingas ii Is in to, hnique There ate ten ulhis paintings in this exhibition, all i

CABDINAL DON FERNANDO NINO I>K QCEVABA.'From the portrait by Kl fir»«-,,

The fourteen pictures form a deeply In¬

teresting collection, which may not befully representative in chara» ter. but

neverthele«.!« throws fairly rieh light <m

the masters in question.A SPANISH MYSTIC.

El Greco is .me of the painters whohave lived by ideas. The melod rama tie

aspect of much of hta t**ca*k has obscuredthis fact. Criticism has ¡Men WAVd bythe eccentric elongation <«f form whichfrequently marks his treatment of the

fl,«rure, by his strange aid ev«an sinistertraits as a coloriât, ami by his some¬

times unduly forced eflf« ts of light and.hade. The impression he conveys, a s

of a genius lying in a sort of penumbra,outride the traditional lines of »level».p*ment iH F.urnpean painting, has been,

happily summariZ'-.l by a »lever Eng-li?h arfst and writer, Charh-s Ki.ketts.The works of El (Ire»«., he has said, lookas if they bad been painted l»y torch¬light in a dungeon of the Inquisition.The saying is perfect save for the im-

fllcatlon it «arries of an atmosphereharsh and cruel. M. Barre« takes us

nearer to the painter's aacret in his in-tenious hypothesis making El Greco.tnply the predestined Inten reter of the.Plrit of Toledo. A mystic in the. last,Mottest Ingredients of his being, bethrew In his fortunes with a centre .«fmysticism when be mad.- the (,|,j cathe¬dral town the scene <>f his labors. Manof the world though he was. and vividlyHllva to all things touching the eye andthe mind, his genius aw nn artist was

«.tin In harmony with the sentiment ofthe Church. This \i«vv of the mattermany not be conclusive, but at all eventsIt affords a profitai.], clew, inasmuchAt it direct« attention t<» i:i Qrwoo'amore spiritual »lualiti..<-. These come outIn all four of the paintings in the pres¬ent exhibition.The connolcsfîur ,,f technique wili

«W-ats* appreciatively over the large pOT-'rait. "Cardinal Don Ferdinand Nin-, da.luevara." but If he is wise he will go*»n to consider the sympathy with whichP MMMtertu] p,inco of tnp church is

tainted, looking weil into the gleaming'Tes and at the month and hands. Inu»i« portrait, no less than In the "St.Pfter" and the "Christ Bearing theOtotif," then - something mystariottalyfc>l**nant. h sombre emotion, a point <>f"«w which ¡s not that <<t a paintermer*l>" but of a man sunk in hallMhjfu! reverie. The amazing "View <»fToledo," doubly welcome here as almostthe role souvenir off El Greco'a Interealln landscape, is remarkable f,,r much,no«*e than its dramatic sky, its Intense

JjjBraqueneBB." what chiefly Im«l'eues u« I« its charaiter as a spiritualrecord. The theatricality off the piecedue to no misreading of nature, but to«fact that the seen» has iH.,.n observedth «»..,,. Indefinable "Inner sis-Ion"

"«.a that vision notably Inspired? Do*« owe to Its op.ration pictures .,f . x-

r*ordlnary moment? Despite the fervor*'».¦ which El Greco Is appraised In*0Inf' quarters, one may be permittedJ doubt. The «»cent craz»- for the* masters has promoted variad »i--

!Z)Pm*ntS Wh'" tm' dealers, ran¬ging Europa anew, turned their at-««bnn to bpaln. El Greco came In for'* a»tonlKhini{ and not alUigother ra-

ÍJjonalla^d popularity. His present rath.

j*rk vogue Is not neceaearlly goinglast. When the e. static- OOOOO fromf'^bllnK and the scoffera are at rest,

JPPrecUtlon .f Kl Greco will probably".found somewhere betw«*en acceptanc»

tii'-m portraits save 'i*Tie tVomenthe Halcony," which ranks, nominnat any rate, as a subject pi'tur«-. 'Idistinction would have bored Goya.his sitters were "subje« ts." That is w

his work has such tremendous vital!It interested him to the point of passi.Style in art is of pers«»nalit> all co

r'a« t. You .m read .« mans charae! in the play of his brush. Goya's histr

is writ plain across the surfacesth« se portraits of his.He was an eager, militant cr«BatU

The peri«««! «>f social decadence in whlhe lived enraged but could not dtoglor depress him H.- looked upon t

vtaious court with a scoi*n he would n

pretend to disguise, but he pointedwith delight and gratitud«*. For s im

f»f his moods and sardonic, inquiriimind what could have been more wi

come than such a niass <«f raw materia

¡And l.esiiles the had ami the weak t lu

wer* so many figures in Goya's spathat were, on the surface, merely beautful. Look at the "Maria Tensa. Pri:

«ess of .the P«sace" (No. 8), and <>bser«the delicacy with which th«- paint.¡«rosses an eX'lUisite motive. Wat«*

him nu he renders the elusive «harm

texture in the dresses of "The Worn»on th»- Halcony," or glv»-s himself upthe sensuous gra« <. of "The l-'anun

nookseller <«f tin- Calls «i<- las Csrret**Beauty <<f t<jrm and of rotor, the magof light, the dramati« signifícame ,

movement.these things find in Im

truly "the devouring eye" and a han

itching to translate the thing seen int

terms of paint ''ova is of Ills time, «

<ourse, and his portraits are Spanish t

th«: «cor*. His faculty for »«lending th

»ase of everyday »actuality with a CM

t.-tin stliYnoss attributable to court!modes carries us straight back .

eighteenth century Madrid. Bui in thairuthless psychology and in their pecullstechnical biilllancy, which Is wrenke«upon human natur«- as upon so mucl"still life,'' these portrait* might barboon painted y**ter«aay. There are tinii.isoiis why the show ought to prov«su. essful, As a matt»-r of sh.-er paint

Ing, <>f the stuff that appeals t<« th«

artist, it is packed with Interest. An

in its richness of Character, of historical

human elementa, tin- most incurious lav

man must find it stirring.

"DOUBLE-DUTCH."Sooner <»r later, wo suppose, me [tal«

lian "Futurists." who have been makingtheir Utile sensation in Paris and Lon¬

don, will be introduced to New fork.Meanwhile WO have opportunity <»ften

enough to s«'*' NV¦.1,. is hatng don.- byth«- artists wh«» think there Is some¬

thing tallsmanlC about running «(»unter

t«. tradition Ths latest chance <>f this

sort has been offered at the Photo-S«--

«ession ("Hllery. where some sculptures

and drawings by M. Henri Matisse havsPeen .shown. The actual merits of this

artist arc not at all difficult to «lis« ein.

He has that power of expressivgpsjgf

which is not in Itself remurkabb The

late Augustus Saint-tîaudens could with

a few »crutch*-* ot th«- peOtCM dehn«- a

Hgure with oreOmnUtM vividness, but It

never <-<-<-urred to him to plume himself

as a d.aftsman. «ireat line in black and

wht. was not his provin« ». His genius

was piastre pnraly. -Many ;. minor

¡.».list can fling a skei. u upon paper

with tearem any exp.-iidlture of time or

eff«»rt and still >'.'>' «.*« H,''. 1" ff*>« 11>-

woll what he is driving at. Thus. In the

«Irawings of Matisse a .citai., facility in

,-.. denotement of farm is ut «»nee per«

CefJtlbta, Hut suppoacit is? How much

forrader have -we pro'..? Beyond the hintat truth there is nothing; no distinction,no style, no beauty. It la the same withhis sculpture. Here and there it dis¬closes a lucky paaaage. a bit of form ac¬curately expr.ssed. But what it is thatseparates these commonpla« ... "hints''from those of any young atudenl at theL*eague r.anaína a myatery- la it Indeeda myatery? Aa a matter <>f r«act, theenigma Is largely In the eye off the be-holder. The fad la ever with us. Thereis alwaya a "movement" which, byvirtue of being the latest, is, for sonpeople, lmm«eaaurably precloua For acertain type off mind tijera la no anguishnoue terrible than that superinduced i>ithe fleera of the "elect." To be "leftout" when a nee cult is toward la tosuffer unbearable humiliation Well, alittle humor la a great help in the solu¬tion of these fearsome problems. Mr.Walter Sickert, a s.«...i painter and agood writer, reminds ua <>f tin? in apaaaage on Matisse recentl) printed In"The English Review." In it he says;

My mother' «>ld cook, aben she failed, a«she sometlmi s did, to understand theenrliesl efforts ol my younger brothers Inthe formation off a prose style, was wont t<>console herself bj telling them that the)wir, talking "Double-Dutch." I too, used,ii earlier da* a, t.. n-v »,, unrav. l theDouble-Dutch of the Higher Art CriticismKill I have |. 11 l; given it lip. r< ineiiib, rthe occasion ol m* definitive renunciation,i» haps should call it my def« at. usedto follow, with 111- respectful awe oi a i»eaa-ant m the presence ..i learning, the Hornea,the l.' rs and the Herensons In thelicomplex Incantations How ran an) »in.-,"l i»sed to think, "Know s,, much?" onceknew a l-'rein h governess who, whin de¬feated ¡h it struggle t«. express herself Inbei still Imperfect Kngllsh, would say."Enfin! Je me comprends." "Perhaps,"thought "the) understand themselves, Ifnot rach other." But. In a moment of Im¬prudence, Mr Bereneon, who. i understandcan command a serious fee for giving auoiiIpI».n ih- Hiithentlclt) off the obscuresiof obscure «l<i masters, promulgated, as thecr, am of all his Investigations, the conclu¬sion that Matisse i« the great modern mas¬ter! Thst kind of connolsseurship. «hen.must have B nut« I« mystical basis It»tust i.ntlrel) unrelated t«> th»N morepedestrian .-rlticistn that is baaed on euchtrivial grounds as tradition, observationand comparison It enters rather into theregion of dogma, and Is purely subjective0 d capricious. For me. an for my mother'sold cook, it must remain Double-DutchThe "Double-Dutchness" of the orgclea

who would have us regard Matisse withreverence la never more w«aarlsome thanwhen it aeeka to identify his emptyrhetoric with the large utterance <»f theearly c«"is To recapture that utterancen mod, in Prilal must be horn again liec.'intiot ; chleve the synthesis of theEgyptians or the Oreeka i.v arbitrarilytaking thought. Their genius must bein his blood, and if it is there ii«' willgive us work of b really convincinggrandeur, it Is conceivable that Ma¬tisse luis floating about in his mindstimulating memories <>f the flniehed re-suits of great Primitive art Mut thisdoes not automatically mean that h» haslearne»! t»n "|c¡ heroic language "i- hasanything t«. -ray. Both his sculpturesand his drawings suggest ,-, niiin v.),».could use ;i tolerably efflclenl l»**chnlqueIf he chose t<> do so. but has prcfl ri. d lidiffus«' a mu,ill tal« it In a welter offfutile theory

THE CLASSIC SPIRIT.

\ greal atumbllng ¡'.«.«k in the pathof the young artist trying t.. make uphis mind about .s..m«' ti«'W ,:t.«l mu» b l«.lauded principle Is his fiar that he maybe asked, by those who warn himagainst it. to take up with some old an«itried form da. The best wa) In which tos.are a student Into the arma of th»wildest »>f Innovators is to talk to himto., urgently about the lassies. H<- I«

particularly afraid of the »lassie»., idthinks that contact with them la boundto blast and annihilate the unpreoe«dented originality burning In his bo-.,.mHowever, if the young artist has an)sense at all he can gel over these aolemrperturbations Ifhecannol »loso.it ma)be remarked In passing, he should lostin» time In hurrying la«i\ to th*- farm;the Jojra of art ar<- not for him. In th«tright handa, which la to aay, in thoa<which are modeetl) and generously r«

ceptlve, th» re « <«n!<i nol i.¦¦ pía» ed b

better b<"«k than "The «Classic Point olView" »«'liarles Bcrlbner'a Bona), a col'lection of six lectures "ti painting re

,-ently delivered by Mr, Kenyon Coa aithe Ar» Inatitute «>f Chicago. Hla them»la not. b) any mi ans. the "» laasl»school." It is. rather, an Idea, the cultlration off win« h Is compatible wltlin« mbersliip In almost any school. ThUIlie states it

The Claaaii spun th» disinterest«**]search for »perfection; it Is the love olclearness and reasonableness and eelf-controi; it Is, above all. th- love of perma¬nent'» and oi contlnult! " ssks of s w..i ioff art, not that It shall be novel or af¬fective but that it shall be fine and nobleli seeks not merel) to express lndlvlduaJ.lt)or emotion, but t., express disciplined emo¬tion and Indlvlduallt) restrained by lawli strives for the essentiel rather than iImaccidental, the eternal rath.: than liemomentary loves Impersonality mor»personality, bu«i feels more power in th»ordert) succession <>f the hours and th»seasons than in the violence «.f earthquak)an«! off storm And It loves t., steep Itsellin tradition. It w.-uhl have each new Wortconnect itself in the mind of him who ¦¦¦

It *tth all the noble and loveti works o

th« pHst. bringing them to his memonand making iheli beaut) and «harm spanof the beauty and chai in of the work h-furo him it do.» not deny originality em

indivldtiallly.«hey are as welcome as in¬evitable. It «loes not consider tradition as

Immutable or ael rigid bounds t<« Invention.Hut it desires that each new presentationOf truth ami beauty shall show us »he oldtruth end the old heaay, »mm only froma different engte an 1 colored by a «lifferentmedium It wishes to add link by linkto th.- chain of tr.olition, but it do« s notwish to break the «-bain.

In the development oí this valuableIdes Mr. «'««x Inevitably, perhaps, payethe penalty of his professions! expert«¦-ri«'.-. Th.- artist who writes ..n art dOSSso niccessfulls not becauas he is an

artist bul in spite Of his being one Tht.« hni-al experience that tiri'-uestionnbly

THE KAMI»I S l.onKsi.LLl.ii 1)0THE CALLE DE LAS CARRETAS.

(Prom the portrait by «Joya.»

gives him aid also handicaps him. Theartist is notoriously the victim of "whath«- likes" far mora often than Is the lay¬man of the familiar an«-«lot«. He can¬

not Jump off his shadow nor can he frehimself from the tyranny of that Indi-Vldual point of v nvv whi« h a lifetime o.

labor has made as natural to him i«

breathing and seemingly as «*onclu*lvoin Its force as ¡my natural law. ThusWS find Mi. Cos alluding to the Impres¬sionists with .» patronage that Ig ¦ Ut¬il«- bewildering 'Tin movement." he

[><.t\n. "was scientific rallier than artls-ti«-. and the pictures of Its strongest man.

«'huid Monet, often seem lik.« a sori«-*of demonstrations rather than things <«fbeauty creat«sd for human delight it is.

really, only In iins country that the Im«pression ist I« formula baa been seisedupon f r its capabilities «>f beauty and

in the hands of Hassam and others hem

to the en.ls >«f do. oration." There w«

have, glaringly appar*nt. th« «miner«ability ««r ths artist as critic. Th«»kind "f «t thai i« antithetical to

his own h«- rarely likes or under-!stan«l-- Onl) some su.h veil as thiscould hav-i k«pt Mr Cog fromappr« h« ruling th«- "things Of beauty ere-

.-.ted inr hitman delight" which fill ciiint-ies- . iquisite landacapea by «'laud

Monet Burelj n«> one In this country««.¦ nnyvt'here Ise has put such ravishingloveliness It.to paintings of flower«- InIhs open air as M«n«'t has put Into his!.. eti« sertas of **N**mpha*s**.M There

are other ^Igns In this book that Mr.r*«.\- aometlmss tends to lapse from the

plane ««f th«- "i bísalo spirit" to that ofthe "< I**** scttvaoL" In his chapter on

"The Bubje« I 111 Art" he goes perilouslyn«ai to drawing up a «lass list, thaifoil.].- of the doctrinaire. n<- almost for«nets the eternal apposttcn«ess of the say¬

ing which ho approving!) quot<ss fromSaint-«; uni« us m this vetv chapter."Von may do anything; It Is the wayvon d«> it that counts." Bui if we p*ueeupon tbes«- slips of the author's it is onlyin order t.. characterise them at theirtrue value and lo warn the reader thaithey do nol effect th«- essential «tritt ofthe leeturer'a argument. There, as we

Indicated ..' the ««uts.-t. he gi»«'s goldenounsel, and In his sdvocsc) «>f "ths disinterested search for perfection" In de-

sign, m drawing, In light and shade, m

«¦olor ami in technique, he shows forththe ".¡issic spirit" h a valid .-our. .¦ <>f

progress. This is a wholesome b«><>k.v. hoi« some and kindling. Mr, <'«>x has

usver written to more practical pur¬

pose

poor whistler:u ¡th «in«- apologtas for the use of ¦

¦omewhal ancient locution we are con-

strained to remark thai if tin- "caae" <«f

Whiatler wen- n««t Irreetatibl) funny Itwould be patlietl.. The pathos lie« m

tb« deplorable "fussing'' which baa takenplace over his "remains." There Was

the "fuss" tivi-r bis letters.and that re-

mlnda us thai In ¦ lecenl Kngiish cata«logue a letter <«f his t«> Predertak Sandyswas held at C21. More recently tb«'re

lili; \\n.\li;.\ <>N THE BALCONY.iKií.m the painting b> «,;.«} u.)

I hau been the "fuss" originating In a mis¬taken «late in the preface to * catalogue.The n-adt-r will re« all how Mr. Walter«""reaves, an old pupil of Whistler's, was

the hen» of an exhibition in Londonlast May. and how, for a time,there was sum«- talk in the pressabout his having antedated Whlstb-r In¡the invention «>f a certain artistic effect,It WM perfectly plain that «'reaves hadmeant nothing disloyal to hi» old master,and the steps promptly taken by Mar-chant A «V»., the managers of the (îou-pll Gallery, where the show was held,to set the matt»r straight, left nothingto be d«'«ired by the most exacting ad¬mirers of Whistler's genius. Hut Mr.Joseph P'-iin.-ll Is ¦ Uttta more than ex¬

acting and he forthwith sailed int »

print, turning a «iuite unimportant epi¬sode int«, a portentous controversy. Thearbole affair is now preserved in print.Marchant & Company having publishednil the do.-umonts, with esposltory com«ment», in "A Repl) to an Attack," abooklet of fours« ««re pages.

Anything more pitifull- absurd it.would t,e difficult to imagine. ,\ moun«tain is made out of a molehill. An o«-

curreM* scarce worthy to be reinem«beted at all Is treated at endbss lengthwith the gravity <«f history. We c»nhardly blame the gallery people forwanting to pul tin- fact* on record,What seems positively childish Is thatthey should have been goa«l«*«i into tak-ing h much trouble. We have quotedMr. Sickert ««nee to-day, but we must

ouote him again, in an article »reprintedin this pamphtat he speaks of Mr. Pen-nell as having "appointed himself officialscold to the memorv of Whistler." Thephrase is not unjust. It pat ms a groatpity that, having collaborated In thepreparation of an excellent hi«-graphy OfWhistler, Mr. Penm-ll should not he con¬

tent and let the a (Ta 1rs of the masteralone. Nobody doubts his loyaltv, h«itIt is not unreasonable to observe that helack» skill gnd jti'lgment in controversy.It is told of Whistler that ho on«e madeto«« obvious an effort to attract atten¬tion with his wit. whereupon Degas,Who was present at the time, gave hima friendly rebuke, pointing out that Ifhe went on exerting himself In thattashlon people Would think h« had no

talent. If Mr. Pennoll does not abandonhis air of being a kind of protector of jWhistler's lie will cause «piantities of!|.-.iplo to think that Whistler needs pro-t'-i turn.and aobodj ever needed It less.Imagination l>oggtas *t what he him«self would have had to say about allthis posthumous fussing.'' He like«! to]i«.- a figure In come4y. Bui how he

«

detach him-elf from the ruck. It is, ofcourse, «he painter of some personalforce wl,o succeeds In doing this. Mr.W. Elmer Schofleld, for example, hasbeen well advised to make an exhibitionOf his own nt the Katr. Gallery. His artis sincere, there is a kind of sturdy en-

eig.v behind It, and his winter scenes

have the cutatandlng merit of a pro¬found raclnesa None of our landscapepainters la more eloquent than he i'.i theinternretiition of the purely AmericanM-.'vic In the present exhibition he also

v \ li;w OF TOLEDO(From tin- pointing by Kl Greco

WOUld have hated to have found him-s. if enmeahed ¡n farce!We can get sonic Idea of his probable

emotions In such ir.umstan.es from ¡<

story told bv the Britlah artist Thad¬

dens m his recentl) published "Recollec-tlona <'f a Court .Painter." it acema thatwins-tier was once descanting upon theA,.k of Ve|as«|U.v. and Tluiddeii-

ventured to remark that the »Spaniarddid not draw anímala as faithful!) aa

h»' drew n -ii "ii being challenged to

Cite an animal painter of any distinc¬tion he mentioned l.atulseer with elec¬

trical eff-SCt. The tale continues as fol¬

lows:

..Gentlemen.' cried »hlstler. you have«li heard what this ...incut person hassaid He bus the audacity, the audarttj

gentlemen ... to my far«- .

that Landseer . . .a cheaptea-tray performer knew how to

paint anímala!"He mt. tided saying n.i more, but -'

ti,, o he gave an undulstory movement m

niv direction, m"i I, oblivious ..f the enor-

mltj ol the ..t. drew him g.-titlv on to mykn.e »Somehow "i' «"her I had I har.y l«ieaat the time that, if l had not thus Intelcepted the downward movement, he mightnave -at on the floor.

\t first he seemed appeased by the pleas¬ant support so unexpectedly afforded Torender hli repose there still m«.r.- comfortabb' and sure, I placed my arm around Innwnist and. In ordei t" soothe hi- ruffled,feelings pass.-.l my ting»rs caressingly]through hi- raven h»(r and th) pn-

i ,11,1 s,-, dreamily, my heart overflowingwith good will '" -i|! men, and toward himIn particular, with only «>n«' desire, to makethings pleasant all round

H,- tor' iilms.-lf from m) emhrn«-e as if Sftftai had stung him, hysterically screamIna "Menpe*.Menpes!" whilst vaguelywondered .it his »udden departure.

It seemed t" me an unreasonabli ind In¬comprehensible thing for him to d«>Kushing toward the mirror In the room,

sunoortea b) his alarmed host, be gave onerued lock in 'he «lass, and collapaed Into.i,,, divan el Ita foot with .. groan.The White Loch I""' disappeared!; nrofane »lagers had don.- the fell

u.'.rk h.i-1 mlaed up th»- whit.- hairs withthe black. ¦.'¦"'' VVHM n"w ,"sl beyona re*

''"\ii"awfui hush eame over the roomPresently Menpea approached me solemn-

iv descrifrng li"««1"1" line of besuty InMm ,

"Whilst the others cluster-lBWffiPcfA fom, off WhWler.

".ylMv ^°mthfftoaWfur said Menpes.hoatselv as be sank into a chair by mynoarseir. ¦

., know what rou«ve done'île'11 ne\'" torgrrr, U.t**sr«srt ¦!>< i «ball

1,el ^r^o's}'«'«! ""no'iher drink to my host, to

ii« , hi,,', m- and, as we clinked glasses,

^.¦¡gtlVS^Ä T*** iWlUîthT warmth i . *P**tad, I Ml «-«grlevea

Menpes Sariffhl b. his foreboding

NEW SHOWS.

The art Ml**1 «ww-Wl near to Us cb>s<-,

but as OUT W****|J .«''''.'"»lar" shows,

th.re is no diminution,of the activity in

local gallerlea This results, m fact, In

i positively bewildering profusion ofnew picture* MHl ¡t "¦ .*»-«». «" -*.

.uiti- an achievement for an arti.n to

illustrat.-s some excursions ho has madeabroad. At the .Macbeth Gallery Mr.Richard B. Miller bring* forward six-

teen «>r his »nor«' recent paintings.Whether Indoors or In the ««pen air he

paints his subjects under ¦ i ia> «>f light.His color is fresh ;«n«l «-harming. He

draws nol nly with udroltmsM, but with

breadth, and, In fact, the whole impres-sion h« «¦on'.eye is thai <d' an artist whosees life In a large, exhilarating way and

palnta it with a kind of happy fervor.

His work has been aeon before In New

York. but. never to such advantage as

«»n this ««. «asioii. For th»- nrst tiin« his

Inlivlduallty makes Its full effect it has

liara- ter, Interest, and Is unmistakablyImbued with the right feeling for beauty.The observer who takes note of elementsof progress In American painting >hould j

«.i miss tins exhibition,AI th«- Kuoedler Gallery, where El Greco

and Goy* hold the centre of tlv stage

Just now. there is also an exhibition of

paintings by Mr. «'barks lloffbatier.The vast canvas. Triumph of a CondOt«tiere" with which he won the pri\ d<*

Baton, Is "in entirely creditable pie. r of Iwork of « p«'bstrlan sort but his small

.ludiea of ii'ght scones m New York an» |m««re t«« the point. In tlies» be paints Iwith an «Mtgi ging spontaneity and shovvs

hi.ns. It' to he a plowing c««lorist. His

Impression* «.t the city are entertainingIn substance as writ as «lever in execu¬

tion, ih MacDowell Club has openedanother eshlbltlon «>f Araeri«*an pictures.this lime of works by women, The ex¬

hibitors at«- Irene Hrowi-, Matilda

Browne, Sarah Henry. .Mice Larkln,Margaret Longatreth, Helen Main«-. Ber«,iia i ». »3*nders, Beatrice Btevena ami

Helen M. Turner. At the galleries at No.

lit Last Kid street then ¡s *n exhibition

of old masters In aid of the DivertsCentenary Fund. It C.

DECLINE OF THE INVALIDES.From tin- Paris «'>rn spoiuh-nt of the

StandardThe Invalides, where are found the

tomb ... N'-i-joleon and the Military Mu-s.-um. which contains an even more im¬

portant «-«tlleetlon Of Napoleonic relics

than the Malma'son, Is threatened with

reform«*. The menace is no small mat¬ter in this « ase. f««r the Invalides is one

of the few institutions in Paris where

the formality Of Uta old regime is ob¬served as much in the spirit as in thedted Hie reverential spirit in the(¡Tench character, ho often denied byuraory obaervera, is always found on

the la«es of the crowd that gathers ev-

erj Sunday to P**r over the balustradeat the red granit* aarootphagjua of theKmp« roi' But alas! there are tastet andfewer oi th«- old p- nsioners to Interestth. crowd with th»> gnat "Legende deNnpoièon.'' or t«> take visitera down the

St*P* ta a e the great bronze doors with

TÍ1K DUOHBM OF ALBA..From the portrait by Go3'a.)

the keyhole in the form of th« Cross ofthe Lesion of Honor. Yesterday after¬noon there were only three on duty,which meant that only one was able inmove about beneath the dome, whileanother stood on guard beside th«»bronze doors, and the third saw the tra¬ditional rule, "hats off," was observ«»d atthe door.Noticing this, I asked about the full

number of pensioners still left. Theynumber eleven all told, but eight of themare bedridden. They are all veterans ofthe campaigns in Italy, Mexico, and th«*war of 1870. I believe the last Crimeanveteran, who with two comradea con-iducted a modest but persistent cam-ipalgn In favor of the Fintente Cordial«»«they had a profound respect for thename of Queen Victoria, who had pre-rented them with the Crimean modal).has died. I notice that the fewness ofnumbers has caused General Niox, th«*«.Iroctor of the Invalides, to ask the Min¬ister of War to consider the situation.It needs only an accident to leave Na¬poleon's tomb without a giiard. Thematter, however, Is to be fully discussed.The easiest solution would be to draff,

a picket from the nearest Infantry bar¬racks, hut It is felt tht the tradition ofhaving a pensioner to mount guardshould ho kept up. For thlsnt would bonecessaiv to admit new pensioners, butso far there has been no agreement asto how to establish the conditions of ad¬mittance. Since the conscription re-tot ins following the war of 1S70 the po¬sition of army pensioners has changed sogreatly that the problem is really a dif¬ficult one t? solve.

CALENDAR OF EXHIBITIONS

Current Displays of Paintings. Objertiof Art and Prints.

Brooklyn Institute.Landscapes and ma-i Ines by F. J.Waugh J,V, A- Cof¬fin and R«*n Foster.ondlnK April 21.

CltyClub.Paint,ng-. by TVGednoy .- u n c e;endlntr April VI.

Ccttier Oallsriea.F£*rly i-jnaiisii mas¬ters; ending AprilII.

Ehrich Galleries.French portraits.Polrom Qsltartea. Paintings by L<eon

i.abo, Mdiflg Aprili

Qorham Company original breaotni byr G. H Hot!.; erne-

> i»"(î April 22.><3*llertaS.Prints by old and

modern masters.Kats «Saltarles.»Painting« by Rime«

Bchofleld openingApril v

Kennedy Qaltary.Printe by nem-brandt, Dürer, Vani.« - den, Mervon,Whistler. Hadenand « ameron.

Keppel Gallery. Etchings by Zorn;ending April -.'T.

Knoedler Gail, ries.Palntlnga by CharleaIfnffbauer andllonr«- «"j o 1 d e n»-artb. ending, re-

sfxHrtlvely, April 11;«n-i It, an«! ¦ loanexhibition of paint-inKs by El «jreeo«loya. ending April¡ft Admission .-¿Oc.

Kraushaar «iallery. ...Palntlnga by Henrif,e Sldan. r andFrank Kranswyn ;ending April li

Macbeth 'allery.Paintings bv Rlohar«)K Mill, r .-inlineApril ft*

National Aoadernv ofDesign.Spring exhibition ;

endlntr April 11.National Art« Club.Kmerson McMülln

collection of paint¬ings, embrolderl»«and textiles

New York Public Li¬brary.Japanese prints from

ths collection of« liarles Stewart.Smith, ending ftf*)1, and book-p1at"sand engravings bythe. late «"liarles **>'Sherborn. endingApril».

New York «riio«-«] ofApplied l">e«dgn fortvomes .Loan exhibition of

paintings by theia«e «*eora* Inness;ending May 6. Ad¬mission .V*'. Sun¬days fr»*

New arkPuhd« Library.Modern German ap¬plied arts, endingApril %%

Scott É F'ovsles Gal¬lery.Three paintings hy

Gainsborough.Snedei-or Gallerv.Paintings hy Fletch¬

er C. Ransom, end¬ing April 11.

Women's Co*mopoitt*aClub.Paintings by ftf, p

Prendergast; ending April ÎT.

Frederick Keppel & Co.4East39thSt.NewYork

Etchings* BV

ZORNON EXHIBITIONUNTIL APRIL 27TH

Frederick Keppel & Co.4East39thSt.NewYorkj