American Painting and Its Traditions

John Van DykeCourtesy of Scribner & Sons, 1919

John Van Dyke

Courtesy of Scribner & Sons, 1919

“Sargent did not wholly achieve art, for some of it was born to him, and some of it, perhaps, was thrust upon him. Training started him right, but his great success is not wholly due to that. Genius alone can account for the remarkable content of his work.

“Sargent’s life has been the result of peculiar circumstances—fortunate circumstances some may think; unfortunate others may hold. At least they have been instrumental in bringing forth an accomplished painter whose art no one can fail to admire. That his work may be admired understandingly it is quite necessary to comprehend the personality of the artist—to understand his education, his associations, his artistic and social environments. For if the man himself is cosmopolitan his art is not less so. It is the perfection of world-style, the finality of method.

“If I apprehend Sargent rightly, such theory of art as he possesses is founded in observation. Some fifteen years ago, in Gibraltar, at the old Cecil Hotel, I was dining with him. That night, as a very unusual thing, Sargent talked about painting—talked of his own volition. He suggested his theory of art in a single sentence: ‘You see things that way’ (pointing slightly to the left) ‘and I see them this way’ (pointing slightly to the right). He seemed to think that would account for the variation or peculiarity of eye and mind, and with a manner of doing—a personal method—there was little more to art. Such a theory would place him in measured agreement with Henry James whose definition of art has been quoted many times: ‘Art is a point of view, and a genius a way of looking at things.’

“A painter who has been looking at human heads for many years sees more than the man who casually looks up to recognize an acquaintance on the street. I do not mean that he sees more ‘character’—that is more scholarship or conceit, or pride of purse or firmness of will or shrewdness of thought, but merely that he sees the physical conformation more completely than others do. Every one sooner or later moulds his own face. It becomes marked or set or shaped in response to continued methods of thinking and acting. When that face comes under the portrait painter’s eye, he does not see the scholar, the banker, the senator, the captain of industry; but he does see perhaps, certain depression of the cheek or lines about the eyes or mouth in contractions of the lips or protrusions of the brow or jaw that appeal to him strongly because they are cast in shadow or thrown up sharply in relief of light. These surface features he paints perhaps with more emphasis than they possess in the original because they appeal to him emphatically, and presently the peculiar look that indicates the character of the man appears. What the look may indicate, or what kind of phase of character may be read in or out of the look, the portrait-painter does not know or care. He paints what he sees and has as little discernment of a character as of a mind. He gives, perhaps, without knowing their meaning, certain protrusions and recessions of the surface before him and lets the result tell what it may. In the production of the portrait accurate observation is more than half the battle. If a painter sees and knows his subject thoroughly, he will have little trouble in telling what he sees and knows; and to say of Sargent that he observes rightly and records truly is to state the case in a sentence.”

OIL PAINTINGS1Portrait ofMrs. H. F. Hadden(1878).Loaned by Mrs. Hadden2The Lady with the Rose—My Sister(1882).Loaned by Mrs. Hadden3“Pointy” (1884).Loaned by Mrs. Hadden4The Simplon.Loaned by Mrs. Montgomery Sears5Portrait ofMajor HigginsonLoaned by Harvard University6Portrait ofEx-President Charles W. Eliotof Harvard University7Portrait ofPresident Lowell.Loaned by Harvard University8Lake O’Hara.Loaned by Fogg Art Museum9Portrait ofMiss Mary Elizabeth Garrett.Loaned by Johns Hopkins University10Portrait ofMrs. J. William White.Loaned by Mrs. White11Portrait ofMrs. Fiske Warren and Daughter.Loaned by Fiske Warren, Esq.12Portrait ofMrs. Endicott.Loaned by Mr. Wm. C. Endicott, Jr.13Portrait ofMrs. William Hartley Carnegie.Loaned by Mrs. Endicott14His Studio.Loaned by Museum of Fine Arts, Boston15The Road.Loaned by Museum of Fine Arts, Boston16Master and Pupils.Loaned by Museum of Fine Arts, Boston17Head of Joseph Jefferson.Loaned by Mr. Sargent18Reconnoitering.Loaned by Mr. Sargent19Portrait ofJoseph Pulitzer, Esq.Loaned by Mrs. Pulitzer20Portrait ofMrs. Edward L. Davis and Her Son, Livingston Davis.Loaned by Mr. Livingston Davis, Boston21Portrait of a Lady.Loaned by Mr. Augustus P. Loring22Portrait ofMrs. Augustus Hemenway.Loaned by Mrs. Hemenway23Portrait ofEdward Robinson, Esq.Loaned by Mr. Robinson24Egyptian Girl25Syrian Goats26Spanish Stable27Camp Fire.Loaned by Mr. Thomas A. Fox28Robert Louis Stevenson.Loaned by Mrs. Payne Whitney29Portrait ofJohn Hay, Esq.Loaned by Mr. Clarence L. Hay30Portrait ofMiss Ada Rehan.Loaned by Mrs. G. M. Whitin31Portrait ofMr. and Mrs. Field.Loaned by Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts32Portrait ofMrs. Charles E. Inches.Loaned by Mrs. Inches, Boston33Portrait ofMrs. Adrian Iselin.Loaned by Miss Iselin34The Honorable Mrs. Frederick Guest.Loaned by Mrs. Phipps35Portrait ofMrs. Phipps and Winston.Loaned by Mrs. Phipps36Portrait ofGeneral Leonard Wood.Loaned by General Wood37The Sulphur Match.Loaned by Mr. Louis Curtis38Sketch ofEdwin Booth.Loaned by Mrs. Willard Straight39A Street in Venice.Loaned by Mrs. Stanford White40Cypresses and Pines.Loaned by Copley Gallery41Portrait ofMrs. Henry White—neé Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherford.Loaned by Honorable Henry White42Sketch ofMrs. Henry White—neé Margaret Stuyvesant Rutherford.Loaned by Honorable Henry White43Portrait ofMrs. John J. Chapman.Loaned by Mrs. Richard Aldrich44Venetian Interior.Loaned by Carnegie Institute45Portrait ofHomer Saint-Gaudens and Mother.Loaned by Mrs. Saint-Gaudens46Graveyard in Tyrol.Loaned by Robert Treat Paine, 2nd47Mussel Gatherers.Loaned by Mrs. Carroll Beckwith48The Fountain.Loaned by Art Institute of Chicago49Portrait ofMrs. Charles Gifford Dyer.Loaned by Art Institute of Chicago50Portrait ofMrs. Thomas Lincoln Manson.Loaned by Mrs. Kiliaen Van Rensselaer51Moorish Courtyard.Loaned by Mr. James H. Clarke52Venetian Bead Stringers.Loaned by the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy53Interior—The Confession.Loaned by Mr. Desmond Fitzgerald54Portrait ofMiss Katharine Pratt.Loaned by Mr. Frederick S. Pratt55Portrait ofMrs. Edward D. Brandegee.Loaned by Mr. Brandegee56Portrait ofPeter Chardon Brooks, Esq.Loaned by Mrs. R. M. Saltonstall57Portrait ofMrs. Dave H. Morris as a Girl.Loaned by Mrs. Morris58Portrait ofMr. and Mrs. I. N. Phelps Stokes.Loaned by Mr. Phelps Stokes59Portrait ofMrs. Marquand.Loaned by Mr. Allan Marquand60The Chess Game.Property of Grand Central Art GalleriesWATER COLORS61Palms62Shady Paths—Vizcaya63Boats at Anchor64Derelicts65The Pool66Muddy Alligators67The Basin—Vizcaya68The Loggia—Vizcaya69The Bathers70The Terrace—Vizcaya71The Patio—VizcayaLoaned by Worcester Art Museum72The Mist.Loaned by Mrs. J. D. Blanchard

OIL PAINTINGS

WATER COLORS

Loaned by Worcester Art Museum72The Mist.Loaned by Mrs. J. D. Blanchard

Loaned by Worcester Art Museum

72The Mist.Loaned by Mrs. J. D. Blanchard

32 Portrait ofMrs. Charles E. InchesLoaned by Mrs. Inches, Boston

41 Portrait ofMrs. Henry White—neé Margaret Stuyvesant RutherfordLoaned by Honorable Henry White

11 Portrait ofMrs. Fiske Warren and DaughterLoaned by Fiske Warren, Esq.

31 Portrait ofMr. and Mrs. FieldLoaned by Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts

9 Portrait ofMiss Mary Elizabeth GarrettLoaned by Johns Hopkins University

7 Portrait ofPresident LowellLoaned by Harvard University

6 Portrait ofEx-President Charles W. Eliot, Formerly of Harvard UniversityLoaned by Harvard University

58 Portrait ofMr. and Mrs. I. N. Phelps StokesLoaned by Mr. Phelps Stokes

2The Lady with the Rose—My Sister(1882)Loaned by Mrs. Hadden

5 Portrait ofMajor HigginsonLoaned by Harvard University

59 Portrait ofMrs. MarquandLoaned by Mr. Alan Marquand

33 Portrait ofMrs. Adrian IselinLoaned by Miss Iselin

30 Portrait ofMiss Ada RehanLoaned by Mrs. G. M. Whitin

29 Portrait ofJohn Hay, Esq.Loaned by Mr. Clarence L. Hay

10 Portrait ofMrs. J. William WhiteLoaned by Mrs. White

50 Portrait ofMrs. Thomas Lincoln MansonLoaned by Mrs. Kiliaen Van Rensselaer

22 Sketch ofMrs. Augustus HemenwayLoaned by Mrs. Hemenway

18ReconnoiteringLoaned by Mr. Sargent

8Lake O’HaraLoaned by Fogg Art Museum

14His StudioLoaned by Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

51Moorish CourtyardLoaned by Mr. James H. Clarke

17Head of Joseph JeffersonLoaned by Mr. Sargent

19 Portrait ofJoseph Pulitzer, Esq.Loaned by Mrs. Pulitzer

36 Portrait ofGeneral Leonard WoodLoaned by General Wood

1 Portrait ofMrs. H. F. Hadden(1878)Loaned by Mrs. Hadden

34The Honorable Mrs. Frederick GuestLoaned by Mrs. Phipps

23 Portrait ofEdward Robinson, Esq.Loaned by Mr. Robinson

42 Sketch ofMrs. Henry White—neé Margaret Stuyvesant RutherfordLoaned by Honorable Henry White

45 Portrait ofHomer Saint-Gaudens and MotherLoaned by Mrs. Saint-Gaudens

35 Portrait ofMrs. Phipps and WinstonLoaned by Mrs. Phipps

20 Portrait ofMrs. Edward L. Davis and Her Son, Livingston DavisLoaned by Mr. Livingston Davis, Boston

43 Portrait ofMrs. John J. ChapmanLoaned by Mrs. Richard Aldrich

37The Sulphur MatchLoaned by Mr. Louis Curtis

Facts Concerning This ExhibitionIn bringing together this retrospective exhibition of Mr. John Sargent’s important works in this country, we feel that we are rendering a service to the American people.It is unquestionably the most important and most valuable collection ever assembled by a Living Artist, and it is interesting to note that the insurance policy placed on the collection amounts to nearly a million dollars.The Grand Central Art Galleries is a no profit organization and its efforts are dedicated solely to the interests of the living American Artists.Mr. John Singer Sargent has personally selected and approved all of the paintings in this exhibition and in choosing this Gallery he has greatly honored this organization.An Invitation granting free admission to the exhibition to Art Students is being sent to all of the leading Art Schools; an admission charge to all others, to defray the cost of the exhibition, will be made.

Facts Concerning This Exhibition

In bringing together this retrospective exhibition of Mr. John Sargent’s important works in this country, we feel that we are rendering a service to the American people.

It is unquestionably the most important and most valuable collection ever assembled by a Living Artist, and it is interesting to note that the insurance policy placed on the collection amounts to nearly a million dollars.

The Grand Central Art Galleries is a no profit organization and its efforts are dedicated solely to the interests of the living American Artists.

Mr. John Singer Sargent has personally selected and approved all of the paintings in this exhibition and in choosing this Gallery he has greatly honored this organization.

An Invitation granting free admission to the exhibition to Art Students is being sent to all of the leading Art Schools; an admission charge to all others, to defray the cost of the exhibition, will be made.

FRAMESdesigned byM. GRIEVE COMPANY155 EAST FORTY-SECOND ST., NEW YORKBranch: LONDON, ENGLANDSpecialistsin theFramingofOld MasterPictures

FRAMESdesigned byM. GRIEVE COMPANY

155 EAST FORTY-SECOND ST., NEW YORK

Branch: LONDON, ENGLAND

Specialists

in the

Framing

Old Master

Pictures

Pat. 3233 Flemish Gothic 17th Century

Importers ofGenuineAntiqueGilt CarvedWoodPaintingFrames

Importers of

Genuine

Antique

Gilt Carved

Wood

Painting

Frames

Pat. 3215 Italian 16th Century

Pat. 3014 Flemish Gothic 16th Century

Pat. 1877 Spanish 18th Century

Pat. 3455 Spanish 16th Century

Pat. 1751 Spanish 17th Century

Pat. 3095 Spanish 16th Century

Two Centuries of Frame Making

In the year 1721 in a small Flemish village lived Grieve, a famous maker of masterful picture frames; whose sole ambition was to please the tastes of the great painters of his time.

The best mid-eighteenth century frames were made by him and his disciples. Grieve was the first to conceive the possibilities in his chosen field and to realize that a painting to be rightly appreciated had to be surrounded by a frame chosen artistically and with due regard to the effect of the painting on the spectator and of the whole as a work of art.

Neither chance nor fashion entered into their construction. On the contrary, they were the result of a distinctive aesthetic sentiment for the beautiful in conjunction with an almost scientific appreciation of what would enhance the intelligent understanding of the picture.

The demand at that time was so insistent that Grieve was obliged to teach the tedious task of gilding and wood-carving to the members of his immediate family; from that moment began this great family of frame makers.

Not content with their conquest in Belgium, the Grieves moved to London, which offered them a larger opportunity, and established there a still more progressive branch of the parent institution.

As is the case with all progressives, they were constantly on the watch for new fields to conquer and as America seemed particularly inviting, M. Grieve the youngest of the family, moved to New York and established the largest hand-carved wood frame factory in the world.

The Grieve of old still lives, and the sacred flame which he kindled is still kept burning by the single American representative of this great family of frame makers.

The American Grieve has progressed with the times. He has revolutionized the ancient art of his forefathers to conform with the demands of modern times; he has perfected a method of manufacturing through quantity production the same quality of art frames which the Grieves before him carved out laboriously at considerable expense.

That the GRIEVE Frame adds quality to your picture is a fact which is recognized by the foremost Art Dealers and Painters in this Country.Importers of Genuine Antique Gilt Carved Wood Painting FramesSpecialists in the Framing of Old Master PicturesAddress After May 1st, 1924: 234 East 59th Street

That the GRIEVE Frame adds quality to your picture is a fact which is recognized by the foremost Art Dealers and Painters in this Country.

Importers of Genuine Antique Gilt Carved Wood Painting Frames

Specialists in the Framing of Old Master Pictures

Address After May 1st, 1924: 234 East 59th Street

Macbeth Gallery15 East Fifth-seventh Street❦Founded in 1892 for the Exhibition and SaleofPaintings by American Artists❦“ART NOTES” and Catalogues of Exhibitions mailed on request❦William MacbethINCORPORATED

Macbeth Gallery

15 East Fifth-seventh Street

❦

Founded in 1892 for the Exhibition and Sale

Paintings by American Artists

❦

“ART NOTES” and Catalogues of Exhibitions mailed on request

❦

William Macbeth

INCORPORATED

Painted by G. Morland FOX HUNTING Engraved by E. BellKENNEDY & CO., 693 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK(Successors to H. Wunderlich & Co.)FINE OLD ENGLISH COLOR PRINTS OFSporting,Hunting,ShootingandNaval SubjectsRARE AMERICAN HISTORICAL PRINTSFINE ETCHINGS BY OLD AND MODERN MASTERSImportant ExhibitionWATER COLOR DRAWINGSByFRANK W. BENSONandRARE TRIAL PROOFSOF HISETCHINGS AND DRY-POINTS

Painted by G. Morland FOX HUNTING Engraved by E. Bell

KENNEDY & CO., 693 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK(Successors to H. Wunderlich & Co.)FINE OLD ENGLISH COLOR PRINTS OFSporting,Hunting,ShootingandNaval SubjectsRARE AMERICAN HISTORICAL PRINTSFINE ETCHINGS BY OLD AND MODERN MASTERSImportant ExhibitionWATER COLOR DRAWINGSByFRANK W. BENSONandRARE TRIAL PROOFSOF HISETCHINGS AND DRY-POINTS

KENNEDY & CO., 693 FIFTH AVENUE, NEW YORK

(Successors to H. Wunderlich & Co.)

FINE OLD ENGLISH COLOR PRINTS OF

Sporting,Hunting,ShootingandNaval Subjects

RARE AMERICAN HISTORICAL PRINTS

FINE ETCHINGS BY OLD AND MODERN MASTERS

Important Exhibition

WATER COLOR DRAWINGS

ByFRANK W. BENSON

andRARE TRIAL PROOFS

OF HIS

ETCHINGS AND DRY-POINTS

DURAND-RUELPaintingsPARIS16 RUE LAFFITTENEW YORK12 EAST 57THSTREET

DURAND-RUEL

Paintings

PARIS

16 RUE LAFFITTE

NEW YORK

12 EAST 57THSTREET

JOHN LEVY GALLERIESPaintings559 FIFTH AVENUE28 PLACE VENDOMEPARIS

JOHN LEVY GALLERIES

Paintings

559 FIFTH AVENUE

28 PLACE VENDOME

PARIS

GORHAMBronzes byAmerican SculptorsLarge and Small Pieces cast of the finest material in the Gorham Foundries, and exhibited at the Gorham GalleriesFIFTH AVENUE AND 36th STREETNEW YORK

GORHAMBronzes byAmerican Sculptors

GORHAM

Bronzes by

American Sculptors

Large and Small Pieces cast of the finest material in the Gorham Foundries, and exhibited at the Gorham Galleries

FIFTH AVENUE AND 36th STREETNEW YORK

FIFTH AVENUE AND 36th STREET

NEW YORK

EARLY CHINESE ARTSwelling ovoid-shaped Vase of light buff pottery, having its two loop handles at the base of the neck connected by a collar. The opalescent glaze of old turquoise-blue is minutely crackeled and encrusted with reddish earth. The lip, which has been broken, is encased in a copper band. The glaze completely covers the vase, including the base, which is slightly concave. The form of this jar is truly noble and the beauty of its glaze is impossible to describe. Persian influence on Chinese art is here especially noticeable, for this specimen might easily be taken for a fine piece of Rakka ware. Tang Dynasty: 618–906 A. D. Height: 13 inches. Greatest diameter: 10 inches.Parish-Watson & Co. inc.560 Fifth AvenueNew YorkOld Chinese Porcelains and Sculptures Archaic Chinese Bronzes and Jade Rare Persian Faience

EARLY CHINESE ART

Swelling ovoid-shaped Vase of light buff pottery, having its two loop handles at the base of the neck connected by a collar. The opalescent glaze of old turquoise-blue is minutely crackeled and encrusted with reddish earth. The lip, which has been broken, is encased in a copper band. The glaze completely covers the vase, including the base, which is slightly concave. The form of this jar is truly noble and the beauty of its glaze is impossible to describe. Persian influence on Chinese art is here especially noticeable, for this specimen might easily be taken for a fine piece of Rakka ware. Tang Dynasty: 618–906 A. D. Height: 13 inches. Greatest diameter: 10 inches.

Parish-Watson & Co. inc.560 Fifth AvenueNew YorkOld Chinese Porcelains and Sculptures Archaic Chinese Bronzes and Jade Rare Persian Faience

Parish-Watson & Co. inc.

560 Fifth Avenue

New York

Old Chinese Porcelains and Sculptures Archaic Chinese Bronzes and Jade Rare Persian Faience

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