488 



RECREATION. 



plete in composition, so delicate in light- 

 ing and so skillfully executed that they 

 seemed above criticism, as, for example, 

 "The Manger," by Gertrude Kasebier, of 

 New York. Some were so badly com- 

 posed, so out of focus, so lacking in tonal- 

 ity and atmospheric effect, and so dimly 

 printed, that it was impossible to under- 

 stand their acceptance; for example, "The 

 Frost Covered Pool," by Eduard J. 

 Steichen, of Milwaukee. 



Four points were strongly emphasized in 

 the exhibition. The first was an attempt 

 to photograph the nude. I regard this as 

 deplorable. Nude models posed about 

 forest or stream are absurd, unnatural and 

 out of place. 



The second point was lack of good com- 

 position. No picture is worthy of a place 

 in such an exhibition that is not perfect in 

 composition. A number of pictures were 

 hung on the merits of lighting and detail 

 that should have been inadmissible for 

 their miserable composition. A forcible 

 illustration of this was a picture split 

 squarely in the middle from top to bottom 

 by a large tree. In "The Frost Covered 

 Pool," before referred to, 4 bare saplings, 

 cut off below any sign of limbs, divided 

 the plate from foreground to top into 5 

 vertical sections. All the rest was dirty 

 factory-yard snow. The composition, line 

 and balance of a picture should be mas- 

 tered or no lighting, atmospheric effect or 

 exquisite finish will save it. 



The third thing to which I objected was 

 the focusing. My objection was shared 

 by some of the best painters and sculptors 

 in the country. Many of the landscapes 

 and even some of the figure studies were 

 not in focus anywhere, and the Condemna- 

 tion was loud and deep, by both artists 

 and sculptors. In many instances, what 

 looked as if they might have been excel- 

 lent portrait studies were so dim and in- 

 distinct as to be mere suggestions of one 

 eye, a nose, and a lip. 



A photographer has scarcely a right to 

 ruin people's eyes in their efforts to fathom 

 his motives. Why not set them forth 

 plainly as to execution, and let the pic- 

 ture contain the mystery. It can be done, 

 as witness "The Magic Crystal," of Ma- 

 thilde Weil, of Philadelphia. This picture 

 was the best example of this class of 

 work that I ever saw. It showed a wom- 

 an's face sufficiently wonderful in contour, 

 expression and arrangement of hair and 

 drapery to set one guessing. In her hands 

 she held a crystal globe. Her pose was 

 striking, and her face was full of her story. 

 What it was no one knew; but she caught 

 every passer, held him in a brown study 

 and sent him on, guessing. There was 

 mystery, a weird, uncanny, unusual story, 

 which was interesting. 



My fourth general criticism on the dis- 

 play is of the retouching of negatives and 

 painting of prints. There was little of 

 these in the portraits, but in the landscape 

 and figure studies it was done to death. 



Several lectures were delivered by noted 

 artists and sculptors. The former empha- 

 sized the importance of good composition 

 and values, while the sculptors dwelt on 

 the beauty of lines. 



SALON NOTES. 



Not one picture admitted to the Salon 

 showed a well defined cloud. There were 

 simply suggestions of a cloud mass, atmos- 

 pheric effect, and gradation of light and 

 shade. 



The pictures were generally small, some 

 only 2y 2 by 3 inches. "The Net Mender," 

 by Steiglitz, was about 1V2 by 2 feet. In 

 almost every instance they gave evidence 

 of being the choice part cut in an artistic 

 shape from a large plate. The favorite 

 size seemed to be 4 by 11, hung in panels 

 or horizontally, as suited the subject. 



Prices ranged from $3 to $150; the aver- 

 age price being $50. Some of the pictures 

 were not for sale at any price. 



The picture hung in the place of honor 

 in the amateur room was "The Manger," 

 by Gertrude Kasebier, of New York, price 

 $100. This showed a Madonna and child. 

 The woman was seated on a rough board 

 bench in a stable; coarse planking and a 

 manger formed the background; splin- 

 tered, stained boards were under her feet. 

 The light fell strong from a narrow slide 

 window to her left. Her drapery was 

 white, and the baby form in her arms was 

 wrapped in white. Over the woman's 

 head, over her body, and the child, down 

 to the floor on the right, fell a snowy, 

 misty sheen of gauze veiling. On the left 

 it was caught in the curve of the knee in 

 lines to charm a sculptor, thence falling to 

 the floor. Through this delicate sheen of 

 holy whiteness the woman's form, drapery 

 and the outline of the child, with its little 

 round head in the nook of her arm, were 

 visible. The composition, posing, drapery 

 and lighting were almost perfect. The pic- 

 ture well deserved the place of honor it 

 held, and I should love to own a copy of it. 



Virginia G. Sharpe, of Philadelphia, en- 

 joyed the rare distinction of having one 

 of her Salon pictures. "The Head of a 

 Young Girl," bought by the Art Institute 

 of Chicago. That was r. 1 honor of which 

 she may well be proud. 



The collection of Joseph T. Keiley, of 

 New York, contained 3 Indian heads, val- 

 ued at $75 each, that were the finest typi- 

 cal Indian heads I ever saw. Mr. Keiley's 

 work was all good, his "Duke of Otranto," 

 valued at $100, being especially well liked. 



Oscar Maurer, of San Francisco, in "The 



