28 
THE AMERICAN-SCANDINAVIAN REVIEW 
mental construction lias been approached with fresh interest, disguise 
has been intolerable to artists. Thus when such a scientific talent as 
that of Mr. Demuth searches out the directions of planes of atmos¬ 
phere he states them precisely in his picture. The use of precise terms 
for the new learning is a characteristic of the young school. We have 
then in the field of painting these changes: a much enlivened palette, 
an increased interest in obvious pattern, a diminution of sentiment, an 
almost complete elimination of that sentimentality which danced its 
nineteenth century dance in the mask of idealism, and a sharply 
accented interest in arbitrary organization based upon physical laws. 
The older painters who were the first to follow impressionism in 
this country still fight under that banner and win signal triumphs. 
Childe Hassam’s magnificent technique has had time to show its endur¬ 
ing quality, and his pictures of a dozen years since are as fresh and 
clear in color as when they first came from his easel. He is more than 
ever inclined to give his pigment room to breathe, to leave open canvas 
between brush-strokes, and to practice economy of paint. His pic¬ 
tures glow more radiantly than Monet’s and show less tendency to 
blacken. 
The group of painters who take winter landscape for their favor¬ 
ite theme, Edward W. Redfield, W. Elmer Schofield, the most con¬ 
spicuous leaders, have gained in authority and have found endless 
variety in what threatened to be a monotonous theme, by working 
increasingly for structure. 
A group working at Provincetown has brought into the exhibi¬ 
tions something of the same freedom that the Provincetown Players 
contributed to the theatre. Ross E. Moffett, who took one of the 
Hallgarten prizes at the National Academy of Design last year, works 
with the interest in character and design and with the breadth of execu¬ 
tion typical of the group at its best. 
Another group, working in New Mexico, has leaned heavily upon 
the unfamiliar subject interest of the region and its inhabitants, but 
Walter Ufer, also a prize winner in this year’s Academy, taking the 
large Altman prize of a thousand dollars, is a master of salient and 
obvious design. 
These names are mentioned only to illustrate directions taken, 
not to indicate rank or preference. Any dozen or more names can 
be used only as the proverbial straws that show which way the wind 
blows, and another dozen or ten dozen could be substituted with equal 
significance. The field of the easel picture still is enormous. Thou¬ 
sands are shown each year, but each year there is less of intimacy, 
more of decorative spirit in the galleries. Also there is a firmer grasp 
of abstract principles of design by the artists of ordinary talent. A 
recent book by Jay Hambidge discussing a new theory of the princi¬ 
ples upon which Greek design was based has had an important influ- 
