International studio (44.1911)

The Salon of the Societe Nationale

commissioned for the decoration of a private altar;
it depicts lovers bringing their offerings of flowers
and doves to the altar of Love, and is a work of
charming conception and one which delights at the
same time both eyes and heart. M. Gillot has
painted a large picture of furnaces on the river-side,
which has fine qualities of colouring, but one would
have liked to see the artist treat also of other
subjects. The realism of M. Gillot and the
idealism of M. Levy-Dhurmer are to be seen side
by side. The very fine decorative treatment of a
mountainous landscape by the latter furnishes some
charming colour-effects.
Complaint is sometimes heard that
there is not sufficient new talent to be
found at the Nationale. But this year
there are two remarkable works signed
by artists whose names figure in the
catalogue for the first time. One is
D Enterrement en Hollande, by M.
Augustin Hanicotte, a work somewhat
reminiscent of Goya. This depicts four
grave-diggers, terrible in their ugliness,
who carry on their shoulders, through
the snows of a sad Dutch winter land-
scape, a great coffin. It is an almost
terrifying subject, treated by the artist
as a magnificent colour-scheme. M.
Hanicotte has exhibited so far at the
Artistes Franqais; he must be reckoned
as possessing one of the most personal
talents of the French School.
Less well known is M. Henri De-
luermoz, the author of a large and re-
markable picture, La Ruee. This is
unquestionably a work original both in
subject and in technique. La Ruee is
a page of history from the earliest days
of the world; it depicts the terrified
flight of the animals before some awful
cataclysm of nature, some devastating
fire or flood. Each creature is repre-
sented in its own character, and in motion
true to life, and one takes pleasure in
studying in turn the elephant and the
buffalo in their heavy flight, the panther
bounding along, the deer leaping lightly
forward—all this evolved in the mind of
a Kipling of the brush.
If from large we pass to a considera-
tion of smaller works we shall find here
also some interesting pieces. M. de la
Gandara exhibits three characteristic

nervous elegance. Besides these is also to be noted
a good portrait by Mr. William Ablett, an English
painter resident in Paris, who, while working here, has
yet retained all the qualities of his race ; the portrait
of the celebrated poetess Lucie Delarue-Mardrus
by M. Aman-Jean ; Lsadora Duncan by Jacques
Baugnies; Prince Troubetzko'i by Jean Beraud;
La Triple Linage by Pierre Bracquemond ; excellent
portraits of women and girls by M. Dagnan-
Bouveret, Boldini, and Louise Breslau ; and finally a
whole series of luminous visions by M. Frieseke, one
of the ablest among American artists living in Paris.
M. Gervex is represented by two important portraits.


portraits of women of highly strung and

44

“ VASI.AW NIJINSKI ”

BY J. E. BLANCHE