International studio (56.1915)

American Painting at the Panama-Pacific Exposition

rior to many of the foreign rooms. The average
of merit attained by Sweden, for example, and the
installation of the Swedish, Dutch, and Italian ex-
hibits are notable instances of what, despite unpro-
pitious conditions, the Europeans have been able to
accomplish. Even a casual stroll through the gal-
leries is sufficient to convince one that, in the mat-

Grosse Berliner, the Secession exhibitions of Ber-
lin and Vienna, in the more characteristic capitals
of Prague and Budapest, or in such cities as
Stockholm, Dusseldorf, Dresden, Munich, and
Venice. Modern pictorial installation originated
in Brussels at the Libre Aesthetique, and from
thence passed on to Austria and the rest of Eur-

P anama-P acific International Exposition
SPANISH COURTYARD BY JOHN SINGER SARGENT


ter of ambitious international art exhibitions, we
are moving consistently backward. The World’s
Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893 was
superior to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition at
St. Louis in 1904, which, in turn, was manifestly
better than the present Panama-Pacific.
It is doubtless ungracious to possess a somewhat
extensive perspective, or to recall with vivid fresh-
ness how paintings are currently displayed at the

ope. Though historically part of the decorative
regeneration which derived from William Morris,
neither the English nor the Americans grasped its
significance, nor can they be said to do so to the
present day. Quite obviously we Anglo-Saxons
are a generation behind in such matters. Burling-
ton House in London and the Vanderbilt Gallery
in New York are annually the scene of the most
antiquated hanging throughout the civilized

xxvi