Studio: international art (39.1907)

Reviews and Notices

disciples, were willing to
listen to his theories and
criticisms, and to consider
him as a sort of leader. At
present he is the patriarch
of the Cafe Francis crowd,
a number of young painters,
illustrators and literati who
believe in the poetical and
pictorial significance of the
" Elevated " and the sky-
scraper, of city crowds and
rows of flat houses. To
these men Henri expounds
his theories of art, and he
seems to take these mono-
logues over his entree or
cafe noir as seriously as
any of his brush perform-
ances. And perhaps they
are equally important, for
it is Henri's personality
first of all that has made a
mark in our American art
life. The Cafe Francis
coterie may produce in
time stronger men than he
is himself, but none of
them will ever occupy a
similar place of esteem,
for we younger men have

"GIRL WITH RED HAIR" BV ROBERT HENRI . i i j . .t> L

always looked at Robert
Henri as a typification of

to analyse and solve, and he goes about it in a the new movement in our art. S. H.

systematic, almost scientific, manner. His pictures,

however, do not show much of his vast accumula- REVIEWS AND NOTICES

tion of knowledge. In his street scenes he is at Greece. Painted by John Fulleylove, R.I.

times a lugubrious poet, who sees all objects as if Described by the Rev. J. A. M'Clymont, M.A.,

distorted by passion. His women, on the other D.D. (London : A. & C. Black.) 20s. net.—In

hand—and Henri is pre-eminently a painter of Mr. Fulleylove the classic land of Greece has found

women—are rather uninteresting as types. They an able and sympathetic interpreter who has known

fascinate the beholder merely as technical per- how to do full justice to her severe yet seductive

formances. We do not care about their personality, charms, and to render faithfully the delicate effects

only about the way they are painted. This is of her translucent atmosphere, in which there is

a rather dangerous ground to tread upon. A none of the element of mystery that is so potent a

painter must be absolutely sure of his technical factor in northern scenery. The artist is indeed

excellence, or his pictures will look empty and thoroughly in touch with his subjects, which appear

vulgar. Henri seems to master his dark and to have appealed to him with even greater force

savage style sufficiently well to avoid these short- than those of his native land, for his series of

comings, at all events he knows how to defend his studies in Greece certainly surpass those of the

methods, for he is violently didactic and has an colleges and gardens of Oxford and the historic

argument and explanation for everything. Ever buildings of Edinburgh. Although, as stated in his

since his Paris days he has been known to surround Introduction, the chief aim of Dr. M'Clymont has

himself with a crowd of artists who, although no been to provide a congenial intellectual atmosphere

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