At the time of Twachtman’s death, fear was expressed by a fellow artist
that the canvases he had left behind might prove too fine a food for the
general palate. In the intervening years, however, general taste has
become better accustomed to the impressionist mode of expression; and
today anyone must be in harassed and impatient mood who does not respond
to the sensitive appeal of Twachtman’s vague landscapes. These carry to
the last degree of refinement the idea that spiritual rather than physical
facts are properly the subject matter of art.
In the White Bridge we sense the very essence of soft spring-time. The
yellow-green of young grass and tender foliage gives the general tone of
the painting. In the foreground, on the bank of a stream, a crooked tree
reaches out its sappy young branches, which form, together with the
latticed railing of an intimate white bridge, a delicate pattern against
some evergreens behind. In the foreground on the quiet surface of the
stream the reflection of the bridge forms a tracery in pale lilac.—The
Martin B. Koon Memorial Collection.
[A Ray of Sunlight. John W. Alexander, 1857-1915.]
A Ray of Sunlight. John W. Alexander, 1857-1915.
A fine and characteristic example of the work of John W. Alexander, is A
Ray of Sunlight. The appeal of the work is felt immediately. It
represents a young woman playing a violincello. One can imaging emotional
strains of Chopin. There is extraordinary breadth in the treatment of the
musician’s gown, yet the coarse absorbent canvas gives a soft and
interesting surface to the broad planes. The most lasting attraction of
the picture is due to the artist’s treatment of light. A soft, glowing,
effulgence flows in from the right, and envelops the graceful figure, a
direct ray falling across the forearm and reflecting in the polished
surface of the instrument.
[River in Winter. Gardner Symons, 1861-]