The Holland Section
Rooms Nos. 113, 114, 115 and 116

Most of the present exhibit was especially brought over from Holland. About one-fourth of the old exhibit was sold, making replacements necessary and a few important works had to go back to the owners.

In the new exhibit we find sixty-three paintings by forty-three artists who were previously represented, thirty-one of which are new works, and some seventy-five paintings and drawings by artists not previously represented. In addition to this there are over one hundred new etchings, including color etchings. One of the outstanding features is the group of four paintings by Anton Mauve, that great Dutch master who died in 1888 and is so universally known. His work is too well known to need any comment and the four paintings shown here are all of high quality.

Taking the artists alphabetically, there is first the group of younger men: David Bautz, Willem van den Berg and Theodoor Goedvriend. The first one is a painter of still life (he received a Gold Medal in San Francisco) who reminds one sometimes of the old master like Hondecoeter. Van den Berg received in Montevidio the Grand Prix and a medal in Barcelona and his work reminds one likewise of the old masters. Although widely different in subject these three artists have a certain similarity in their works and often exhibit together.

Professor C. L. Dake's work has been shown more than once in the United States and his "Three Holy Kings" is one of the best paintings be has produced. The idea that Dutch painters only paint genre pieces and "Dutch Interiors" is likely to disappear when we see Heyenbrock's vigorous paintings of the "Great Industries," shown in America for the first time. This artist specializes on his particular subject. He painted a good deal in Belgium, visited the big glass industries, afterwards the English collieries, and later the great German steel works and blast furnaces; his picture "New Building" is one of the best examples of his work and his conception of things is original.

One of the most interesting artists is H. A. Van Ingen, who is now almost seventy years old and whose work is very rarely shown in exhibitions. The inexhaustible subject, "Cows in a Meadow," might make one say "This has been seen so many times," but after careful observation we see, however, that we have real originality, which to imitate would be utterly impossible. Van Ingen is the living witness of the fact that education and academic training by themselves do not form an artist, as he never studied under other artists, visited academies or went abroad in search for the beautiful. He is one of the great men of a now almost bygone generation that made the Hague school famous, but his pronounced individuality makes him much more than a mere reminiscence.

J. S. M. Kever, born in 1854, belongs to the group of artists led by Israëls, Neuhuys and Mesdag, and is now the best living artist of interiors in the Netherlands. He gives the real atmosphere of the quaint old Dutch interior and his work is known throughout the United States.

C. Koppenol has been for years the painter of wild geese, observing them in quite a different way as, for instance, Liljefors did in Sweden.

Kramer, Van deer Maarel, Hobbe Smith (Gold Medal) may be named together as keeping up the high tradition of the Dutch school, whilst we observe in Jac Snoeck another clever painter of Dutch interiors of the younger set.

Vlaanderen, Vreedenburgh and Zon have more modern tendencies, whilst this comes out still stronger in the work of Lüeker, Willy Sluiter, Louis van Soest, Tussenbrok, Toorop and Collette. Louis van Soest is one of the best younger artists whose work is already in various museums, as Luxembourg, München, Buffalo, St. Louis, Krefeld, etc. His two pictures here, "Wintertime" and "Carnival," are apparently very different, but both show modern tendencies.

Toorop is one of the best-known "modern" men, and although only represented by a small water color, his talent is plainly shown in this small picture. Collette's work shows Toorop's influence on this younger artist.

An interesting feature are the visionary drawings by Mentor and Testas, which are not Futurism or Cubism, but quite original.

Other interesting younger men are Garjeanne, Hamel, Kerling, Meyer, whilst Professor van der Waay shows again three interesting canvases, of which "The Looking Glass" is the most interesting, showing a Dutch orphan in her quaint dress.

The collection of etchings is very complete, and one notes that excellent artist's work, M. Bauer, whilst we see as a new feature Dutch color etchings by Bottema and Lücker and works by those excellent artists, Gradt van Roggen, Harting, Haverkamp and Van der Valk, and very interesting new etchings and lithographs by Poortenaar (Bronze Medal).

Two rare etchings are shown by Josef Israels, "Knitting Fishing Nets" and "The Sower" (after Millet), by Matthew Maris, perhaps the greatest living Dutch artist and only survivor of the famous "three Brothers Maris."

G. E. De V.