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Article: The Many La Farges; The NMAA Presents A Varied Retrospective
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- July 10, 1987
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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John La Farge-easel painter, watercolorist, illustrator,
muralist, decorator, critic, world traveler, conversationalist-was an
impressive man and a major figure in late 19th-century American art.
But he cannot be judged a major artist.
His gifts, though not inconsequential, were limited and spread
thinly. He created beautiful and moving images and objects but, with
one large exception, only episodically. He was at times an
adventurous artist and his work opened new paths, but his sensibility
at heart remained conventional. Though not a mere dabbler-far from
it-he often failed to push his insights to the limit.
All of this, and more, is evident in the retrospective of La
Farge's work ...