Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/pastelexpressionOOrose PASTEL EXPRESSIONS By JAMES N. ROSENBERG [ONE] PASTEL EXPRESSIONS RETURN OF THE 27th DIVISION MARCH TWENTY FIFTH, 1919 By JAMES N. ROSENBERG NEW YORK MITCHELL KENNERLEY CHRISTMAS, 1919 W HEN I was asked to write a note, by way of introduction, to this volume of James N. Rosenberg’s Pastel Expressions, I said to myself — You must erase from your mind all predilections about the work of the giants. This artist does not enter into competition with mighty professionals, living or gone. He is an amateur who paints in his spare hours because he loves the adventure of self-expression. You must delete from your memory such folk as Claude Lorrain and Winslow Homer, Cezanne and Claude Monet. You must ask yourself this question: Has this artist conveyed to you the emotion he felt on that glorious March 25th, when the 27th came Home; when, through our tears, we saw Fifth Avenue aflame with color, while the sun shone, and we watched the fluttering flags, heard the shouts, and gazed at the tin helmets, stern sign-manuals of the lines of keen, khaki figures, just back from over- seas and from the grim business of war, so silent, so soldierly, march- ing away into the distance and into our hearts? Has this artist conveyed to us his emotion of that day? The answer is — yes ! What he felt of color and movement, of light brilliant, and light corpuscular, he has communicated. In his own quick way, in his own quick method, he has recorded that day of joy and sunshine, of eye elation and heart gratitude. Don’t bother about Claude Lorrain, don’t bother about Winslow Homer, or about Cezanne and Monet; don’t bother about the giants of painting. Accept this artist’s lyrical gift; rejoice in these whiffs of gladness. For Rosenberg has the sense of color, and although these Pastel Impressions must be reproduced here in black and white, believe me, for I have seen them, they lighten the walls where they hang and cheer the hearts of those who, through them, are reminded of that day in Spring when the 27th came home. War passes. Art remains. It is something, indeed, it is a triumph to have created beauty, swift and sensitive, out of the banal brutality of war. C. LEWIS HIND 1 ON THE HOUSE-TOPS AND LEDGES 2 WASHINGTON ARCH 3 WOUNDED SOLDIERS ON THE CURB 4 NEAR ST. PATRICK S CATHEDRAL 5 THE ARCH OF JEWELS 6 MARCHING LINES 7 THE CROWDS PRESSING FROM THE SIDE STREETS 8 LOOKING UP FIFTH AVENUE 9 WATCHING FROM THE TALL BUILDINGS 10 FLYING PAPER 1 1 UNDER THE VICTORY ARCH 12 LOOKING DOWN ON THE VICTORY ARCH 13 LOWER FIFTH AVENUE 14 WELCOME HOME 1 5 THE BIG FLAG 16 OPPOSITE DELMONICO S 17 AT NIGHT, THE ARCH OF JEWELS 18 SEVENTEENTH STREET 19 THE SEARCHLIGHTS NEAR FIFTY-NINTH STREET 20 TAXI-CABS 21 MORE FLYING PAPER 22 WASHINGTON ARCH 23 THE VICTORY ARCH 24 THE ROOF OF DELMONICO'S 25 THEY COME 26 MARCHING MEN 27 THE YELLOW LIGHTS 28 THE AVENUE WASHINGTON ARCH 9 f WOUNDED SOLDIERS ON THE CURB 11 < 1 NEAR ST. PATRICK'S CATHEDRAL 13 •* *, THE ARCH OF JEWELS 15 MARCHING LINES Yt THE CROWDS PRESSING FROM THE SIDE STREETS ■ t 1 i LOOKING UP FIFTH AVENUE 21 \ 1 WATCHING FROM THE TALL BUILDINGS 23 FLYING PAPER 25 ' UNDER THE VICTORY ARCH 27 LOOKING DOWN ON THE VICTORY ARCH 29 f LOWER FIFTH AVENUE 31 / - WELCOME HOME 33 THE BIG FLAG OPPOSITE DELMONICO'S 37 1 AT NIGHT THE ARCH OF JEWELS ms SEVENTEENTH STREET 41 I THE SEARCHLIGHTS NEAR FIFTY-NINTH STREET 43 TAXI-CABS MORE FLYING PAPER 47 3 WASHINGTON ARCH 49 THE VICTORY ARCH 51 i THE ROOF OF DELMONICO'S 53 ' THEY COME 55 ‘v ^ KEJfc-aw*. MARCHING MEN 57 /- ■ THE YELLOW LIGHTS 59 THE AVENUE 61 / GETTY CENTER LIBRARY 3 3125 00751 7713