Going over into the Italian galleries, the first impression is that
while there are certain groups of pictures of a very high order, the
general standard of this section is not quite so high as in the French
Department. The Italians seem to have the advantage over the French in
regard to the selection of a background for their galleries. They made
no such mistake as putting a Pullman car floor pattern on the wall, and
the general effect is one of calmness. As in the French section, the
work of the modern painter seems superior to sculptured work of the same
period. The work of Tito and of Mancini, among the painters, stands out
in this Italian collection.

Gallery 21.

Tito, whose work can be found in a group of five pictures in this
gallery, has a very pronounced decorative sense, which he employs with
great ease in a group of five most excellent pictures. To students of
technical procedure his work is worthy of study. His under-painting is
done in tempera, and sometimes the complete work, as in the cattle
picture, is done in this medium, which, by an application of varnish, is
then transformed into an oil. The most interesting pictures in his group
of five are the two on the right of his wall. The mythological subjects
underlying both canvases have a classic note, but their refreshing
colour scheme removes these pictures from any classic affiliation. The
woodland scene, enlivened by a few hilarious centaurs pursuing nymphs,
is tremendously sure in handling and very gorgeous in the many golden
browns and greens which control the colour scheme. The kneeling Venus
alongside is unusually alluring in its blue and gold tones, and is one
of the really fine pictures in the exhibition. While the Venus and the
Centaurs are the backbone of the Italian section, Tito's "Blue Lady" is