In its last edition, Der Westen, Sunday edition of the Illinois Staats Zeitung, reviewed the Polish Art Section at the World's Fair. The critic's bitterness is evident throughout the article; it is his obvious intention to present the works of the Polish artists in the poorest light. His unreasonable bitterness as pears in the following statement, which we would call naive if it were not tendentious: "The main portion of the Polish exhibit is to be found in the midst of the Italian Section, not next to the Russian, to which, after all, it really belongs."

In spite of everything, however, the reviewer was forced to render justice--as if against his own will--to some of the more important paintings. After having criticized to his own satisfaction, and after condemning the subjects of some of the paintings--he could say nothing against their execution--he 2added the following:

"But not all of the Polish paintings betray this lack of taste; on the contrary, there is some grain to be found amid the chaff (!). The painting, 'Women in Furs', by Znurko can be rewarded as the best work in the Polish exhibit; it is technically perfect. The painting represents a splendid example of the beauty of Polish womanhood.

"The painting, 'The Victim', by Ludwig, Stastiak, touches the heart; it depicts a young girl sunken to her knees by heartache on the day of her wedding; the prospective groom, old and ugly, carrying an enormous bouquet of flowers, is approaching her.

"Great sympathetic feeling is aroused by Malczewski's 'Death of an Exile.' It shows an unfortunate woman breathing her last amid great poverty. The 3rays of the setting sun fall upon the deathbed, at which stand several exiles, their hands clasped and their heads bowed in prayer. A Austrian police officer stands in the doorway, looking upon the scene with more curiosity than sympathy. The dying woman's eyes rest upon a poor, abandoned one, whose face is buried in the blankets of her bed. The painting is a mute but eloquent argument aginst banishment, or at least for mitigation of the harshness with which the exiles are treated.

"A. Medzierski's painting, 'Peasant Astronomer,' betrays a touch of the modern school. It shows a young peasant looking up at a starry sky. The figure is bathed in a mysterious, greenish light, reflected, as it were, from the surrounding landscape. A few of the larger paintings show scenes from Polish history."

The review continues:

"While Popiel's painting, 'After the Storm', showing a field after a severe storm, which was awarded a medal at the Merlin exhibit in 1891, is admired by many, the landscape, 'Summer Night', by Ryszkiewicz, is hidden away un-noticed in a dark corner. Many of the smaller paintings have been sold, and since the artists' agents have drastically reduced the prices on the larger works, it is quite likely that many of them will remain in the United States."

Finally, in writing about the Italian paintings, the reviewer says:

"Just as the Polish painters, the Italians revel in color; but while the works of the former show a tendency toward perfection, the latter represent the decadence of the once famous Italian school of painting."

The whole article reflects the fact that the writer had no desire to commend [the Polish artists' work], but did so in spite of himself.