American Drawings and Watercolors from the Wadsworth Atheneum

This superb jewel of a book is a delight for both the casual art lover and the connoisseur. It documents an exhibition that opened recently at the oldest public art museum in the U.S., the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Conn. Sixty-four picturesnone less than first-rate, many exceptionalare reproduced. Among the standouts, Winslow Homer's Fisher Girls on Shore walk with homespun grandeur; Fidelia Bridges's close-focus study of a bird perched on wildflowers is pure poetry; the haunting figure of John Singer Sargent's Nude Man wears an almost Christ-like expression. Also memorable are John J. Audubuon's encounter with a snarling marten, Benjamin West's portrait of Una from The Faerie Queene, watercolors and sketches by John Singleton Copley, Edward Hopper, Maurice Prendergast, Charles Demuth, George Grosz. Short notes on each picture are lively and incisive. Fortunately, the exhibit is scheduled to travel. (April)