The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1847-11-22
T,,E NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..

every day TO dinner parties, eseoi'eu '' w 49,
billions and promenades, was cohsui''ha'e P'pp!
in his dress and openly declared tha' an u vs. os'
10 he n man of the world; that it was his duty to
,i,.;, Nc jis,itv. that painters in general dress
ed like shoemakers that their manners were eAcru-
ciatinply vulgar and that they were people oil no
education. His studio was pattern OF elegance;
he kent n couple Of magnificent footmen; took a
number of dandiiod pupils had his hair curled !
dressed hafa-dozen times day in various ianlasi-
col costumes He was perpetually rehearsing inn
movements in his way of receiving ysiters; medita-
ting ON all possible Of identifying his person,
and of producing an agreeable impression on the
ladies' In short il became impossible to recog-
nze in him the modest student who once labored so
fervently in his garrett in the Vasilevsku Ostrov.
Concerning art and artists he now rarely spoke; he
asserted that the merit Of the old masters had been
outragcousy overrated that, before Raphael, their
figures were rather like behring's than human beings
that 1t was the Imagination of the spectator only
that could find in their works that air OF grandeur
md dignity generally attributed to them. Raphael
himself, he said was very unequal and many Of his
productions owed their glory only to tradition Mi
chael Angelo was boaser, weakly vain of his know
ledge OF anatomy and without particle of grace,
Real force of outline, grace of touch and magic oil
coloring we must look for he said, in the present
age, Thence the conversation easily glided 10 his
own pictures ...s'
81 cannot conceive" he would say, "the obstina-
cy of people who drudge at their pictures. fellow
who hangs month after month over one piece Of
canvass is, in my opinion, artisan not an artist.
Such one has no genius, for genius creates boldly,
rapidly. Now this portrait for instance" he would
say, IL painted in two days, this head in one day,
this in u few hours and that other in rather more
than an hour. don't call it art TO go crawling on,
line after line" N .#.
Thus he would chatter to his vislters and the
vsiters would admire his dashng rapidity and utter
EXPLANATIONS Of wonder when they heard how quick
ly he worked; and then they would whisper to each
other--"This is genus-real genius How well
he talks! What an extraordinary TALENT" r.
Such praise as this the painter greedily drank in,
and was as delighted child by the encomiums
Of the press, even when bought and paid for with
his own money. His fame,continued to spread, and
his occupation TO increase, till he grew weary Of
painting portraits and faces with the same tricks
and attitudes that he knew by heart Gradually he
worked with less and less goodwill contenting him
self with carelessly sketching in the head and leav-
ing all the rest TO be finished by his pupils Former
ly he had taken trouble 10 Seek new attitudes; to
strike by novety-by effect. Now he began TO grow
weary even Of this labor He entirely left off reflect.
ing; he had neither power nor leisure for II. His
played the part Of man of fashion, severed him
more and more from labor and from thought. His
touch grew cold and dull and he insensiby confined
himself to stale, commonplace WORKOUT FORMS
The stiff, monotonous countenances of officers and
civilians, IN their graceless modern costumes were
not very attractive subjects for the pencil He forgot
al-his graceful draping his easy attitudes his pow
er OF representing the passions. Az 10 sltu group
ing or dramatic effect in painting, all thut quite
out of the question. He had nothing before his eyes
but the eternal uniform corset or dress-coat-o OBJ
Jects chilling to the artist, and alording little scope
10 imagination. By and by the most ordinary
merits disappeared one by one, from his produc-
lions; and they still enjoyed the highest reputation,
though real judges and artists only shrugged their
shoulders as they looked at the work of his hand
These mute but significant criticisms of the dis
corning few never reached the of the artist in.
toxicated as he was with vanity and false fame. He
already too approached the period of maturity In age
and intellect and was rapidly acquiring respecta-
BILE corpuence He now met in the Journals with
drei PetrOvitch---our veteran Of the pencil, Andrea
Petrovitch." He now received many honorary a,,-
pontments in public Institutions was frequently
invited to examinations and 10 committees He be-
gam people intallbly doom reaching certain age
10 stand up sturdily for the old masters not from
any profound conviction Of their wonderful merits,
but in order to throw their names in the teeth of
young artists. He did not hesitate to fly in the face
of the doctrines he had advocated some years preyi-
ously According to him, labor was everything, in
spiration mere name and he affirmed that, in art.
all things should be subjected TO the rules.
Fame can give no satisfaction 10 one who has not
earned but stolen il. II produces constant thrill
only in the heart conscious of having deserved it,
chnrtk OH no mi me
and desires were turned towards gold Gold became
his passion, his delight the object Of his being Bank
notes filled his portfolios, piles OF gold his Golfers
but, like all avaricious men, he grew sour, selfish.
inaccessible TO everything but money--eold hearted
and penurious. He was gradually sinking into an
unhappy rniser when an event came TO pass which
gave his whole moral being terrible and awakening
shock. "-.....
Returning home one day, Tchartkof found living
on his table letter. in which the Academy of Arts
invited him. as one Of its most distinguished mem
bers, to give his opinion OF a new picture ust ar
rived from Italy, the work of Russian arts. who
had long studied there. The painter who had been
schoofellow Of Tchartkofs imbued, even ms !;
boy, with ieryent passion for AT, had early torn
himself from home and friends from all the pleasures
ana habits OF his age and country TO tod and study
In the renowned Italian city, whose very name thrills
VIC paihtei Hedi- lnefe ne condemned himself 10
solitude and uninterrupted labor Men spoke Of his
eccentriciy Of his Ignorance Of the world, of his me-
gec Of all the customs OF society," of the disgrace he
cast on the artists profession by his dress, which
was beneath his station, and by his frugality which
was almost penury Pc cared nothing for scott and
iePioach' hegarIess of the worlds comments, he
gave hiinser up to his art Unwearedly did he haunt
ue .eres; hour after hour day after day, he stood
before the works of the, great naaiGIs striving to
penetrate their secrets He never finished picture
without comparing 1t many times with the prodnc-
tons Of those mighty teachers and reading in their
creations silent but eloquent counsel He engaged
in no arguments or disputes, but accorded TO every
school the honor it deserved; and after aiming AT
acquiring what was most merorous in EACH at
length addicted himself to the study of tho mmor-
tai Raphael; ke student Of letters, who after read
ing and re-reading the works of multitude of uu-
thors at last confines himself TO the writings of one
whom he conceiyes TO unite the chief beauties Of all
the Others superaddng graces none OF them possess
After many years OF perseverng application and
gradual progress, the artist left the schools possess
ing pure and elevated ideas of conposition arroat