The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-11-04

THE BRYAN GALLERY OF PAINTINGS


Some people, who, If we may DO forgiven tho rude
ness Of tho expression, ought to know betssr. are
fond Of talking about the American school Of art
and deplsring what they arc pleased to torn tho
corrupting influence of foreign models They would
have American painters eschsw oil that has gone
before Thorn, and found . new school, as distinct
from the italian rs from the French far removed
from the Flemish as from the Spanish masters.
They would pen them up in the narrow field of
American history, and bid them invent some new
device in coloripg, unheard Of truths of light,
to distinguish their works from all Others In the
eyes Of these critics, Rome, Madrid, Dresden, Ant
werp, Paris ought to be studiously avoided by as
pirants to fame; they ought to look to their own
fancy alone, for embellishments and trust to their
ntuitve knowledge of art for excellence of tone and
style. With all due Difference to the exuberant pa
triotism of theee ''masters, we must DO permitted
to Observe that when art ceases to be UNIVERSAL it
ceases to be art. If you confne the sorNe depin to
country or city, it may be clever, ingenious,
promising but it can never rise to tho dignity Of
art
If our American painters are to attain an equal
degree Of emnence with the masters whose works
have been the admiration of men of taste ever since
the revival of art they must carefully study those
who have gone before them. They must penetrate
the secret Of Raphaes expression ofReubenss fresh
ness, of Titian's depth and warmth Of color; and,
combining much Of the excellence of all three "a
they can borrow, must constantly recoeot that
until they have achieved near approach to these
great men, originality is dangerous and unsafe.
They must learn to copy successfully, before they
can trust themselves to invent. What they
have wanted hitherto is an opportunity Of studying
the works Of the old srs, without voyage
which is beyond the means of most young artists.
Mr. Bryan is one of the first who has attempted
to supply the deficiency. His collection is living
history Of modern painting, and contains works by
almost all the great masters Ten years of an active
Life, many voyages, and we need hardly add, very
considerable sums of money, hare been expended in
acquiring the two hundred and twenty or thirty
paintings which fill the three rooms occupied by the
gallery Mr.. Bryans chief object appears to have
been to procure at least one work Of each eminent
painter, commencing with tho Oldest Italians whose
remains testify alike to the natural talent Of their
authors and to the infancy of in their time and
terminating with the Vernets and one or two other
living artists.
This must account for the presence of several of
those old fashioned paintings on wood, that one sees
In c0isters and medieval chapels in I6aly-a "Holy
Family" with couple Of angels and brace of
bishops, by the Byzantine Cimabue, the Cadmus of
painting, IN all his native stiffness, and with but
little of his power ''Tournamsnt," with knights
in fancy costume, by his pupil Giotto; several
works by his disciples; two by Simon Mennue,
the friend of Petraoch, and the founder of art
ut Avign0n; two by Taddeo Gaddi, whose resu-
tation now chiefly rests on Yasaris praise Of
his trescoes-three by Stephano, or Giottino whose
deVatons from the conventional rules OF the period
earned for him the epithet of the 'Ape Of
Nature".one distych, and half of another, by the
wit Butfalmaeo-a sketch by that Andrea del Cas-
tagno, who assassiIated his friend Domenico, in
order to be the sole of the secret of paint
ing IN OIL and several other works of the thirteenth,
fourteenth, and fifteenth centuries, which neither
challenge notice on their own account, nor on that
OF their authors In truth, accustomed az We are
to venerate whatever bears the stamp of antiquity,
boldly pronounce the whole work Of the Italian
painters, antecedent to Perugino, unworthy of the
humbest place in the temple Of art With the
single exception Of Gotto, in q few of his latest
productions, all the Italian paintings Of prior date
to 1900 are w-etched in drawing, i'll conceived, and
worse painted. The mechanical department of
painting was rude and utterly inadequate Artists
were untrammelled by conventional rules equally
foreign to nature and good taste When an attempt
was made BY rising genius like Stephano, to copy
from the former, his independence made him the
butt for sneers. and destroyed his business pros
poets, At time, in fact, when o painters bill
contained separate items for wood, coors, oil, and
gliding, and when these vastly exceeded the sum
allowed him for his handicraft, we cannot wonder
level Of sign painting day. The peculiar object
which Mr.. Bryan had in view is, perhaps, sui.
fcient excuse for the presence of the unsightly
mains OF these ancient painters but if his collection
Is to remain permanently in the country, we should
be better pleased if these and the works of the con-
temp0raneous Flemish artists were consigned to a
separate chamber, instead Of being thrust upon the
view of the admirers Of the genuine masters
M nm IN ~fhx u.s.
tion-Mr. Bryan has large work. by the first of
the long series of Italian painters, Perugino 1t is
one OF those curious assemblages Of the infant Jesus,
nn mother saints and angels, which by special
license enjoyed by the painters of 0lden time, re
gardless OF anachronism. were deemed an appro-
pirate theme for the pencil and the brush Though
Tar from ranking with Perugino's greater works,
such as those possessed by the galleries at Florence
Bologna and Rome, there is enough in the express
sion of the countenance Of the Babe to reveal the
genius Of its author His pupil is less fortunate
The fantastic picture entitled "The Birth and Re-
surrection Of Christ, is either spurious. or one of
kaphael's early and least valued pieces. We incline
to the latter belief, and regret that our common
sense habits OF appreciation will not permit US to
and Bambino," (No. 26), was probably made by
one Of his pupils, and is work Of far greater merit
American painters would learn much by studying
the outline of tho features, and the expression
thrown into the eyes of the Virgin. Nor can we al
low Sassoferato's copy of the u Dance of Cupids,"
pretty little picture, with very little that is Ra-
phaelic about it, to pass without commentator.
The Bryan gallery contains nothing Of Giulo Roma
no, or Peiino; but we ought, perhaps, to class
with the school Of Raphael, painting representing
a"Procession with Banners" by the Milanese Gau-
denzio Ferrari, who, is known, owed his eminence
to the example of his early master, Raphael. We
must admit that the attitudes and drapery Of the
figures leave much to be desired there is Stiffness
about all Gaudenzios works, which betrays the
fatal influence of the Perugino school, but the
countenances of the knights well executed, and
do justice to the artitt fame.
The Venetians are represented, first, by . couple
Of excellent pieces by Giorgione; one, Holy
Family" reminding us not a little of Raphaers
conventional model Of angelic beauty; the other,
very remarkable portrait of Peasant" which
explains how nearly Giorgione approached to Titan.
A singular painting, called . Concert" in the
catalogue, and representing female reclining en-
dishabAe beside some men better protected agaias
the weather. is supposed to be q COPY of GiorgOne;