New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-06-12


eao poor feowD Fra Angelica lived In the vision of
supreme beauty. 81 do not wish to know where have
succeeded said the sculptor, "tel me where have
allied" So they always say, and always feel the great
men, who recognize entirely than the rest of
the anonymous Of The Posi- ncluded-hat all things hu
man are imperfect and must fail papably in many direc
lions" Why feebly try to plaster with praise those
eyes in which burns such splendid purpose and those
lips which cry,
81 falt.r where firmly trod,
And falling with my weight Of cares,
Upon the great worlds altar stars
That slope through darkness mp to God,
stretch lame hands of faith and zrope,
And gather dust and chat and call
To what feel is Lord Of all,
And family trGst the larger hope"
If the reader wishes 10 the quality of that
of envy which An Artist asserts posons our pen to-
ward Mr. Durand we invite him to read the opening
tract from crigNe Its deliberate personal assault
upon that aist-its vndctve malice betrayng itself In
the eager movement of the senences-the unblushing
audscty of its abuse-and the steahy sting that turks
resdy dart in every word however dexterousy con-
cesled by 1.-THE verdure of appreciation" will, we
confident fully justify such mental capacities as those
of An Artist" the same personal hate and spite in
disguise" which Mr Charles Churchill entertained for
Hogarlh.
That portion Of the article in The Home Journal which
Is not charge of personal mslgnity part toward
MessIs Durard and Bryant, consists Of the following
sentences;
Not sa,tfed with judging the work Of Durand for
what 1t inriI scay, the critic ugs in Rataee and
Ksulbsch and cOoy measures the stature OF the Presi
dent a the School OF Design. CO.
temporary of d. Teniers might easily have wounded his
feelings by Getting forth the greatness Of the styles he
never pied and lauding his alehouse scenes and
groups peasantry, but collective manhood would soon
iusflv will Collective
would see in such talk about the grand style ouly bull
let In such praise behind IT, the guncoton intended TO
send II home. In short grudge against old David, and
no spe cisl love of painting
~ An impartial public does not thus judge
those whose study and abors devoted TO the best
purest epjoyments of society An impartial public
does not 10 accepting the fruit of any mans genius,
fout him ty trUmpetng some one else, and thus send
him away with tlea III his ear.
The point Of these remarks L. taat we have not con-
sdered Dir Durands picture, irrespective of any ideal,
or Of any other pictures Our reply Is simple, and we
invite the RcogRaus of The Post to mediate it.
When subject is treated by Art every other instance
of the treatment of the subject inevitable and
involuntary standard by which 1t measured. If Stod
dsrd, or Lowell, or Taylor, Wallace, any of our
younger poes, write lines to water fowl their verses
are instantly and ins,inc,vey tried by Bryant exquis
lie poem If they are only as good as that-that Is,
they have no new thought, no sweeter music,hey
=
value Ii they have something finer and sweeer, then
Bysnts poem yields the palm of fame and storgotten
Thus shskspere absorbed thousand anterior tales and
plays; and IL Romeo and Juliet again selected
the theme of apoem whether by Byron, Bryant Words
worth Mrs slgourney, Milton DR.. Dome, Alfred De
Mwset If the work only psld copy of
that glowing story, 1t could be considered great
work of art.
In the same way, while looking at Michel Angeles
Madopnss those of Raphael are inevitably plugged in"
and in contemplating Rsphaels Sy bills nature Tugs in"
10 the mind those OF Michel Angeloaud the one must
yield the other, except ithss profound and pc.
cusr charm which the other lacks and which in this
case happens to be the fact
But stiI farther, whenever a subject is pctarially
treated, which work within our knowledge has at.
tempted there is in every thoughtful mind involuna
ny standard erected by which alone success or failure
can be predcsted of that work.
Take, for example, the Destruction of Jerusalem An
artist paints the Now for the success of his Pic
tuTe things necessary-either the image invol
untary suggested to minds by the subject must be
reproduced and deepened-or the treatment must pre-
sent view Of the subject original that feel 1t to
be quite as good If the picture fails in the
first supposed, perpetusly grieying that it
otherwise done II 1t fails in the second, them
In the way, cannot acknowledge the absolute
grestnes of the work while feel how it might have
been greater. Thus when last year, criticised Mr.
Churchs Deluee' it was perfectly legitimate crid
csm to say that not fine conception of the scene
and to epdeavor to point out how fancy it might
have been better This implies of course what gen.
uine artist and least os all Mr.. Durand would deny
that every work of must be creates, in its kind or
failing that be content with such praise belongs in.
lenority
But we must consider more point 20 come close
home TO our case Not only is every existing picture OF
subject standard for all successive pictures and not
only is the mental imsge OF subject the necessary
standard of all works which it. but in any ndivid
ua of pictorial treatment the mind naturally, in.
santy and properly refers to theprobase treatment OF
that subject by great who have in various times
and under various circumstances handled the same
class of subjects Thus If a paints Madonna in
some new circumstance, or any Scrpiursl that
may not chance 70 have been painted by any OF the
Scrpturs painters the mind familiar with pictures and
the of ant directly perceives how the theme
would have been treated by them and that perception
is another standard as inevitable his mental image OF
the subject
"An Artist must move carefully here We do not
imply that the work to be done be done in
ire same way, Ou' win INC same loiy sPuH a.
those of other workers st the class of subjects
Let be and great as possible. For instance
artist proposes to paint the sacking of Rome by the
Goths The mind Of the man who hears that PROPOSE
ton reverts to the Destruction Of jerusalem sready
quoted, and while be does not require that the new
artist shall have that picture or know Of is exist
ence, yet he viii feel in looking at the work that If 1t
fell Ia richness. force perception and lofty feeling he
may justly state, In expressing the why does