The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-10-24

The poet, Bryant in letter written from Paris during
The past summer, thus speaks Of the late exhibition in
..-..s OF PAUL Delaroche
The same day went to an exhibition of the works
of Paul Dearoche whose reputation as painter is as
great In the United States here Shortly before his
death he expressed desire 10 paint picture the sub
jet of With should be of universal interest in order to
give the proceeds to unfortunate artists and wormen in
the studios Of artists His friends have thought that the
best method Of fulfilling design which the artist himself
was only prevented from fulfilling by DEATH would be to
assemble all his pictures In gallery and give Che prof
1t OF this exhibition to the charitable fund of the Asso
citation of Artists, Painters, Scuptos, &c, Of which De
laroche was president His works have accordingly beeh
brought together from various collections private and
public IN this country in England and elsewhere They
illustrate curously the gloomy character of his genius
You look about the walls and you are in the midst OF
deathbeds executions, asassnations. The least inter
esting of these pictures is the death of Queen Elizabeth
The gigantic old woman, sprawng on her couch upon
the floor her harsh features vid with mortal disease ID
houd object is there anything in the rest of the
picture TO make amends for the dsagreeabe impression
produced by this principal figure The series Of por
traits of Napoleon forms Of itself tragedy, and most
impressive The first of these is Napoleon Cross
ing the Alps, with which the American public is faml
lar. As he Is making his way through the mountain
you that he is revolving his great plans OF
conquest You read in the eye of the young adventure
untamabe resolution and absolute confidence in his own
fortunes In the next picture Napoleon in his Closet
you have him in the of life his ambitious desires
gratfed and the continent of Europe at his feet His
eye lighted up with proud satisfaction as he contem
plates the strength and security of the power he has
founded by his single In the third painting, Ma
poeon at Fontanebeau you the great egotst after
his fall Older grosser in person. arrived ut the palace
from hasty fight, his boots spattered with mud his
riding coat not laid by hanging over the back
Of the chair if to be removed, and his eyes
staring into fututy with the fixed suen gaze OF despair
In all these portraits the artist has shown power which,
1t to me, should place him in high rank among
painters, even if he Ind done nothing else
In subsequent communication from Switzerland Mr..
Bryant thus reports art in that country
~ found less to interest in the annual exhibition
of Swiss works of art than had hoped. "A Swiss friend
who accompanied me- directed my attention to large
historical picture by Vomar of Bee, representing the
battle of Morgarten, in 1915. 1t is painted with good
deal of knowledge, but it looked to if the artist
had conceived and studied each figure separately and then
put them all together in group he best might The
light is urd and like moonshne There several his
toric pictures of smaller size, by Vogel of Zurich full
of commonplace faces and daperies like leather. The
landscapes were better There few exceedingly
spirited drawings of Swiss scenery in watercolo Ca
lame of Geneva has excellent picture in the collection
called The Torrent Grisel of Neufchatel Isenzng of
St. Galen Jenni of Solothum Kaiser of Stauz Roller
of Zurich, Meyer of Luzern and Zimmerman OF Geneva
had all clever landscapes in the representations
of Swiss scenery the contemplation OF which ought to
make man landscape painter if anything can. But
this Is muster-ro of names, and have no time
for particular remark ="
Mr.. Ruskin while lately son the stand before the
London National Gallery Commission Intercepted
in relation to the feasibility nd proprety of uniting the
sculpture Of the British Museum with the paintings of
the national gallery in building. Mr. Ruskn was de-
cedly in favor of the pan because it would contribute
to chronological arrangement of works Of art,
mencing with the Egyptian and going down through
regular series of graduation to the decline of art which
Mr. r. considered to be of the chief characteristics
of a national gallery"
Among the points referred to that of exhibiting
sculpture and paintings together in room Mr.. r.
decidedly opposed this, for you should
not be disturbed while looking at paintings by the white
of sculpture although he recommended that both
departments of art should be visible under roof
think said he the taste of the nation only be right
ly directed by having always sculpture and painting Wis
ibe together Many of the highest and best points Of
painting, think only be discened after dis
cplne Of the eye by sculpture. think that after look
ing at sculpture feels the grace of composition inn
itey more and also feels how that grace OF compost
ton reached by the painter.
g Another point which Mr.. Ruskn enforced was the
protecting of pictures by plate glass 1T benefits deli
cate pictures and does little harm to dark pictures He
judged by positive experiment with his pictures He
found without glass deterioration definite within
period of two years AS to dirt paintings when
apparent he thought cleaning could wholly
it. In the of the examination it appeared
that Mr. HuBkn had never been at Desden ana that ne
had not visited Germany for twenty years. The follow
ing question and reply will be read with interest
You have much to do with the education of the work.
ing classes in art As far you are able to tell us
what your experience with regard to their liking and
dsking in art do comparatively uneducaed persons
prefer the art up to the time of Raphael down from
the time of Raphael-we will take the Bolognese school,
or the early Florentine school-which do you think
wNkngman would feel the greatest interest in looking
at ?'
al cannot tell YOU because my workngmen would not
be allowed to look at Bolognese picture teach them
much love of detail that the moment they de-
tail carefully drawn, they caught by it. The main
thing which has surprised in dealing with these
is the exceeding refinement of their mindsso that in
moment get carpenters and smiths, and ordinary
workmen to give refinement which cannot get
young lady to give when give her lesson for the
first time Whether it is the habit of work which makes
them go at it intensely whether it is las rather
think that the feminine mind looks for strength the
masculine mind looks for delcacy and when you take II
simply and give it its choice it will go to the most
fined theory, i do not know
To Buy Pro IN PoKE.--A poke is pouch or
bag and corresponds to the French word poch pock
et does to the diminutive poch Bouge and bonge
other forms of the word and from these get
'budget which, curously enough, has gone hack from
us to its original with newlyacquired meaning;
for the French Minister of Finance makes up his annual
budget like the English Chancellor Of the Excheque The
French say Achotr chat pcheto buy cat in poke
or game bag. And the meaning of the proverb is
planned by this other one, Aeheer chat pour b hsweto
buy a cat for hare. So also the Dutch Zen kat
s,1 koop<a the Italians Non ooynprdr gaa ancoo &c