New-York tribune., 1867-08-01


Not that the volume lacks unity 1T has unity OF
general subject of idea and purpose and over that s
unified by the writer's pervading personality. Your
correspondent is not critical let cher be noting
and THANKFUL in literature, still s If possible in art
and II that be possible in what if possible his knowl
ed ge is less in tho tecEnics of the initiative arts
CbampfeuTy. in his lately published book on the
Hotel DrouOt the great auctiOnm6rt OF works OF art
tells. among no end Of other good things, capital
story ON certain well-knOwn newspaper art-crltic
With change OF name the fa9ie tens on So SO many
IL narhans your side of the water. This certain
newspaper critic, aware of the telling effect en- the
WI, car Of occasional technical terms, had caught up
somewhere the very filling anatomical word DeatdT-
sus 1t was too sweet morsel 10 be kept rolling
under his nrvs.ee tongue, and he launched II IRON
ms pen one day with sharp Vlruent alm against the
false drawing in the shoulder OF some distinguished
paiuter,s saint somebody exposed in the sabn. Ihe
I,cdtaisus according to the dictionary anc the doc
tors is "the middle of the foot, between the ankle
and the toes" Couture, ike Champneury ~ laugh-
ingy hard it seems TO me rather unreasonably hard
on the ordinary run of newspaper critics.
His great objection to their assumption
of advice giving, to their ex-oathedra counsels
to artists is that they don't know what they talk
ing about and pretty generally reveal to real adept
artist OF amateur their ignorance in the course Of
their articles. BE that as il may-and your CORE
on this head some day when the kings gone IRON
Paris and politics are at dead lull-1. g. onnot but
hold IT part of his reporting duty to commend very
respectfully and humbly, not only to nas,ent prac-
ttioneTs but exc to the critical gent which &c oWGo
is born fugrown, non ~, thoughtful study OF TINS
pleasant book by ThOs. Couture. He is moro than
half century old. He began an distinctive practi-
toner so soon his baby hands could hold pair OF
scissors, cutting out paper SLhOHeites lie was a
pupil of Gros. Without presuming to tell your read
ers what estimate they ought to put upon his pant
ings under pain of my high displeasure 1t Is 10 pe
noted that he, who has much more conndeace IN uie
unschOoed public than in the tsodiSdng critics is
quite content with the pubics appreciation OF thein
What is out of dispute is that for forty years ne mas
constantly worked with brush ana brain ana ina.
!; looc of hpttpr
then perhaps, inexcusably wild 10 conc1de that
even American artists and critics might, II they so
youchsafe profit somewhat by the second 'f the es
sential values of his little book. .
IL he does not cover, he lights on and mslnctlyey
touches the prominent places IN all the aHlst hed
of labor beginning WIN Ine aeT % n meas ,Ie pt no
ctte and ending with the choice oi subject compost
ton and conception.
few of his didactic statements and Suggestions
strive TO intelliEby transfer, in compressed torm
TO the following paragraph. The strictly technical
instructions must perforce omit: ,
Drawing is the beginning OF wlslom. IL
is the base on which all else rests Draw
draw from morning till night, not az fst 1fom the
anique-from what in all the world s mot oeauIi i
ful-for you cannot at irst comprehend you heed
TO be led up to il. Drawing must precede Color az
thought must furnish the base for STYLE Ils great
mistake to suppose that our pigments are lerJL t -
those used by the ancients. The best are TIN simplest
such as our housc-pantcrs use. Inc pictures Oh thS
old masters are better preserved because thy applied
the pigmeuts better Shun too complex mixtures Oh
pigments Simplicity in all things. fg subjects
and compositions, the world OF today andheIe - as
fresh and fertile the past aud foreign prls va
ture her beauty and truth, never dies human
nature too is always the same hut itpfelRous
political philosophical and the other charges OF con-
ditOn. human sentiments manifest themselves uhuer
new forms and aspects. Take for your SUBJECTS the
subjects presented by your time and country as tne
Greeks the masters of us all. did those OF theirs
With no painfuler copying 10y academlciules WIZ
you succeed in producing more than false academic
limitations of Greek gods and goddesses That form
of modern realism. the School of the Ugly that
prefers for its models q dung-hCap TO clan mother
earth, dirty heggars shoe 90 n beautiful loot ~
equally false. modern locomotive ,withiis inteli-
gent engineer and fireman, is "A low subIeti Ihat
is because you not risen 10 ITS high sEnlhcancc
i'm this live modern world Workmen in tleir shops
soldiers on march. the house-mothcr snfrimded by
her family offer YOU subjects and composition AZ
once but conceive them with the grandeur. the high
beauty of their Office in IFS large signihcaIre; manly
selfdependence devotion TO the noble scr'icc of the
feeble old folks and little ones at home, " the high
service of the state To the gentle holy duties of the
house III Won will conceive Hercules onb n sta
bleboy that il not the fault Of Hercules nor ~ II
quite the fault of the stabe-boy Of to-day you can
only see the dirt and dung-fork OF him. There is all
the difference IN the world between the owness OF
"A subject and the being below H.
/ wish could make room for Couturcs remarks on
portrait painting. charmingly illustrated hy tho mar
ration of his own experience with BtIangtr and Tor
one at least Of his three nearest approaches 10 for
nal criticism-wLat he says of his cotemp0raues
Ingres Delacroix. and Decainps lie can speak Of
what he regards grave defects and faults IN the
two first named painters without lcs.ng sight 9 9i
their great merits without cOarscly ntfhckmg ,neh
persons without in fine, to adopt the woIds ol Key
nods Giving the strongest proof OF his opn lnier,
ority by condCscending 90 become malignant and
abusive II is curious, by the way, TO no.e under
their widely different manner of statement ana Illus
tfatiOn the current similarity of the tlUught OF
Couture and Sir Joshua. It would be pleasant
task to fiji column OF your paper with prael pas.
sages from the "AtclieT Talk and the DtcouTsos'
parallel as the courses of a natural brook and
one high source, flowing both 10 oie broad
natural truth | will make place for this
scrap from Malone-a felicitons, rady made
notice of COuture's book: Among our authors
loose papers, have found some acknowledgements,
written occasionally, as hints for discourse on a
new and singular plan, which he Reynold4 appears,
at a late period Of life 20 have had in contemplation
TO compose and deliver 10 the Academy md which
he seems 10 have intended a history ofhis mind
far concerned his art and OF his PROCESS, stud
les, and practice, together win view Of he advan
tages which he enoyed, and the Disadvantages
he had laboTed under in the course he hid run n
scheme from which, however liable il night be 10
the ridicule Of Wits and scOQTS-a Circumstance Of
which he says he was perfectly awaTe-he conceived
that the students might derive some usful docu-
ments for the regulation OF their conductand prac-
tice Now this word conduct holds me yet for "A
moment 10 Couture, with whom and his lDOk was
meaning 10 be done on quoting Malone - 20 con-
dnct, be urgently cOunsels among other pings. the
diiigent reading of the best authors in he higher
class Of literature: Homer, Shakespeare COmeille,
MOere-the large, generous writers; then the
society of wOmen-no such inspiring helper in all
good efforts as n mother, next 10 "A loving wife; and
the blessed little children uncOnsciously constant
observation of life and nature, with dradng-pencil
and notebook ever at hand, wherewith toeatch and
hold striking lines, and traits and notes Of color
which cannot be hired to pose in such happy perfec
tion Of grace and force generous accident often
offers; cultivate kindly temper IL is a nrse TO the
sense OF beauty il is our error TO suppos that the
lover adOres that Helen's beauty which he sees in
brow OF Egypt it is the opening, cleansing synpa-
beauty unobserved by our indifference. Labor
always with sincerity with courage, and tue recog-
milton and fame will come. There are n, unappre-
10.
contribution to the Paris Guide says he same.l
The tfrench) public is just and tends TO geerosty
In striking and somewhat painful contrast To the
nnlettered painters genial studio talk aIs the fin
ished literary forms and cold, bitter coli, ironical
sprit-the MephistOphelian spirit der geu der sfeis
teRehi OF the next most notable new boOk Of the
I'M AuI " l.