The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1868-05-10
NOTES ON ART.



only pictures In their style worthy Of notice those
by Mr.. Farrer and Mr.. Hennessy. These two gentle
men seem to have thrust themselves forward as the
sds culOttes Of painting, and as such shall con-
slider them From Mr. Farrer we expected bad pic
lures matter OF course, for he has gone on year
after year. producing always, with the exception Of
his mower pieces, the same garngly false
perversions OF nature, SO that it now
appears useless to think that he could by
any possibility paint correctly or truthfully.
Mr.. Hennessy, however, until lately has given the
impression that he possessed good eye, clear
thought and vigorous handling. But he seems now
to be intent upon destroying that impression, and II
he paint many more such pictures as Nos. 3o5 and
1877 he will certainly succeed beyond his most san
guine hopes. Two more false and repelling produc.
tions-Mr. Farrers excepted, be 1t understood-were
never placed upon the walls Of the Academy, often
as those walls have been desecrated 1t cannot be
possible that Mr. Hennessy seeks to attain notoriety
and create a little cheap excitement by eccentric
originality. We are Oath to believe this and yet it
almost seems as If such were his object. How
is 1t possible for any man to see nature az he must
have thought he saw it when painting his 'Sprng
Time"-No. 3O5. Nature never, even in her widest
moods, presented any such appearance as that. II
she were to present it should rise in rebellion
against her. The looks If carefully arranged
calcium light. Nor is even the drawing good. Such
woman would be at least seven feet high, and,
however BrObdingnagian the American intellect may
be, the owners of 1t modest In their proportions
In No. 1887 there visible intense straining after
effect and endeavor to produce something which, II
not good, snail be original, and original IL s-very.
Happily 1t Is a small picture and not easily SEEM
MIR. Farrers "Bears Bath FALL" No. Z, is piece OF
impossible water, together with equally impOssi-
BILE rainbow. viii not MIR. Farrer let us take ii as
bond OF promise that he will give us no more pic
lures like thisp
1t is painful to see these two gentlemen run into
such eXtravagances as these for they both possess
talent and II they would but study nature instead OF
deriving their ideas Of her from books they would
make greater progress and, even if unsuccessful,
would command the respect which industry de-
serves, instead of bringing laughter and rdicue
upon themselves. Their pictures at present are best
described and condemned in the words of the mas
terly writer whose teachings they profess to
foliow:-"fhe sense OF arti1cialness, the absence
of all appearance Of reality, the clumslness of
combination by which the meddng of man is made
evident and the feebleness OF his hand branded on
the reorganization OF his monstrous creature.
Every alteration OF the features of nature has it origin
either in powerless Incidence or blind audacty, in
the folly which forgets or the insolence which desc
crates"
A very pleasing little picture in the south room is
No. All, Glide and Seek" by Mr.. j. G. Brown 1t rep
resents two little girls engaged In that festive and
child-like game-the one hiding and the other pre-
ana no, eli erect is produced in this painting by the
happy manner in which the broken, shifting masses
OF sunlight are managed. The figures oner good
studies his subjects and of the ability which he
brings to their execution.
M NJ Gigpoux is nov Putting the finishing touches
upon a large painting entitled 'Under the Table
Rock" II depicts grand scene IN that grand piece
OF nature Niagara Falls. The subject was described
In these columns some weeks ago. ana it is unneces
sary now TO speak of anything more than the eXecu
ton. The picture is painted in broader stronger
style than we have Deen accustomed to expect from
MIR. nignouX, and is more queO and subdued IN tone
than many OF his late works. The drawing is singu-
larry powerful, and particularly we'll given are the
mi TT md nf nnnIS
s;alactites and staagmltes are trthluly and vivid
ly rendered, and what little eject of light is seen is
carefully disposed. We trust that NJ GignouX will
place this painting on public exhibition in The city,
for picture at truthful to the original ana SO
lattering to his ability as an artist should be made
Known.
MacDonaId's Statue Of 'sLa Sonnambula.'
Nothing worthy OF the name of criticism on o
book, painting statue or any other work of can
be valuable just which does look at the subject
treated from the standpoint of the artist who made
It, The writer must stand exactly where the creator
OF the work stood himself This implies that the
critic must look through the artists eyes-must see
the purpose that was in his bran-must feel the
same thrill which he felt as he worked 1t out-in
word he must read the soul of the artist, he
not understand his work.
We will attempt to try Mr.. James Wilson MacDon-
AIDS statue Of 'La Sonnambula" by these tests. His
purpose seems to have been to illustrate the abnOr-
mai condition OF the human mind called somnambu-
lisn and to use 1t as q vehicle to produce the human
figure Mr.. Aac Donald chose female OF the pure
Caucasian type OF it to-day. The age indicates the
full developed woman, still in the dcwy freshness of
youth She has apparently left her couch in q trance
with some purpose known only to herself but the
depth and earnestness of which speak from the whole
movement i'm walking and the expression OF every
eature nerve ana musci C.
Shc Is nude, except a night robe which is sliding
frnF no Al 81 lam nf
fashion (the POmpeian) IN her right hand over her
head. Her hair falls wavIngy in the night breeze
and her eyes have somnolent expression, with en-
arged pupils and yet her unknown purpose is beto-
kened by deeply intense expression, Which shows
that she Is filled and moved by single thought The
movement oil such woman, bent on such purpose,
can alone inpart any special interest or significance
to the work lhe position of the Inquire seems TO be
peculiar to ITSELF We recall nothing like II IN ancient
or modern sculpture. There are, in the first place,
but very lew statues which are actually walking No
part OF the body in violent motion and every other
part in reposc. There must be "a complete harmoni-
Gus movement of all the parts of the booy, and this
we find in la SOmnambula." For instance,
while the forward foot has not yet quite received
tne iull weight oi the BODY the other has not
entirely left the Garth, 40 that the whole figure ~
moving In the act Of going forward, and while the
LEFT hand has not let go the robe, yet the robe is
gliding away While the right hand holds the lamp
above the head firmly enough there is nothing rigid
In the muscles, for they seem to yield In lifting the
lamp just high enough to let the eyes peer into the
distance to snow the way. Thus every part of the
form seems alike to participate in the movement.
Thus every muscle is obliged TO do its work and It's
expression must DE anatOmically correct This work
could be done successfully ia other way. ANY de-
parture from anatomy here would instantly betray
the ignorance OF the artist. No one but sculptor
who had made the anatomy OF the human form the
study OF the best part lifetime could hope 10
succeed In such an attempt.
AS for the modelling or the body Uhe fOrsO) from
the throat downwards, the artist seems TO nave gwen
Us very clear indication OF the forms of the antique
statues-fOr this statue breatnes that Inspiration
while the legs and feet are Enthusiastically mod eled
from nature. So are the arms, but they must have
been shaped from Il iauitess model, sucl III
the flesh but a few times In the longest life
But there Is another point OF spec al and
usual interest. We nave know edge OF any other
nude female statue In which there IL not evident !
a cohsciousness of nudity In the "vcnus de |
Medicr TINS IL painfully apparent In 'the Greek |
slave" IL IL the chef expression OF the statue while
In the "White Captive" It is made most prominently
Rariug by bodily pain and the averted face. So too,
with many bathing figures, ancient aud modern. |
But In LA Sonnambua' there liz not trace of this |
consciousness; and herein the peculiar charm Of |
tins exquisite work CONSISTS; for, to be perfectly
hAl afs.ttt sI,,.