, 1870-05-29
PICTORIAL INSANITY.

for BY he State md impaired to al the chil-
d5cn Of the people.
PICTORIAL INSANITY.
a Crnzy Gcntu~-Picturcs By wisrtz
In EFussels insanity on Cnnvn1-
Fascinating Horrors
Brusstls Correspondence q he Boston cormon-
I have At last seen gallery Of palntinga thAt
thoroughly intercsted me. Wiertz, who Nas
e1 Of the gallery, had = side to his character
greatly resembling the poet Edgar L. Poe, and
when the fantastic or tho horrible mood WAS
upon him he did not stand at t1ifea. The pic
lures which compose this gallery lack the
sameness which I always experience in look
ing at q collection Of paintings. Usually one
vein OF feeling runs through the entire collec-
tion- Like certain species Of literary wares
they are all alike, excepting some minor cir
cumstances OF nAmes and dates, With such
pictutcs, when I have had good look At one
or two OF them, a short time suficea for all the
rest. Not 20 with the Wiertz pictures. Esch
one is separate from the others, and ia the
lied before tho oneneas Of poet and painter.
Every picture is poem. His terrible subjects
served TO make me wide-awake Is looked 1t
them. -...
Tho Wiertz gallery occupies Il large brick
building where the artist formerly lived, situ-
bourg depot. When frat entered tho gallory,
wss not content to look It any one picture,
but must stand in tho centre and glance from
one to another, there w&s 80 much novelty. I
soon observed that the pictures possessing
great power and action were thinly painted, a
lew colors and rough strokes on the canvAsbe-
ing his only uttsrance, as though they we're the
Sr+fny 1f4afE Ea fr,.
stantly expressed. His beautiful subjects
wers Of wonderful finish and fidelity to nature,
and seemed to intlicate that the wild and pas
sionste nature Of the artist found rcst aud ill.,
gerel long with his beautiful dreams-lriving
Ills terrible thoughts anay by instant express
vas bofore him. A painting nearly thirty feet
in height, reaching from floor to ceiling, pre-
eents the adventure Of Ulysses in the cave Of
polyphcmus, the Cyclop. TIE giant, even with
this stretch Of c2nvAs. is represented Us bend
ing forward to seize the Greeks, who are run
ming about the feet OF The monster, flied with
terror. The artist took pleasure IN creating
f1Te Just mentioned, ~ with nearly all
others in tho gallery, instead Of frame, tho
effect Of one is painted on the CANVAS. In a
corner tho arm OF PROSTATE Greek projects
beyond and clings to the frame. On tho other
side lafge black spider is escaping from the
tumu1t, and runs over the frame, out Of the
picture. There is portrait Of the artist,
and = face which to me indicates Great force
md great control He weara blsck hat with
broad brim, not verJ unlike those aometimes
worn by QuRkerB.
On the wall there is painted female figure,
reaching our from . window and offering i
dow, another female fsce looks out over hc1
shoulder. The hand holding tho rose, and the
am, seem to stand direct from the picture.
cannot expect to describe Ill the pictures
only the strongest ones. Some were more than
goems-shey were sermons. 9'Tho Parties
Before Christ" represents tho religious sects,
Lutheran, Popish, and CAlyinistic, in fierce
struggle; tho Pope striking with the cross,
the otherH using such Weapons rs they can,
while Christ stands with one hand orcr his
eyes, and with the other motions sit he would
drive such sickening sights from his view.
The Civilization Of the Nineteenth Century
is = mother with babe in her arms, in the aci
f Of Mrorine he1self from window 70 escape
some soldiers who are sayAgely amusing them
selves by tIying to shoot the babe without kill.
ing tue mother. "a Scene in He'll repre-
senting Napoleon I. In tho flames OF he'll. His
form rs indistinctly seen in tho blaze, bnt his
head stands ont bold and iuperturbablc- face
and orphans, who bring the amputated Limbs
Of highlands and Sons. and some arc bc-;;.!tS
forward their dead bodies. AL arc e,.-.1s him
a. the author Of their misery, Id mutl4teo
limbs are thrust in his face oa eee hase nssh
from the eyes Of ths aaaega - aea,g "pnen. pm you
he,E gEpans and Eat face stlI contn,ed pgr ~ on ~
IL ,.s U;.It q in the midst Of tho scorchjnc
a,ms. lid the air dlled with horror 1t is i
= s.de5ful picture. When inquired for pho
den 10 be photographed. Napoleon III. is now
Emperor Of France y "1he Things Of The
Present before tho Man Of the FntuPo"-hero
are three great facee, the embodiment Of
good nature, which look with amused and
emllng interest on some cAnnona and banners
and muskets, which one holds in his hand and
curiouAly examines Is II he would kuo1 WAT
they were used for.
Three companion paintings represent the
hfst, second and third instanta OF i victim a{-
ter death by the gui1lotine. The first shows the
ACT 81 behesding and tho discovered head fall
l1e Into the basket. Tho second picture is
s4ouq s.a, 9. o. neaas TMeh, WITH savage interest,
siekening spectacle, The fhird ehows tho
body psrtiy consumed By fro. There ia clond
and mist, which ia not 1t first eomprchended.
but, as one Gazes, dinly aud soui-likc is seen
ne departing spirit welcomed by two angels
a9 wa9 @ ncaI It upwards Vas I wrong when
There arc two large paintings Of subjec.s from
tho had. Tho ''St1ugele for the Dody Of
patsoclus' IL the strongest, and exhibits the
peculiar powers Of the artist
At the end Of the ball partitions resembling
screens re erected, and here arc exhibited
ever originated in the brain Of An artist Tho
main tdea is that great appearance Of reality Is
given to picture when viewed through
snAu aperture which gradually widens "a IA to
allow the ere to take in Just Tho cAuyaa Of :
picture standing few feet OF. Iappsoached
the partition and looked through small hole,
and was startled a. though gazed on \ resi
scene. I SAW before me \ dark, humid vault,
where several coffins we're piled What star.
ties one is that tho top Of ono OF the cofins
has been partly removed; hand projects
from the inside, where you SEQ man, with
Ehastiy face md prot1uding eyes, struggling
70 rcloaso himself from = living grave,
~. pn. ~ Snahle to remove the top Of his coffin
rrau w .nG reason that smother hid been pl4ced
iLpoa y. Everything in the picture is calcu-
,assa ra.s' 20 inspire terror. On Tho sido OF the
- ltcneo coffin is the doctor'a certificate
l IL, ne.s3'.5 ne.h p eholera. BY ita aide toad
sispppsd liz pSned oea upon human skull A spider is
'hs' Inc upper coffin Is marked. q cnuntaa.
- died from cholera :" and With cS.fi. -,
tendanta harc inscribed, 'Nhst = -ans.4 - -
rats! and other rude jests. Anotbar c,esu sul
with its end toward the beholdey. has e hau,
roughly handled, .au one Of the thin bosrds %
tudss and it Affords ingress 10 i M ~ pMIo. ~
opposite side Of the hAIl there Is a 1.,sae
oyAl-th2pcd opening, opposite which. in =
mirror, one sees his own fsce looking out FINN
hood and fitted to scraggy and deformed
body.
Ne next SEQ the "maniac mothes.~ Gbe
csouchea with her baby partly covered in her
lap, and laughs wildly md weasa = look OF
triumph, even though tho tears course from
her eyes, n she douriahes knife with which
abe ecyers the imbs OF her offspring. Onn
little les is seen over the edge Of kettle, and
babes shoe is On the fire bcno4th to help
mako il bum. Next to this is painting
representing nude female figure, reclining
upon couch and reading novel, while eeve-
ral other books are by her side. The form is
very beautiful, while the position the artist
has chosen is the most difficult, inAAnuch ~
The head Is in the picture and The feet come
out almost toward tho spectator. fet the whole
graceful and natural, and tho perspective
Saned By looking 1t it through email xper~
tpse gves Afe-lito Offset II is in this corner
tnas you ~ deceived by partly open door,
pi.nseo ,,, upon tho wall, where stands woman
M nath aay ecanty ds.pety, partially concealed In
Inc ooos's5. At tho frat glance you ars not