New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1870-01-21
NEW PUBLICATIONS.


Countries and in Italy. The treatise on The Ideal
In Artp is familiar 10 many readers who have made
no acquaintance with these works. Everything that
proceeds from the pen of this most prolific and YER
satile writer exhibits remarkable exuberance and
felicity of STYLE and wonderful wealth of thoughts
admirable qualities when subordinated 10 great
principle, but in the case of NJ. Tame raised to a
more conspicuous position than fairly belongs TO
them in the department of aesthetics, and made, we
think, perform more than their just proportion OF
work The show Of knowledge, tine readiness OF
remark the facility of generalization the exnberance
of fancy the rapid dash and gorgeous word-coorlng'
conceal from the casual reader the lack Of spirituality
In his fundamental ideas.
Henri Tainc's philosophy rs not surprisingly rich
He belongs to that school of thinkers who bulld
things up from the depths, rather than to the other
school who deduce them from the creative nights,
and is therefore more concerned with material cir
cumstances, conditions. and antecedents than with
intellectual OF moral causes With metaphysical en-
titles he troubles himself litte when he treats
of standards ideals principles he does not seek them
after the poetic philoscphic fashion, by studying
the constitution of the human mind in order to dis
cover from what sentiments and faculties they
SPRING he analyses the environment to which they
are found clinging He is very strong historian
of ideas: as a philosopher he is brilliant but super
fcial His attractive volumes on the philosophy OF
art replete they with bright perceptions neat
criticisms and searching analyses rather pieces
of historical construction than of philosophical IN
sight They convey good deal of information OF an
interesting character, put in a most entertaining
manner; but they treatises on local customs
almost as truly as they are treatises On art.
This remark is more than usually true IN the
case Of the volume before rs After informing the
reader that with the exception Of vases, few
apdS nan rnural decorations at Pom
pe and Herculaneum, the monuments of ancient
painting have persisted that of the statuary little
remains rs compared to that which has been de-
stroyed; that two heads, one of Juno and one OF
Jupiter alone are left as examples of the colossal
deities whose majesty glorfed the temples; that we
have no authentic work by Phidas, and nothing
but copies or limitations more or less correct of
Myron, Poycletus, Praxiteles, Scopas, Lysippus :;
that tho lovely statues that adorn our museums
belong TO the Roman epoch or at all events to the
later Greek and that the best of these are so mutt
lated that our galleries of sculpture resemble battle
fields covered with trunks. limbs, heads, and scat
tered members; that the biographies of artists, the
dates of the different schools the eras Of develop
ment have all been loSt-he tells us that our last
resource general history To discover the charac-
terstcs of Greek art 1t is necessary 10 consider the
people that created it, the modes of life that sug
gested it, and the conditions under which it grew up
This therefore he proceeds to do. in the three
chapters that compose the volume. The first gives
m account of the people their race their soil and
climate the genius of their history the scenery by
which they were encompassed, the natural beauty
of earth, sea, and sky. and dedueibe from these
the aptitudes aud tastes of the inhabitants as shown
In their politics. philosophy, and religion. The sec
ond chapter touches the question of Time or Epochs:
discusses the difference between the former days and
these in respect of costumes dwellings, civil and So
eal conditions navigation and the military art; the
Influence OF the past modern civilization the diff
ference between the ancient and the modern IAN
guares education and culture the characteristics
of autoue taste cOntrasted with modern taste IN
literature aesthetics sculpture.
The third chapter treats of the institutions of
Greece instrumental music, lyric poetry pautomime,
musical defamation. The gymnasium and its i'll
fluence on physical development. the perfection Of
form the noblencss of attitude and the grace of
gesture that it encouraged Twenty-Five pages are
devoted to sketch OF the Greek religion. the soul
OF it and the body of it; the grand festivals, the
choirs games professions the Acropolis, the Pahe-
non, the Erecttheum, the legend OF Paas and POsei
don, the immortal statue of Phidias. brilliant
description of which closes the volume
The chapters contain little that is original new,
or striking The materials taken from the best
modern authorities and of cOnrse valuable. In
the use of them NJ. Tane shows surprising skill a
htterateur in extracting the and flavor from
heaps of antiquarian lore. His pages quite
chanting as the stream of musical dictiOn flows on
between banks of owers. lie presents in attractive
form the that created the peculiar character
Istics and forms Of Grecan art: lie makes few re-
marks Of a semi philosophical nature, spacious
than profound on the genius and development OF the
Greek mythology and the effect it had on the artists
ideals of god and goddess; and there he leaves us,
charmed. not little bewildered. and good deal
unsatisied.
NJ. Taine's method of expoundiDg the philosophy
of art is in view neither the nObleSt the most
convincing but il is ingenious, plausible and suggest
I've. As furnishing preliminary considerations for
an appreciation of art il has many advantages, and
In fact is indispensable its place Bat if this were
all had a right to AK for, all could attain
by other methods, are,constrained to think that
onr knowledge OF the philosophy of art would be
very imperfect.
Henri Tame is the fashion at present. Multtudes
regard him as the greatest living critic. Not few
profess 10 believe that genuine criticism born
with him; that he has first taught the world what
art criticism should be. He has his place certainly.
and does handsomely his part His place, is among
the historians of art lie performs his part by in
vestng the subject of art with and intelligent
charm By showing how t is related to otherfo forms of
human expression, and by preparing for the higher
order of criticism which is to His popularity
indicates a growing refinement in the popular taste
but when his popularity shall have passed away,
criticism vii SUI live.
THE ROVER o. TaE WEST LIZ and Ady.atare' tn. Rocky
pp co2 Haoiord' R W BIS. 60.
1t is one Of the mysteries of publishers craft,
which only they explain. that subscription books
have laIHs sale ttsn those which see the hight in an