The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-04-13
PROFESSOR RUSRLN ON LAND
GGADH


lecture on Landscape, delivered recently in the
theatre of the museum at Oxford. The sub
iect was ''The Relation of Form to Color in
the Greek and Gothic Schools of Painting
We must always remember that between
the various schools of painting the difference
is only one of degree and of tendency: it is
not that the one neglects what the other pur-
sues with the utmost esgerness, but that it
pursues it less ardently; it is not that the one
is entirely wanting in the skill peculiar
to the other, but that it possesses it
in less degree. At the same time,
there is a sufficiently marked contrast
between the schools of crystal and of clay,
as we may call the Greek and Gothic schools
respectively. The former is chiaroscurist,
the latter colorist. The aim of the former is
tranquil activity; its ideal is eleutherSd' it
seeks to make that real and material which
was before indefinite, to see all things truly.
The aim of the latter is passionate rest; its
ideal is StGSts, it teaches us to see all things
dimly. Yet it is difficult to explain the con-
trast between the two schools without appa-
rent contradiction, since each contains
ideas which seem to be irreconcilable.
The Greek school is visionary and
obscure, and yet in its results it is
real snd sharply marked. The Gothic
school is essentially realistic in its purpose,
and yet it is at the same time mysterious
and soft in its execution. The excellencies
of these two schools are united in four great
painters-Titian, Holbein, Turner, and Tin
toret, who are therefore sometimes spoken
of as belonging to the one school, sometimes
to the other. The real fact is that Holbein
and Turner were Greek chiaroscurists nearly
perfect in their adoption of color. Titan
and Tintoret we're Gothic colorists who were
absolutely perfect in their adoption of CHA
All alepoantaru nyarricac in oolnr
must begin with the clearest possible
separation between the various colors. AS
in music perfection consists in mark
ing off distinctly each delicate difference
of sound, SO in painting every minute shade
of color must be carefully distinguished in
order to attain the highest results Some
great colorists even leave dark lines between
their colors, like the broad black lines in
painted windows; we see this especially in
Paul Veronese and Titan. In every great
master of color it is q necessary characteristic
that he is able to paint each separate por-
ton of his picture apart from all the rest,
and that every juncture should be made with
the greatest care and with the greatest dis
tnctness of will. This precision of method
and of touch is very noticeable in Carpaccio's
pictures. They will bear the closest exami-
nation, and without being thus examined half
their beauty will belost. 1t is an absurd mis-
Jake W lduR Any plCbuI6S Vi Ul0 V 6n6Gldn
school high out of reach or in an obscure
light as thereby their marvellous coloring is
deprived of all its effect. One law may be
universally observed in all painters of this
school, that they make white precious
and black conspicuous. They paint with
admirable skill white cloud,
which comes out clear and clean, even out of
white sky. They introduce single touch
of black merely to give relief to the general
coloring of their pictures, amid the extreme
modesty of color, which is one of their re-
markable characteristics. They afford an ex-
cellent illustration of the rule which all great
painters adhere to, viz, that the value of
color depends on its subtlety, never on its
violence; on its refinement, not on its loud
ness; on its being soft and genial, not harsh
and striking
The coloring of the Greek school is essen
tally sad, that of the Gothic essentially gay
the Gothic is always cheerful; it, t,assumes that
all nature is lovely, and never paints change
and decay, but only what is bright and
healthful and fit object for our love. This
is defect in Gothic art, since it is impossible
for art to show a complete sympathy with hu-
manity without the memory or the present
consciousness of pain. Of exquisite Gothic
landscape, there are, perhaps for this reason,
very few existing instances, not dozen in
all There are some which are very beauti-
full, but not of first-rate excellence, in the
painted Missals: one of the finest is to be
found in the Psalter of Henry the Sixth,
where the landscape and the flowers are
exceedingly lovely. 1t was the Re-
formation which destroyed the power
of the Gothic school; the modern pre-Ra-
phaelites made an attempt to revive it, but
they pursued dramatic sensation instead of
real beauty, and SO their highest efforts have
resulted in painting wild apple-blossom with
striking effect None of them have ever sue
ceeded nobly in painting even a head of wild
roses or a mountain glade full of wild
sorrel The failure of modern painters
in simple landscape arises from the
idea that it is an easy subjects when
they find out their mistake they are dis
couraged and seek to crafty the public taste
rather than to paint what is in itself beauti-
full Now the public mind is impatient OF
trammels, and is ignorant of every law of art;
hence it is easily satisfied, and is deceived by
| the self-complacency of the painter who pre-.
| tends to an ability which he does not possess
and SO blinds the public to his want of pa
| tience and of the finer qualities necessary tc
| q real artist What a contrast there is be-
! tween the carelessness and unskilfulnesI
| of the ordinary modern painter and the
accurate detailed skill of Bellini or Turner
In one of the churches at Venice there is {
| Madonna by Bellini, in which We are
struck with the wonderful reality of scroll
which st. Jerome, who is introduced in the
picture, holds in his hand. If we ar'int
1t closely, we see that this reality ar e
from the fact that the two whole chapters a.,
written ont bodily So in q picture o
parchments drawn by Turner, in which tn,
deeds have all the seals and coats-of- arm
most carefully and accurately painted; th
actual signature, by Fairfax, the CromwelliaI