New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-05-17
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
TYR POPULAR sCENcR MONTHLY Conducted BY L. f0psANs
@"N jane Appeons

The second number of this new scientific
magazine which has been greeted with such coruiai
selcome by an extended circle of intelligent readers
aled with choice selections from the highest sIuaiu
periodicals together with variety of original matter
and Is brought out IN a style Of typographical elegance
n excellent keeping with the character OF l's cohen
Amonc other interesting papers, DR.. Youmans has repro
dueed IAebreich's famous lecture on the "EHecS u
Family Vision in Painting" IN which the author
sngularly curious theory explanatory OF inc g.
the later productions OF Turner On MT. Lieoio q.
visit 10 the National Gallery, he was as'onis'r "
perceiye the difference between the carrier anu 80
nanfinrs of that ustrous artist. Tho question Nv ~
arose In his mind whether the great cDanso was
by ocular OF cerebral disturbance nc VoN n
answer 70 this by his researches into te ilie Va
All that he could learn was tha' uuins '"0 n'0. ~
xo,s 81 hts life his vision as well as his intellect hao
- ,,,o,rba, impaired. This, however, did not
,,, for the changes in his style which began 10 DC
seen M least fifteen years before The question there
,r coud be answered only by the study OF his pictures
f,n purely scientific point OF view. For this purpose
Mr. Iebrech selected paintings belonging TO the lnlu'e
of the period which he considered not quite
healtbv and analysed them IN all their details OF
color drawing, aud distribution OF light ana shaue'
He soon detected constant fault This was VertoH
streakness, caused by the Illuminated points H'Vins
been changed into vertical lines. In general the eong
ton is in proportion TO the brightness OF the hghtsne
moro intense the light which radiates from the iu-
minated point In Nature, the longer becomes the line
which represents it the picture In turner Garner
painting the disk OF the is clearly denheu' the
light diausng itself equally TO every part; put IN 'he
later ,tures the tracing Of any detail is perfectly ei
faced when II falls in the vertical streak OF hight Even
less illuminated objects form considerably elongated
streaks of t Thus houses that stand near the water
or people in boat blend entirely with the reflection
IN the water that the horizontal line Of demarcaton be-
tween house aud water boat and water entirey ais
sppears and all becomes confused mass OF vertical
Of
pictures OF this period can be explained py
Ills vertical diffusion light. Now when dld
this anomaly begin to develop rseht Uhtu lh"
year 1850 all normal Rhe first change in the eoorinS
that gave peculiar character to the works OF turner
becomes visible in the paintings of 1881. This was
an increased intensity of the light proceeding
from the most illuminated parts OF the land
scape. This light forms q blush haze which
presents too strong contrast with the surrounding
portion In shadows. From the year 1888 this diffusion
OF light becomes and more vertical. 1t gradually
increases during the following years At first, 1t is
scarcely percepbe but from 1862 the regular vertical
streaks become apparent to every one. This suDse-
quenty increases 10 such degree that closely
examined the pictures appear as II they mad been
destroyed by vertical strokes of the brush before they
were dry. During the last years Of Tuners life
this popularity extreme that his pictures can
hardly be understood at al-Mr. Lebreich utterly re-
Sects the idea that Turner consciously adopted peculiar
manner. Nothing in him is arbitrary, assumed, or
Of set purpose. His m9nner during the last twenty
years Of his life, about which so much mas
been said, was the result exclusively OF
change in his eyes. In consequence or this
Nature presented 70 him aspect. He continued to
reproduce what he with unconscious 1t might al
most be sad with naive fidelity lie thus enables us to
recognize the nature Of his ocular disease After the
ace OF yye the crystalline lenses Of his eyes became
rather DIM dispensing the light more strongly and hence
throwing blush mist illuminated objects. In the
last years Of his life the dimness increased
10 opacity which prevented him from seeing even
his pictures correctly. But it does not follow MT.
detrech rather whimsicay argues that because this
was a disease it was defect The beginning of the
period referred regarded by the admirers of Turner
as his climax. This may be a fact according to the
author. He suggests that physical souDdness Is
not a necessary condition in art. 1t may be
good taste, he admits, TO consider what is
sound and healthy, commonplace and stupid, while
that which is fred by the glow OF disease Is romantic
and charming The greatest deyotees OF Beethoven, for
instance prefer his latest works though others find IN
them only the effects Of Deafness SO too, certain
poems are ranked among the highest productions Of
art, In which the imagination Of the writer, in
frenzy passes far beyond the normal region Of tine
mind Mr.. Liebreoh demurely remarks that it seems TO
bm perfectly natural that the peculiar poetcal haze
which Is produced by the diffusion OF light
In Turner's pictures after 1881 should have a
particular attraction for many OF Turner'S adj
mirers" He does not however go far as TO defend
the opinion Of those who eDrapturod with Turner's
pictures belonging to still later period, which
quence Of his optical defect entirely dsfgured and
erotesque. They resemble the porter OF certain
dealer in works Of art, who day, when he had
TO deliver the torso Of Venus at gen.
teman's house, answered the servant who had
expressed his establishment that his master should
have bought thing without heal arms or legs You
don't understand; that's just the beauty ~ t"-There
orc many other instructive and valuable articles ~ ths
number especially those Oh the Artificial Production
OF Stupidity in Schools 1.-THE Spots the Sum-" by
The editor "Darwinism and Divinity" The Antiquity
OF Man." and the Ply sOlOgical Position Of Alcohol"