Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-04-10


a Curious Art Discovery.
Mr.. NJ D. Conway, in one of his letters to the
Cincinnati Commercial, gives the following ac
count of a discovery which is exciting much in
terest among artists and lovers Of art in Eng
land:
The enthusiasm in England for Turner's pic
lures is phenomenal. No doubt the unbouuded
admiration Of Ruskin for his works, and the
wonderful eloquence with which he dwelt on
them in his "Alodern Painters" has done much
TO make every pencil scratch Of Turner, or his
most casual dab of color, more TO be desired
than much fine gold; but there is also much in
the strange abnormality Of his productions
which enhances their value. 1t is curious 10
observe the effects Of Turner's reputation on for
eIgners Of artistic taste visiting this country for
the first time, From their hotel rooms they
rush to the Turner room of the keuSingtOn
museum or the national gallery. The frs; they
are ushered INFO are those containing the pic
lures by that artist painted before the year 1880.
Those who are acquainted with the life and
career of Turner need not be told about that
time the crisis occurred in his style, and that the
pictures before and after that period seem to
have been painted by different hands. The pic
lures painted before 1880 always excite immedi-
ate delight. They correspond with the impress
sions received by cultivated minds from the Oh
| iects of nature, and IT is impossible TO represS
| establishment at the machless cOlOrs, the glOri-
| Gus atmosphere, the b0ldnesS OF design, W hat
expansiveness our best American landscape
painters demand canvas as large az a ban ket 10
make, Turner secured on a few feet OF surface
and one seems 10 be looking through a window
on an unreasonable landscape. But now see our
foreigner pass to the rooms of the Turner's paint
ed after 1892. Here are masses of color even
more wonderful il anything than the others,
But the pictures look as it, alter they had been
| painted, some iutanGle Turner had secretly en-
| tered the paternal studio and blurred all the
| lines. The houses and rocks have sometimes Il
| tipSY look, and the ships, especially to be more
| than hali.seas-over The gazer is dumblound-
| ed Was Turner sane when he painted these
| Many theories have been started as to why
Turner drew in this manner in the latter part Of
| his life Some say he did so out of defiance to
| his critics when they complained Of some OF his
| lines. But there is no dOuht that hc painted
| things as he saw them. There were advisers
| who limited to him that his new style was an
| error, but he snubbed them. A lady looking
| at a picture in his studio remarked, Il never
saw anything like that in nature" Don't you
| wish you couldP replied the artist This new
burrng of lines increased with him; and it is
related that he once went intU a gallery and
found profound committee lost in admiration
as they gazed upon his last work. Turner
pointed out that they had hung the picture
wrong side up No dou there was a great
deal OF tins fictitious admiration for the new
style of one who had become so famous But
on the other band not only Ruskin but others
found such growing eycellencies in the new
works that they took the eccentric drawing at
first on faith, and aferWaTd came TO like it, So
people acquire taste for things they don't like at
iiIst--e. g., cayiare, snails, olives, horsedesh
and the like. And SO II is still Orr foreigner,
at first astounded at the late pictures OF Turner
has only to remain here long enough TO attain
unto rapmres over them, and finally he will
hardly deign to look at the earlier and more
normal pictures.
But now an event has occurred which may
Turn out to be q crisis in English Turnerism
| One OF theSe foreigners came ito England about
! eighteen mouths ago Tor the first time and
\ FASTENED &c see the works Of the greatest En-
/ glish artists. lie was much impressed by the
! difference between the two styles Ct Turner, and
it lay in the DIRECTION of his Professional life to
| make a study OF the phenomenon, He is a Ger
| man named Liebirich, who bad already grained
| the reputation ofbeDg the most eminent Oculist
\ living. Having become associated with the men
| of science in this country he remained longer
/ than he anticipated. and finally, he became
such an important person to Prof, Iygdal! In
| bis researches INFO light and color that be was
| induced 10 remain in London permanently So
| be has now BECOME an English resident, and no
man is more profoundly appreciated by lha sa-
wants of this country. Now, after a year aud a
half OF careful study OF the two styles he has
announced that Turner's latest style was the re-
suit of a certain curious eye disease, with
which the artist was afflicted without knowing
il. OfG3urse when 1t was rumOred that Ger
man scientific man had made this discovery
there was iueredulty. II was easy 10 say.
swell, il Turner's pictures were the result of
eye disease, let rs employ Lebfich TO afflIct ali
our artists in the same way" Bur there were
others who remembered the saying that though
a diamond may have q flaw, a flaw does nor
make a diamond and these were anxious TO
hear more Of what Lie9irieh had TO say. And
| when il was announced by the royal institution
| that Mr. Iiebileh would lecture there con cernin
| faults of vision with especial reference TO tbe
| works of Turner and Mulready," the amuitheu-
| tire in Albemarle street was crowded by az fine
| an audience as | have ever seen ia that place.
| The lecture was given March s.
Liebirich was greeted with Welcoming an.
| plause when he entered, at nine O'clock precise.
| ~. He is man under forty, with ici black
! hair and eyes, and Il dark complexion: las n
| very intellectual face and good voice aud man,
ner His German accent, though strong, did
not interfere with his clear articulation. lie
proceeded in a calm, deliberate way TO give ar
account OF his studies Of Turner's pictures HC
acknowledged the splendor Of the latest picture,
| despite their faults. As for those who admired
their faults, and wish to raise them into school
| he passed by them with the simple criticism
| that they reminded him Of servant VINO tool
home 10 a gentleman Torso OF Venus which
that gentleman had purchased. The seryau
| maid who received the torso az the door hayip.
| expressed her surprise that her master Shout,
| have purchased the statue Of 4 woman withuu
| arms, legs or head, the carrier said, "Tut tina
shows thai you don't know anything; thos
| things being broken off make the whole yalu
| of it," Mr.. Lieblrich then proceeded ~ SHOW
| the reasons which had led him to the conclusion
that the later style Of Turner was attributable
| 10 disease Of vision, which took the form O
what is called disqualification. The effect o
astignutizaliOn Is 10 eOngate all perpendicular
lines and almost to oblileraie horizontal ones
| A person whose eyes are 50 affected sees objects
rs he believes, correctly, but really see
them elongated and without accurate re
latous to h0 izontl lines. Where peopn
are not artists, such an alteration
| would not be observed, Of course. II will read
lily be imagined thar Mr. Liebirch had not ven
tured before his audience with mere opinions
lie had striking illustrations 10 show. lie hnt
O picture on glass, OF Turner'S painting Of III,
grand canal at Venice now in the KensingtoT
museum. This picture was the last painted be
lore the remarkable change in Turner's styie
aud Is OF wonderful beauty. Having thrown
inns picture on canvas by means Of an electri,
light, lac sald he would now make il pas
lnfough an asti9maiic glass. lie did sO and 10
lne picture presented the exact appearance O
turner's late pictures. The lines were blurred
and elongated, and The transformations so ex
actly represented the difference between the Nv,
styles that the audience broke forth with re
peated rounds % applause. He then took
tree which Turner had painted, tree who's
class bOansts thus far have been unable To de
tcrmiUe. II looked more like cloud Of slnok
than a tree. Subjected 10 reverse on stigma
tizing glass, the tree turned out DeOrp fhei