New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-01-25
FINE ARTS.
ou,,, AMI THE CREATION.

rbore are two pictures at present vi =,
-. r,noedler's which add stu another "S'n"O'
49, COO. that this country has ALREADY uoSo -, Tho
'o hoser OF really meritorions WORKS % a." ~
cipa' ps, ona ambitious works ever paih'ou W
most ''V -, have come 10 Us In obedience I" "io
Gerohe ""N which compels oil works OF arr 10
NV a., hos, market, Within the year VIC n'''0
os,o,,,ece . of Jules Bie'oN' -, hIcb
,,.ost - ard the marvellous aoNle'eni.H ~, ,,da %
,oDo zamscois is immortal, p"ss'"e -, 70 oor,nol
v.or collectors Boughton's oeS' 'linss W o. ,h,s
Amer'0"n po,croreau works exclusively ior 'iis
10 como !" -, che hest things Of our own ar'ste ""
,so tho refusal Of the masterpieces Vi ~" ~.
go This is shown anew .! 'no law A.. rroncb
-. o,sidera,le of the recent eHor'S VI w ,
80 have come 10 America ior appfo0i"''0"
chase. 80, ,,1o,,o ora tho L" Creation " by
L"o ,,oyks Of equal ambition, but to our mihu vi
30, diooropt success. The one is the mgaes' eAproe-
., ppre realism in art, and the other is inc
"a, =, conventional mysticism The picture oi Veioni.
s,,,vism ION canvas and that OF BIlon is noiiAo"
dram incapable of reverent appreciation ~ 'A-'' ~
btic age. $500 -, r,6o,,o m eptertng
,I,o-r Ie are AT first struck by its resemblance "
a. " Jerusalem" o; Church which not long ago occ"p
,ho same place on the wall. There Is tine sa'ne
satisfied foreground. the same broken stre'ch Vi JAZZ
hnloeks relieved by the gharieu ",
:. orc,ont olive trees, the same soi1
o .no distant city, "beautful for
sh
a.,,or Atthe first sight there is nothing 10 uisV
- ,ho cayalcade which winds down tho wrinhles VI
,o bms from any caravan of our day. closer Wow
however shows the dress and ensigns OF ai ol"e, ~
rbc cavaliers ride with the surrupIeSS Ne' y.
,,o ancient statues. Above them haunt
The hauehty labarum OF Rome Ane
o-ocession moves away with singuarly perfect e1-
ression Of idle indifference two foot soldiers in the e&
-cme rear shake their fists with sc0rn and contempt az
,oue object unseen to in the foreground we 10 hO'
zee what they are thus reyinng' pue Us VIC
look for it, our eyes fall upon three el'
rble shadows thrown across tho not E"lo
OF the day. which mark the scene as the most momen
tons in all history These shadows form the theme ana
motive OF the picture and fare handled with marvellous
skill They arc true shadows-DOt close-cut QUIZ
tines but vague, shifting masses OF oaiA'
ness thrown against the fiery surface OF .'ho
bare baked hilltop Yet in each the cross ana Tue VIC
tim is seen and ia the central one, the mere suggestion
Of the supreme agony in she helpless, aInnos'
shapeless form which hangs distorted nom 'ne
Rood ,s "a touching as the elaborate studies OF
anatomy and grouping see In the canVasSes vi van
Dyck and yelazquez The supernauTalis careIuy Kept
out Of view. The effect OF it is only obtained Dy siI
suggestion Even the unnatural and ghosuy
gloom which hangs over Jerusalem Is not very
Tar different from the ordinary darkness OF
sudden midsummer tempest. The awful picture pre-
tented in the Gospels OF the sympathetic horror OF
nature at the sufferings Of the inundated
God, is suggested by the segment of bloody moon,
half eclpsed by the dense clouds, whose Dlackness
Is emphasized by the sharp whiteness OF
untimey stars piercing the gloom. But nothing is forced
upon the attention Of the observer. The prevailing tone
of the picture is low and COOL There is nothing loud or
fevcrish in composition color. 1t Is only by
that careful observation which is to the eyes what refec
ton is 10 the mind, that the true significance and
hnpresvoness of the grows upon us. THIS is the
triumph Of the picture. If You look at 1t long enough
llv will thata Of
rad divine importance passing But If you glance at 1t
carelessly, it seems TO you as 1t seemed to those
lstless rbad soldiers the execution OF three male
factors on day Of phenomenal cOudinessa thing which
probably interested the world at the time less than
would today the hanging Of Foster if Judge Pratt could
zee no profit in preventing it.
Tho Creation" OF Brion is a picture OF Infinitely
greater pretcnon and less accomplishments 1t attempts
task beyond his rcachbeyOnd the reach OF any NOR
tai and attempts IT by means absuIdly inadequate Tae
Deity is peTsOnif d as an old man, positively
decrepit with age. Tie face and form
which would be impressive they were
meant to sent some aged harper singing his death
song become little less than revolving when put forward
rs the best visible presentation of the idea Of boundess
power we revere in the author Of creation He
and biowy mass Of cumuus clouds, which are handled
with q wonderful mastery OF color and drawing Inc
dark clear. definite sketch Of the fresh finished earh
which stretches out below the Over-hangng cloudword,
gives the artist the opportunity starting from
that clear darkness to indulge in the most
delicate and cunning gradatiOns Of pearly grays
and lights OF dense cloud masses and silver walls OF mist
smitten and torn by the bright rays and the
scudding wind. The wind which catches
aud drives the clouds seizes also the white
rairnent Of the Creator, and spreads 1t far over
his head Ike canopy. There those who think bad
thing cannot be well DONE VIC would advise such TO
look at this Creation OF Bron He Is magnifcenty abb
furd He paints with the hand Of master and
thinker a Deity as vulgar and conventional as the
one described In the bitter blasphemies OF
Heiue lie draws incident Of impossible mythology
not with the vague and thrilling suggesiveness OF the
Imaginative artist with the nave and rcverent liter
asm Of simpler age, but rather with the deliberate
intention Of galvanizng conventional traditions into life
by re and fury prOcesses the mere exaggeratOn OF
the trick technical handling The failure Is not with
out great merit Nothing that Brion can do is positively
unworthy. But with all the reserves his undoubted
power compel from all candid critcism we must hold
that DIS Creation" Is not good theology or good art
ART AND STUDIO GOSSIP.
The Water Color Exhibition opens to-day.