New-York tribune., 1873-06-13


which the work ranges from sheer imitation OF
pile of kitchen vegetables to such work as Meis-
soners is the offspring of the heavy and material
istc brains of the Flemish painters Teniers and the
numerous indistingushable still life and rustic
brush handlers of the grossest il not the basest state
of existence which has ever appealed to art az Its
chronicler In no modern painter of the school has
it ever risen to the hight of Teners in very few has
it passed tho Of pose pdsQue. 1t is essen
italy modern and has alliance in manner or mo-
tive with the great schools of art past Tor
present if there be such Its value is trivial
and ephemeral and the degree to
which it controls modern Teutonc art
is the most hopeless indication of its future.
Teniers, with all his grossness had spirit and
freedom of design, feeling for life and notion
which, even to those who detest his subjects, is
source of great artistic interest but in the modern
branches of the school of realization there is rarely
work in which the talent of the painters rises to
hight above the merest representation OF the model
the pose and quality of abIedS rirdnt In this re-
spect the picture of Angel is above the level OF
the school; the action of the dying man who
clutches with one hand at the wound through which
his life is ebbing and with the other graspsn agony
the leg of his overturned chair, is excellent, and
that of one Of the companions who. with dagger
drawn to strike struggles to free himself from the
grasp of his immediate adversary, who holds the
uplifted hand with both his own, Is dramatic and
finely drawn. But il is made clear that the percep-
ton of the painter went no further than his model,
by the fact that of two of the attendants standing
together by a window at the other side of the rOom
one is painted in the light of the two windows
while the second window produces no effect on the
figure of the other and by other indications that
the fusion of the conception was not complete in the
mind of the painter.
4 spirited piece Of genre is tiny picture of Pet
tenkofen OF some furiOus-driving Transylvanian U)
peasants in a wagon going to the wars, drummer
beating his drum. and measure of perhaps more
than military enthusiasm in the manner of the
whole company. 1t is painted with remarkable
spirit and freedom as well as purity of color, but
evidently many years ago; later pictures by the
same painter bear no comparison of excellence with
it. K6lleT, who from the number of his pictures
and the position in which they hung 10 be
regarded as light in the school, is disciple of
Leys whom he follows in his general notions of
color, but in tame and conventional manner, and
without any of Leys's greater excellence. His
figures are utterly tame and academic with life
less and wooden correctness of and expression
which leaves only their prominence Of position to
Justify their being noticed here.
A better and in every way pleasanter work with
which TO close this notice of the Austrian depart
ment, but still within the limitations of the COM
monplace is a picture by Kurzbauer, q student of
Munich. silly young couple, apparently about
sixteen and eighteen years of age, have decided to
break with the home authorities and have reached
the first stage in their way TO the temple of Hymen.
They are supping at village inn, at table at one
side of the common dningrOom, while the family of
the innkeeper and other peasants SIT at the other
side Suddenly enters the mother of one of the
fugityes. The choice of moment and the action of
the whole picture is excellent. The woudbe bride,
weary and now in despair, drops her head on the
palm of her hand IF she is inclined to Mysteries she
win faint with expression of utter helplessness
the young gentleman rises and stands looking at the
intruder with a shame-faced air, and the mother,
in an oxqusitely natural attitude OF sarcastic re-
proof, her fingers interlaced and her head thrown
on one side, as who would cay you little fools"
still forbears any outbreak. The mothers air and
hearing are those of woman of perfect breeding,
the Young people show themselves of good stock and
gentle manners; nothing even in this critical mo-
ment escapes either of them that is unbecoming
their position in life, and the stolid, immOvable
figure of the footman in the doorway beyond, we'll
trained irresponsible turnkey, is another indication
of the eunexceptiOnable position in society of the in
divduals On the other side the peasants stare and
wonder OF nudge each other in silent appreciation of
the fix 1t is admirably drawn and painted, with
out any tendency to theatrical exaggeratOn, and re-
minds us of the mise en- scene of genteel comedy ina
frst-rate German theater it is a genuinely dramatic
work but in which, at the same time, ,the situation
is so well chosen not to betray the merit IN the
painter of higher powers than this picture de-
mAnds The moment is one of suspended action, and
its complete success neither implies OF denies the
capacity for a more difficult and mastery line of de-
sign while the subtlety and refinement of this sus-
pended action, the charming way IN which every
figure tells it's own story and the unOstenatious
style of execution leave an impression on the mind
that the artist mi ght do almost anything he chose
below the plane of real genius. 1t is picture with
no quality to prevent its becoming universally ap-
precable while il is so true to its limitations as to
admit il into the company Of whatever is best of its
kind-always a measure of nobility in whatever
kind Of art.
It is strange that there should not be in the Exhi
biton a single example of GaueImann, an artist
who only few years ago was the fayoTte of Vi
emma. a landscape painter of original powers, whose
painting of wild animals in their native haunts was
one of the best forms of the art of former Vienna
exhibitions. II can hardly be because he is dead,
for none of the schools seem TO have limited them
selves to their living men. France has DelacrOix,
Rousseau, Troyon, England has Turner, and so on.
There is also nothing in the Exhibition by MakaTt;
but in compensation there is in the regular art ex
hibition in the city the large picture of which Mr.
Taylor has already spoken-a work which, perhaps,
the artist thought Of too great importance to be
buried in such an assembage Of pictures here.
Makart is to Veronese what Wiertz is TO Rubens-
an imitator in style of composition tso far as his
Catherine Cornaro is concernedl and copyist in
color with this grave exception that in the shadows,