, 1873-12-21
"THE SHADOW OF DEATH"


his aim III tho work, with some parttcu-
lars of interest ns to tho ob1octa md
under which tho picture Tas executed. We
have horo baforo us tho fruit Of three yoara in
tenso toll by man Of raro earneatnoas, tonaolty
| and originality. Besides tho actua! LABOR, no
| small part Of tho thought aud knowledge OF
worry industrious life las passed into tliia canvas.
| Tie work challenges. If for thfs re1son alone,
tho most respectful and thoughtful attention:
This challenge is strengthened by tho manner OF
spects, to tho accepted traditions aud rnieB Of
! pantfng, and is tho result. at once, OF the
| strongly marked individuality Of tile painter,
aud Of tho conception, both Of tho purposes and
tho methods Of his art, to which this has guided
| him.
Let US frat briefly describe tho picture. The
scone is yaultod chamber, ut onco workshop
| mud humble dwelling. in Nazareth, filled with
under tho saw, With the blade atill in tho cleft,
piles OF shayings, and tools lying about, mud
liked in rack against the wall. Tho arched win-
dow Of two lights, surmountea by pierced star,
looks out, through tho branches Of au olive tree,
OIL to the hills Of Galilee ana tho plaina Of
Jezreel. On the window-sill lc two pemcgran-
atos, and near them a written scroll. There arc
more sucl, scrolls on n shelf below. BY tho
bench atande waterproof Of green enrthenware,
with bunch OF AROMATIC herbs stuck In its
mouth, to keep out tho t1es, aud In tho corner
rests q bundle OF long reeds from the brook.
! It Ia the hour Of Bunset. wlen men rest from
their labor. The sun, low In tho horizon, ut this
| time Of day, irradiateH what it falls OH with
light Of peculiar brianco, md throws shadows
| more closely resembling tho forms thatcast them
than those projected at my other hour. This
radiance tillH the earth-loored chamber, and
falls full on tho figure Of Jesue as, in the
garment girt about hs loius by wrought
girdle, LIE stands in tho doorway, drawn to his
| full height, with his arms. ontstrotchod
and his head thrown slightly bnck,
1r$f1 Of 1}+@1a
once tho act of ono who atraightona and
| stretches body crampod with long lahor, W]io
ho bossds with IL grateful se,,ao Of relief aud
rest an inyoluntary and labitual uttorance of
! rather an absorption Of what Is human in him
in thought and feeling into tho Divine. Stand
ing thus against tho low mud level sunlight, tho
body throws upon tho wall bohind it sharply
! on cross-boa,n, nailed up as tool-raeh, aud
somo drills projecting above tho beam, Huggesta
naturally figure nailed to crosH.
There il @ secu,l figure in tho picture-the
| Mother Of Jcsns. III tho common dresa Of q
woman Of Nazareth, the blue linen tobo aud
white head-voi, she kreela, with her bach to the
spectator, in tho act Of opening nn ivory Golfer,
| supposed to DO tho one left BY the wise men Of
tho East, with the offerings laid boforo the star
heraldcd Babe in the uaa1.gor Of the inn ut Beth
! lelem. Tho Golfer is Of carved ivory, lined with
gerautum-colored satin, md in it are an Eastern
| crown Of gold, IN inconBo-buruer with ornaments
| Of groon enamel. and an urn for holding precious
spicea. The Golfer has boon covered with 4 ricl-
| ly embroidered veil. wrought i'll designs Of regal
| purple mud crimson. Just na tho Mother, after
lifting the veil, opens tho cogor, her attention
il drawn aaido from its costly contents to tho
| oninoua shadow on tho wall, aud our eye and
| thought follow hers from tho crown to the
cross.
| such is tho subject Of tho picture, painted in
| key Of color to which the oye requires to bo-
come resonciea before il can aeeept it as true to
nature. hut quite faithful, wo doubt not, to Enst
ern fact, as it presented itself to the painter.
Every letail NO have aoscribed is painted with
| determined md equal conlpleteneas, the Ha1no
| caro- having bcon bestowed, apparently, on evory
| one Of the hundreds Of Gaavugs which litter tho
floor aB Gil thu face aud figure of Jesus. And
| this care md completeness are not common caro-
and completeness, but tho caro- aud completeness
OF mind the most exactng. an eye tho most
compromising, luhorions, aud emphatic. The
drawing is net less careful and complete than tho
| execution, and here agafn, tho same pains orc
bestowed on the trestle and Baw as OIL tile figure
! and face Of the SAvior
| IL il evident at onco TINT tho painter of this
picture rejects all the accepted rules as to seloc
! ton, compromise, und Designed variation Of
| pictorial omphaBis according to the relative i'm
portance Of the thing painted.
For bin 8 fact is fact, great or SMALL and
there il only ono WY Of pai1ting taots-that Is.
as tloroughlyas tho painter can. Tho artists
imaginative nrt, according to this conception Of
the art, is exhausted when ha has thought out
hiB picture. III executing it he has only ono
rule to follow: paint everything III tho sanle
way, with the Same inBistance, and the sumo
| care. Leave tho relative Importance Of the
things painted to assert and sottlo itself. IL
proportion as tho work has been we'll
(so the advocates Of this yiew Of art ,naintain)
| will tell, as they ought, On the spectator, pro-
yided ho bring right spirit to his contomp}a-
ton. It is not our PURPOSE or our bllBineas Ia
| ~ nAJr fna erp n}r1o+ t1.tu
conception Of the painters art. It il one which,
unconsciolsly, no doubt, governed tho practice
| Of our earlier schools i'll NIL countrioB and
raiEned quito uncontestea In some Of them for
gradually ousted in all tho most famous schools
by an antagonytio conception. Mr.. Hunt ia tho
eincoro md we'll equipped representative, III
England md the ninotoonth century, of tho Low
contemporaries mud scholars. This was tho
school Of the nioHt into1se rsallsnl a. regards
tho painting things represented. Dtt 1t may ho
and llaa baen tue school also of tho highest ideal
ism and oven mystirisn,. as regards the ideas in
tended il not expreased, by tlle painter. In the
| case Of Mr. Hunt tho attempt ia to convey pro-
found idoa by 1neana Of the most probahle con-
caption Of facts. For hoth the idea and the
fnots OF this picture ws arc ablo to refer to hr
"waB paintod in tho conviction that Art
~ ono Of its uBes, may DO employed to reallze
facts Of importaice in thu history OF human
thought anl faith" For this he concciyes it Of
Importance to study oualcharaptor!Htics aud
climatic etHocts.' 'iIo dues not think thore mood
l'o any, dauEer Of vt,t5arixing the nghcst truths
| by such realiAm. Or latc years spocial interest
has heen fclt III tlo human life Of Jesus Of
Nazareth, but up to this flay tl,ere IL no pcturo
representing Christ in full manhood. enduring
the free burden OF common toll Ono Of tho
| probolnB OF our ago coscernB tho duty Of tho
workman. The life of Jesus furnishes al OK
ample Ut the dignity Of lAhor. Tho painter aims
/ m A1I i'm nn Ia hnuo 1an SyfT