New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-17
"But IL I had had The handlin'
That gun instead Of you.
I'd a faann Ilip hnll-enl IN Il.
THE PORTFOLIO. Edited by PnLyP GILBERT HANERroN.
/ VI

THE PORTFOLIO. Ested BY PHILIP GILBERT HANHRToN
The contents of this excellent English artistic
periodical which is RAPIDLY gaining an American ercula
ton, embracSmany nteg gent discussions of the prnc
pies Of Art well descriptions of pictures and statu
ay and sketches of the lives and productions OF artists
who have gaine celebrity by the superior merit the
peculiar character of their works The present number
gives the paper Antoine wicrz. the erratic Bel
gan painter the collection Of whose weiId performances
special gallery Brussels is Of the leading oh
iccs Of interest with many American travellers Wiertz
il often loosely enough styled the Hayden Of the Cont
nent, but he resembles that unhappy artist only IN the
grandiose character Of his conceptions, and his eDor
scfcOneeit. The prccocity Of his genius was no
less remarkable than It's auaciy AT the age of fUur be
anty designing Every form arrested his at
tenton and copied with incredible facility AT the
age ten he painted portrait without having received
any instructions in the art At the age OF twelve he Is
said 10 have rcnvened wood engraving out of his
head lie was. Of course regarded in his neisborbood
us prodigy. While yet boy lie had the appearance of
beard clothed Lis face His bodily frame,
whi.h bad shot upward with rapid growth, strong
in 1ber yet supple and elastic. This fine organization
was combined with restless intellect, feryid
Imagination, and fiery passion. He commenced Iii
aItiet!c lite at Antwerp In wonderful vision
lie was summoned TO that city by phantom
whose commands he could not dsobcy. lie was
without money and without. friends As al I'M
cell. He desired to habuate himself To poverty, for lie
had an oath that his AT should inspire him
with love OF ucre His lighted only by small
wiudoT, and hadly built To give free cntrnoc
the clements. In this miserable chamber without lire
chimney, he worked during the long Winter nights,
covering himself with whatever happened to he hand
On waking in the morning. lie would sometimes lind that
lis beard frozen TO the whhewash of the wall. lie
lived i'll this for several years by day he drew,
painted ana modelled BY night, lying in bed TO keep
himself warm, he studied anatomy. Often he fen aisle
with crayOn in hand and scalpel in another The
young phenomenon naturally excited public curiosity.
The toynspeope would pass tie door, in order to loo&n
at The obscure CELL With is vi de. ns. pictures and
sculptures, heaped together in picturesque disorder
One day eOnnoisseur presented himself with the desire
to purchase sketch He o.taed generous price, but
received his reply "Keep your gold in your POCKET ii
is the death OF the artist" Such conduct strange
thing 10 the multitude. He appeared to them "a
dreamer and visionary. When he walked abroad
crowd would follow him with their ieers
lie started in Antwerp with making Ruucns
his idol A Little Later lie became woIshiper Of Van
dyck In lis twenty eishh year he went to Rome Il
penslOner OF the Antwerp Academy, wien, almost
matter of course, Michel Angelo became ths
gos Of his madness The fruit Of his Roman .idence
was the Death OF Patroclus" Il gigantic picture.
thirty feet in length, and containing more
than dozen hfc-sizcd figures THIS painting
produced a deep impression a,Iiome 1t visited 10y
nearly six thousand fists OF all nations and gained for
lie author the title Of " prince in European Art" On
viewing The work. Tborwaidsen exclaimed, This young
man s giant" But returning 10 his native land, he
doomed TO disappointment ANA defeat. His PA
troclus" rejected in Paris, and the artist fired
with resentment. he uslsd into REVOLT, and snaer-
took 10 with his pen the indignhy done his
pencil. lie had scarcely reached manhood, when he
plunged headlOns into tie battle Of life He raised his
hand against every man, aud then wondered that the
woMd not kind and concatory. Like other self
sustained men, he asserted himself strongly lie was
the greatest egotist that held q brush believing
himself the representative artist OF the hghcs; nd
latest civizatiOnThe Illustrations of this number Of
Portfolio are in keeping with tfe letterpress com
prSinC Turner'S "Ruysdael," ale Chaudropner,' tby
Le Three Sketches" by the late T. Walker and
view vi "KngstOn-Cl Thames"