, 1875-12-12
THE FINE ARTS.
Two Recent Artistic Novels, Roderick
Hudson and "Miss Angel"
Scu1ptors and Painters Figuring
as Heroes and Heroines.
The Art Journalv for December-.-feW
York Art N0tes..-Artists at Home.
TWO ART NOVELS.

York Art N0tes-.-Artists at Home.
TWO ART NOVELS.
CRITICISM BI HARRIET ". PRESTON.
The following letter-unpublsh elsewhere
possesses the greater value from being BY a
hand not Impractical in literary work si1nilar to
that subjected to review. Although the writer's
highest claims in the literary world are founded
on her admirable translations, in verse and
prose- OF :. Mire1o," Il Madame Valmo1e,' ETC.,
from French and Provencal, it ls probably
through the little sketch Of Love in the Nine
teeuth Century that she is known to the great
cat number Of general readers. Her words Ee-
spectlug Miss Thackers1 might be applied to
herself, that, without assuming tho Office Of
art-critic or dreaming Of herself in such ca
paclty." she possesses in al eminent degree th 9
combination OF literary and artistic taste noces-
Bary to write, or review, artistic novels.
In Hamerton's Thoughts About Art there is
an article upon similar subject called
''ARr1srs IN FICTION"
in which the author discourses very pleasantly
aud sensibly about the artists who figure Us
characters in English and French novels. We
have Thackeray's CEiue NeDconae; gentle J. j.
Ridley; Gandtsh, the martyr to "Igh Art :;
excellent art-critic, Mr.. Frederick Bayhan,.
Sir Waltor Scott introduces an artist,-Tyrrel,
in "St. Romans Wel' and Dickens in Little
Dorrit gives US Henry Go,oan; and there are
other characters from the artistic professions
scattered through various English novels. The
PLAYS and 1omances Of French writer's, such as
bAlzac ana About, furnish similar examples, and
all these characters are employed by hlr. Ham
tn n1,tf al u1dn ar.
mate OF the profession OF artists in England
and Franco. From this shallow social prejudice
We are fortunately free in this country,
and artists, like lawyers storekeepers. engineers,
editors, aud other persons who earn m honest
Irving, are more generally estimated by their
personal quality. and not the character OF their
profession Especially iAthis true Of all classes
IN the West. and in Chicago, the exponent OF
the West. Evidence Of this may be found by
comparison of the tone OF tho Following review
and that Of Mr. Hamerton and of the works
mentioned BY him and those reviewed BY the
present writer. A single sentence OF Hamer-
ton sums up the whole matter: But this rule
ia infallible, whoever comprehends art re-
Bpects all true artists, and whoever despises 3
true artist is sure to be ignorant OF art"
FREDERICK HUDSON " AND MISS ANGEL"
CoNcoRD, Dec. 1.-Two Of the most distinguished
novels Of tie past year, being stories Of
work and fate,-seem to fall within -FOUR province
Neither Miss Angel nor Roder1cK Hudson" Is IN
art-novel In that strict sense OF the term In which
Conslslo and the rhapsodes Of Miss Sheppard and
many others have been 30: Art ia but feature Of
these two charming. though strongE-eontE.atsd. "a
bookg,-nos their inspiration and occasion. In tha
true story Of Angelica Kaudmann's picturesque snd
pathetic life, Hiss Tnackeray found theme perfectly
could that story be moro delightfully."- told than abe
has told it, Miss Thnokeray has the sufficiently
uncommon-of knowing accurately the range Of her
powers, and she always keeps gracefully within
It. Hence the T6poso anu symmetry OF all
her work: It's thoroughly artstto quality.
way; way p hsr gentle % snner1sms So unootrusivs that
they only render her the more engaging And lot no
be deceived By her low tones md her scrupulous
something worry distinct 10 Say In he5 oftynodu1ated
and the range which she 50 carefully observes
il no maan one. No author has less the thsn sho
Of studying hum.n nature and history scientifically,
and OF prying-Bo to speak-uo the nmost secreta Of
character. But the men and women OF hundred
they utter theirown Thoughts and have tho nysteri
look which is identity: and the gay accessories OF
high life in the etghecnth century return With them
disclaims the office Of artcrtie- She eV-
IDENTIFY does not dream Of herself in such eapacitya
Te: leaves with how distinct Impression OF
the whole pseudoclasstc school Of painting preth
and sl1aowness its trivial x.aces and extraor-
dinary foes, and what Athanaso Coquerel called in
gonzales How Clearly, too, so defines her
Inferior piece even this inferior school yet Incl
dcuralY, ono who has never Questioned that tho
woman is far moro than the artist.
By mparison with this quiet ana dainty perform
Of 1isa ThackeEaya, the Roda1ick Hudson Of
Henry James, Jr., seems ambitious, II not audaclous.
brilliantly intellectual and intensely masculine. The
clevernes Of the book is indeed amazing It is to
The % Of It II l. both %foeeed and an
failing the aylc vivacious yet urbane the converaa-
ticnsthat test Of authors eayoir 1aire, al
thetic, Nj. James is analytic Where abe shows
tender reflection OF her subject he per-
t;s1 forms what they Hs call wo,2 qs't e
the sort which long to thrust the attention Of
puffy and sleepy critics across the water saying
you cali ii has produced young man who could do
this, and do 1t easily Now what 2vais the sceptred
race If Mr. James, personages arc not ~ quite as
simple creatures are we must remember that he
had historic Framework whatever, that they are en-
tirely his creation And some OF them are per-
fscsly distinct His hero, the s1azred Roder.es, is
80. Wo become entirely and forever familiar with the
:onss Of the young septors voice. with the unusual
fectiye nature. We should even recognize il we saw
them. his principal workz,.the charming - Dipsa
on. ana tho Of th o should
proof Of tho authors poxer. Some of ,hs
as Mys Hudson and the humble faithful little painter
Sam S5d!tton. lao,c'and on the contrary, Is rather
has nnt By keeping IN n ao thas messy ada a
very well with him. Both 1lary Garland and
Chr,st,na Light. would decidedly like to know bet
buL lQeQ E0e Was 61GEpL1u1A4i1 1o6tEFcA
ind the latter infinitely capricious. So It is perhaps
part Of the authors art to Leave uusatahed about
them.
And yet, "Let no man be called happy till his
DEATH" Let no book be called excellent till its close.
In every seuse Of the word Roderick Hudson ends
badly. We knew, Of courae, from the beginning that
Rodrrek himself would come to tmmeasurable grief
Ne perhaps, even too fully warned of that But
that every Of the personages in whom We had come
feel interest should be left in the depths Of mex
1cbIe woe too It IL unnatural md therefore
i1artistc. fealings to be thus horribly hurt
demand some compensation When Aristotle Tor
somebody said that the end Of trugedy the pur
flying Of our hearts through the influence Of pity and
be unredeeed, in broad spaces Of life never is
If the end Of tale s to be altogether pitable and
terrfynE-then let it teach US something or its effect
will be tho reverse Of salutaEy. What then does the
story Of Roderick Hudson teach Apparently, two
things: tirst, that genius Ia morally irresponsible;
and second that it. crime against Nature for which
no punishment be too severe, for one man 10 in
teriere with anothers fae in pe hope Of mailing him
tr11tl,a NJ Hamlet ". PRESTON,