New-York tribune., 1876-06-17

dd in the light OF what he was The wilter Oh lhis
article had once the happy fortune to see srkhsy IL
Iustrtad the impression that spirit 80 pure anu ioy
as Alstun's could make upon another Oh '"o saiho
temper Visiting Washington Irving some !taiS "co'c
his death and talking with him about Aliston and the
,i hon tho ttle circle OF which they the lead
ING sprits was enjoying its happy life In London, MT
Irving went into another room. and returned Win
packet OF letters from various members OF the ehy
croup and selecting OF Aston's, began 10 reau
them aloud He had been speaking OF Aii'ton IN the
warmes terms Of affection and telling little anecdotes
t illustrate the beauty Of his character and as he read
he continued his talk, making comments Hut soon MS
voic began 10 break and before he had gone far he WAS
obliged IN stop his eyes filed with tears, he threw the
letter down on the oOr and As soon as he cOula get e
better OF his emotion he turned the subject DECLARING
that he c0ud not bear the memory OF tho5o nipp
DAYS All that we know abont Ailston agrees with what
Mr. Irving had to TO say about him. Mrs Jamcsons ac-
conn OF her visit him. and her interesting Criticisms
upon his works show that he male the same Impression
upon her He was sensitive, dclicatey wrought 'Ved
his art not passionaley but with deepdcVOu0n' ana
he lived secluded o in the company OF small circle
of sympathetic people, All that was known oil nm thleW
certain halo sanuess about his life and character
and made 1t difficult to look at his pictures In dry
LIGHT. Besides, they rarely came under the plphc
eve and they certainly made no appeal 10 ordl-
nary sympatlics. He was known To DE chSaSed
on a large picture, Bclshazzar's Feast, but no one
excert his most intimate friends had seen it, and In the
latter years of his life 1t denied to thcm and
indeed YVES hardly be spoken of IN the artists pres
epce Tis was another mystcryn0t intended for such,
bu made 40 by circumstances. And another point tlat
kept people at distance was that his pictures were
spoken about and written about as H. IN ordr 10 under
stand them or he held worthy even to look at thr
y. necessary to have gone through sort OF initiation
thcy constituted a OF Elcdsinian mystery Att"r
Ausous death good many Of his pictures were col
,ec,cd and exhibited in the gallery ~ the Boston Athe-
nrun among them the mnch talked Of "BelshazznTs
FEAST" and then for the first time they came INTO the
light the public square. stll there were many of MS
picture, that sent to the AthcnHun and among
them were which in his circle had given him MS
highest reputation. one who wicd 90 So" All That nc
had done or ~ much OF it a. IA this country GOr two,
al least. of his most important pictures, "Jac0bS
Dream and The ANGEL Unel i'm the SUM-" are I'm En-
gland was Obliged 10 20 on pilgrimage from honsc to
house IN Boston. ana them by special permission
TAc tluth slowly dawnel that. Us painter, Al'ton
hal waved . losing with certain defects in hs mental
constitutions aud had been much absorbed in tcci-
cal experiments and in that search Tor expression which,
To tell truth - many search wholly apart rom
the AIT oil Painting; If an artist once listens 10 u
voice lures him 90 follow u, II VIII Head bi" over
further aui iuthcr away from that AT oi Faihths'
nt hc find, Tor himself that Dr., lie ha, been wasted IN
trying 10 do with the pcucl "hIt only be done with
the yer.
AU-tou was sometimes called, ut time when II
Wa. considered essential to an Americans salvation mat
he should br Thought like somebody over the seas the
American TItau." II was most unoruna" for lIu De-
cause whether be- himself thought ais work like T'ulns
or not, the public expected him to JUSTIFY his
name. ami there WAS no possibility OF
his doing so. the disappointment was cpn'iirr''ir'
There can Doc doubt think. that A-ton was mnth
hurt as painter by his visit 20 Italy ANA his long stay
abroad. H. bal c.niu, that II hc could have worked
ont what Wa, in hun 10 home. would 10 doubt have
f.f I- s.Hf rtf ffI d
feet perhaps. Co. Iasythoruc's "storic-" or ~ Emcr-
SON, 'Es-.g%" Bn his visit to Italy distorted mind
fr more ~ tn .ui-hed for 60. deraoy aui refinement
hlu Joy its strrrth, aud purrrd him 10 Tie pursuit ol
an ideal beyond bls power q attain. Almost aIl AI-
work hls auuuhl-h.d h,stly ar us 10 the 5Ju were c'
Gaming f.., the body Of A. aud tnc bod, itself were
fading away with thc so'l. r. was Tie soul
AMI NOT the body that Ais on tired all ia, ' . IaIi
and v DOS lrf went io trying totNpIs m th' ia'"' 81
lis 1r., ami 30 thrr gestures tlr secret i"ntN' oi
emotions ia were stiau ia the depths Uf their iEe
lie arorcl over bis work with the enthusiasm ~ trr
artist but hc worked n hc alone concerned u
their comp.liou aud as II time were not 90 d. cnn-d
cred v.s tLc nt-t ~ artist, to paint ii H sub
jcrts. %" painted i,T portraits auh hresticN ed Hi' 81
subjects PlIaI. hr was the "uly artist We ever h'd "h"
mover painted pptborf. iL' "Spaat.o. oT tho Vision
o. the Bloody Hand" tnc Exhibition shows how ttie
power De- had io paint what j. called expression Ihr
picture j. IackDurd one Of his bost works. bui m realty
it T. ore in which he show, 10 tire least advantage is
however signal Illustration 81 what we mean, when We
say uat hc c1uolnGcI literature with painting lie had
read the story and had been interested I'm H. ard hc
set to paint IL, Lot secn- thni IL Was lmps7"i'
10 tell the story on aut that rOin:n< wodid
hc gained for art n hc could All th1t thcrr IS IN tlr
piaurr o. picture II IT. h-ht and shade aAd la Tie
drawing of t,ic A,ur,~. No human skill, not that of
MrAclaucto or Raphael, would Loyr been abe 40 pant
these faces 80 hgt could tell what tAe'c Two A are
d8ng Yet. ns we have slId All-ton Wa, all lD, iie
thinking that he couI do with his brush what Ae could
do with his pen. H. could wit" Mpuaidts.' "ud h"
apparently d nDt why ne could not paint thtin ll'
had in Titb ltss tnau the ordinary 7hil ot artists ~
iym. xpre,.ou 10 The human lace. II" very man
ncrcd m Dis attitudes, there j, never ny light n bis cyc5
ami had certain tricks Withhi hands ,hit. when Oi
his picture. seen together, become aunuyiut To
get impossible suItittiel Of expression not hi- only
phip,pnhrI's stone and elixir H. voud Gi,U secure
certain mechanical effects. ii hi5 Urcl in the -un' hc
painted the bach ground all the prsnac huy5, scion
hcally prororiioncd IN the l,htJy and then in.ed
them al with white in order to dazzle the eve as with
real Unl yh. Th, bringing science and art together
with .gucei but it Oi piece with much else
in his practice lie T. s1d have laid aside the " Bel
sbazzars Fcs;" and but rarely 10 have resumed work
upon IL, after hs disappointment ~ Finding tIi III hlS
device OF fsuug the picture from the mysterious hand
writing the wall he had boon iore,iacd by Martin.
He lad forgotten COrrcego's "NOtte" 1t would sccn
/ and Raphacls "DcliyoraEcc OF 81. Peter but
| he had forgotten more important thing, namely,
that great picture not great by such devices but IN
spite Of them. Here again have the literary crror
the that in these Gay has made tremendous strides
and has brought nearly a OF to think that picture Is
only picture IN FAR il tells story. II is delight
fu to stories beautifully and truly painted, but the
greatest pictures Of the world those that feed our
souls aud with something fr higher than any
| anecdOtc any history. c. u
| Mr.. GLADSTONE on RELIGIOUS THOUGHE.