Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1876-03-03

them was The Night-W ateh :" the ''Ecct
Homo the resurrection of Lazarus por
traits OF Rembrandt and his wife by him
self, ana of Bargomaster Six and Others
prints from two Of Rembrandt's origina
etchlngs, the Resurrection of Lazarus, 9
and "Death-bed Of the Virgin" owned by
Mr.. Marsh photograph Of the " Five
>yndlcs. which Mr. Marsh considers on
the whole Rembrandt greatest work two
or three Of his landscapes fine pen-and-ink
drawing Of the supper at Emmaus, other
wise known as " The Empty Chair, in all
some forty choice copies cf the most IA
nous and Characteristic works or the ar
fist. These were briefly designated and OK
planned by Mr.. Marsh before he began his
lecture, and added much 10 its interest.
THE LECTURE.
1t j. difficult, sal the lecturer. to assign
TO Rembrandt his just position in art Ills
historical period Is still waiting to be illu-
minated by Motley. and his own life was
! one OF ObScurlty. He did not walk like
Rubeus and Holbein and 50 many others in
/ the light Of royal favor be lett no treatise
/ or letters and the records Of his busy and
/ productive life are TO be found only in
| his paintings. Moreover, we cannot com
pare him to any other great painter-he
! forms style for himself. II there have
! ever been perfect artists he was not one OF
them; hut if interior in some respects, in
| Others he is supreme. There are technical
/ qualities and modes of conception, in which
/ be Is without a peer. The head OF the
/ Holland School. be Is also within the fore
most rank Of the painters OF the world
and II a painter Is to be judged by his
/ 1fat'rs genius, and by the new resources be
| has added 70 the domain If art. be tlkcs
/ place among the first seven. Who stood at
the summit
la the Art Of the North. which rams
SIDE by side with that Of the South. though
/ perhaps not "a fully appreciated, Neither
/ land art from the Grst took the lead. In
| the seventeenth century. the Holland
/ school became the leading school of Eu-
/ rope. Behind the p0mp and blood that
/ crimson the history ot Flanders, the bloom
/ OF Holland painting had been slowly ma
turing and in al that great Netherland
/ art. with its wonderful fascination. its
! daring independence, IT. deep love for Ma
/ Jure, from which has descended our Eng
! h~h and American la ldscapc painting. the
| art OF Holland bore a large share While
/ the art c { Belgium remained Catholic. and
! largely devoted 10 ecclesiastical subjects.
the Holland school, cut of from church
| patronage, became Protestant and drew
/ more from the scenes OF IT'S own bold and
honest and prosperous burgher-jie Its
characteristics are lie, glow Of color, man
/ ly yiEor, sympathy with humanity. OF
tbs school Rembrandt was TIE acknOWl-
edged head.
The early years of Rembrandt were next
briefly skesched The son of LeYden NIL
Ter. his talent showed itself while he was
/ boy and ct thirteen he entered the studio OF
a Leyden artist. 1t sixteen he chose his
own path, and thencelorth pursued his
ait alone. Abandoning the artificial and
conventional method Of the ltalO-Dutch
school. he took Nature Tor his teacher.
The prospect from his windows the streets
Di Leyden with the quaint tacades Of the
/ hg-es wing dark against the sunset sky,
the churches and castles, the broad. prosalc
Dutch landscape, were better scnO0l tor
the boy-lrtist than the studios. and nour-
lShcd IN him his love for the picture ne.
I Here he learned 10 give to the sky and
clouds a special importance What strange
things be saw and wrote in the clouds is
shown IN the dark and troubled sky OF his
Three lree-, OF 10 his" Jacobs Dream,
10 which the mas-y walls of dark cloud
fall back. forming as it were vast open
1917 into dark mJunt4In-site. through
which one looks into depth alter depth of
solemn radiance, the broad beams OF glory
shining down to earth. on whose smooth
hJcr % light the angels descend
At the age Of %. Rembrandt lG, Lcydcn
AMI entered on his career of ren0wn at An
-rer!am, then the centre of Holland liter
allure. art and wealth. Ia the busy life OF
] pff ~ Et-rfh Of 20
gars. It's merchants and captains from foreign
ports, who brought their marked faces and
costumesand oriental cOl0ring int the misty
North his fancy found the hint and materials
II weave with the facts OF history and Scrip
ture INTO many q striking picture. In 1881,
he painted Dbl, " Presentation liz the Iem-
pie. his first important picture. Friends,
patrons and pupils 11ckcd around him.
Among these friends and patrons were Pro-
loss0r Tulip. who chose Rembrandt TO paint
the chief surgeons of Amsterdam, and the
I Burgomaster SIX. patrician and poet, whose
princely collection of paintings the tourist
of to-day secs still treasured in the old an
c5Stral museum where kembrandt was SO
o.;ea guest Rembrandt's marriage ID
the beautiful Saskia, her untimeiy death
after lew bright years. and the melan-
choly which stole over his life and cast
shadow over his canvas and hi, loss oi
his small fortune, the accumulation OF
20 years, caused by his too lavish expendi
ture in collecting works ofart, were briefly
alluded T..
Mr.. Marsh next considered the technical
qualities ri Rembrandt : art. In his draw
ing, We often look in vain Tor the ideal
beauty of form of the higher Italian
school There Is sometimes certlIn WI
iulnoss and carelessness Of outline. Yet he
could depict faces as lovely a the lowell
ct. rs in the queenly beauty OF the bride IL
his Marriage Feast of Samson, with IT.
subtle cnchantment, its calm, dangerous
charm. The Samson, in the same painting.
with its indolent ease and concentrated
force and the figure OF our Lord IN the
"Raising of Lazarus. were alluded 10 rs
instances of dignity and power OF drawing
But fJr him Form was OF minor c)nSe-
queuce For him the warmth the color (;
the touch that reveals character: fire
movement. the brilliance Of light and the
mystery Of shadow were chief. lie painted
men a he saw them. and tJr him every SIDE
Of life, the ugly a. well as the beautiful, had
its interest In oppression, in power to
write the history OF a lite-tlmeln lace ana
reveal wildly the mental state, he has many
a rival but no superior. His portraits set
before Us the man himself. You seem u
have come upon the sitter, unaWares'
Thus in his Five Syndics' the FIVE are busi-
~ examining their account a. You, the
spectator, enter your approach interrupts
! them, they arc somewhat surprlsed-at least
a. much as Is consistent with their grave
s courtesy-at your intrusion. They are glad
TO sec YOU. 10 doubt but their business l.
b. evidently pressing-and j: You could looR
g in some other time
Of the various descriptions given ol
Prot Marsh of RemhrAnlt'S many works
-. he executed coo paintings and 800 ctchlng-
n l we can allude to hut one lnore-the prinl
| Of Christ healing the SICK (the hundred
4, guiIder print'') This Mr.. Marsh con
q sidcrs the finest painting in black and white
that Art has ever produced Every head j.
/ A study every face has is story. In the
Z centre is ocr Lord. the light Of sweet mercy
and purity upon His brow he l. worr
4 with His own sorr0ws, Yet ready u
Z see His readiue-s-to take upon hImsei
the grilfs AID sicknesses oi the world
Around him gather all the forms, o
\ suffering. The air seems filled with then
signs and entreatics. Oi the many soT
, rovfll figures. two especially take our at
n tentinu One Is the aged mother. lnterced
= ing Tor her sick, perhaps dying daughter
f What agony of entTeaty is in those claspe.
+ toil-wcrn hands, ard that suPphcatD.
/ face Ii is the very image of importunat
7. PRAYER. Equally affecting i the young
mother, who stands in mute appeal sh'
simply holds up her sick child-that seem
A 10 her her best prayer. No other appea
= than that little face. her darling, can b
r needed In strongest contrast WITH tn
trembling hope or staple belief q
:; th,so supplicants, is the group OF Phir
p i,ee, on the left. with their indifference
I. or utter contempt for such waste Q
q fith upon mere Carpenter SJn. Ihtl
= seem saturated with incredulity. IL $40"
r not only in their faces but IN their forms
=, They content themselves now with qnie
q sr,rn but they are tina same who a!terwar.
y viii swell the maddened, bowling crow
!, around the 'Ecce Homo" Then the hrc
: rality and thirst for blood will come TO tn
4 surface. Durer often gives distorted eouL