The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-11-02
Art and Artists.

An enterprising reporter connected with the
Naw York Evening Post, in the course of an
interview with the venerable Prof. Weir. who
fills the Chan ct Fine Arts at West, Point.
drew out the following comments upon one of
Turner's most celebrated works; ''The Slave
Ship, said Prof Weir, "is-s d wonderful
piece of painting. But it tells no story what
ever, and was not intended to do so. 1t is
simply an effect of color aud of light and dark;
and as such it is the very cream and poetry of
painting. Thackeray said of Taruer's 'Te-
meraire': IF that picture could be translated
into music, it would be national anthem
and similar remark might be made concerning
the Slave Ship Turner, in my opinion,
painted rapidly from the inspiration of the
moment, laying on his colors furiously, with
perhaps only knife or trowel. When he had
done enough to suggest a thought he would
stop and then tack on q name to the canvas
any name that his fancy dctated-or quota.
ton from some poem like the 'Falacies Of
Hope for example, poem which never ex-
listed. In his Slave Ship the black figure in
the foreground has leg ten feet long, the fish
have eyes as big as dinner plates, and iron is
made to float on the water He fastened a
manacle around that leg, and called the pic
turo Iu6 OldVe OnlD. he QlQn Know what he
intended to do when he began to paint it,"
After some critical, yet kindly, remarks upon
American painters, the Professor was led to
speak of foreign artists, and passed the follow
ing Judgments upon the two popular French
painters, Gerome and Meissonier: "Gerome
has immense technical power, he thinks, but
lacks refinement of feeling, and is fond of the
theatrical. His Cleopatra before Caesar was
admirable in background, but the frail queen
herself was miserably done. The 'Crcassian
slave dancing was vulgar, coarse. badly
drawn and h ard and resonant as porcelain.
Knock it and it will ring But here again the
background d is beautiful. The Sword Dance,
however, was very remarkable piece of exc
cution, and a truthful representation of the
scene-the figure of the woman being delight
floats about her does not injure the rest of the
color. Still, in general, Gerome's works have
10 them more of work than of pleasure. Will
kie's homes: scenes were rich in sentiment and
mastery. Meissonier is all very well; gets
enormous prices for his pictures-far beyond
their worth. | suppose he is so well known
that every body who has a collection wants one
OF his pictures. But his Man Smoking =
Pip" is it? Wonderfully made out; no
one could have done it better; piece of inge-
nuity, like that of man playing a trick, who
does something you can't comprehend almost.
he doesn't come out with human feeling like
Wilkie in his Gentle Shepherd for example.
Wilkes work always has in it that ione touch
brightens, awakens the sympathy. The heart
is the object that work of art appeals to.
The appeal to the intellectual is only incidental,
That" continued the Professor, sis why Mes-
sonier is not so great an artist as Wilkie. At
the same time work of art should elevate as
we'll as excite the emotions"
The Spectator, in a comparative view OF
French art, observes ''For realistic landscape
there is not Frenchm an in the world who can
prat in tbo
oil school, or Boyce and Poynton in the water
color; but, on the other hand, the thought, the
thorough personality, SO to speak, of Corot and
many Of his disciples, has no rival in the Eng
lish art of the present day. Certain of these
latter suggestive pictures strike the eye with
absolute pain, SO vivid is the impression which
they can convey of loneliness and desertiou,
while others have all the airy brightness o.
spring morning, or a delicious sense of peace,
fulness and repose. Again, other nationa
characteristics stay in and cause the different
styles. Gifted with sturdy industry and COM
nonsense (Which seems to be the distinguish
ing gifts of the Briton as compared with tbs
Gaul) our home artists sit down to the untiinch-
ing reproduction of what he sees, and carries
out that design with more or less ability ac-
cording to his honesty of purpose and his skill
of hand. But the foreigner, while no less hon
est in his intention and possessed for the most
part of far more thorough training in art, has
no sooner begun his picture than it straight,
way becomes his master, and his active imag-
inaton begins to play here and there upon the
natural facts, till thousands of details are lost
in the grand Transforming process which takes
place, whereby field with few cows in it,
girl at cottage door, or a man padding
boat across the stream in the twilight, becomes
little poem on the masters clnvas Vi
course, this is only one aspect of French art,
aud we have omitted all mention of the great
classical and historical element; but We have
chosen the above,fo illustration because it al
lows the best comparison with the works of