The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-01-29
ZINE .iRTS Ar THE LENOx LTBRIRY.

A visit to the LcnOX Library makes one
think of horcm The institution has been SO
long closed to the public. and tho mystery Of its
contents was so carefully Guarded that people
began naturally to conjecture that the things
within must be- Of tho rarost beauty AMI fr0sh-
ness. An analogous cause makes people think
that Turkish harcms are full Of betwitching
hours. But visit to place Of that Kind would
soon make you ind ont that very frequently IL
contains nothing huta collection " fadcd slaves,
some Of whom clearly show that they could not
havc been pretty even whan they were young.
OF wtchory there is mono, though ono secs
plenty Of brokcn-down witches around.
Tho Lenox collection has, however. an advnn-
tage over some of the harems. Old and young
are here mingled. and alongside dim, vanish
cd production Of n century ago. ono finds lively
and bright lituo gems in the lull bloom OF their
youth.
We don't mean to any that the oil pictures Of
this valuable collection have no merit. Far
from this. some Of them. especially the two
great pictures Of Sir Joshua Reynolds. must
once have been admirable works. But there is
but very ittlo LEFT Of them. and 10 judge from
the rapidity with which the colors haye so far
faded away, it Is not unreasonable to suppose
that in another half century there will not be
left OF them anything ut all.
Here comes the great question TO be put 10 the
admirers Of English art Why IL it that none Of
the productions Of what the English consider to
he thoir prent masters can stand tho influenza
If either Ii,i,t ar ttmn2 And WIN Ia Il thot not
tosn,.l of tho WORT Z ~ tbo bi,,h nricsts If art
Ike Rouhael Nurillo or Titinn almost everv
rrodu.tion ~ n rnoilv good italian snoniah
Frcn.h Dutch or German nointor is nnnriv M
fresh to-day ns II wns on tho distant day of its
first nnpearnnce? NJ. Charles Blane. the great
art critic and brother Of the not less celebrated
Louis Blanc. denies. in book Of his recently
published undar the title Of Los Artistcs d.
mon Tennis - tho very existence of ENGLISH art
He declares the English PAINTERS 10 be void Of
Nle worry arst REQUISITES Of art. They hive. in
his opinlon. Mother poet.y Of couccutlon. nor
sonso - b.oii.v H., n.knowlodpas in soma Of
Thorn nroll,ious technical skin but ,yhen we
koop in view their defects rs colorisis. tbeir
prolipious technical skin will be found to ro-
,lu,o if-elf toexc,llant drawing
And this il norf,ctlv corrat rnolon1 has
,,u,,,s bosn anil Il aim tbc ion1 ~ Tho b,.t
Ir,f,.,,on md cnTrovors nut Il never WIS
mi rr,halIv rov.r v,iu Ina ,nn I'M ~ ,,ront
,,in,i,.s ana ,,ro,, ,,aint,rs
M, dr,,vl.,rL ~ ,hc n,o nv. lor,r4-,s,,
ror.r.v 7 r,ror,. 10 ,ba, :. T.. too r,..iisb
THO ,,,.,. fo,,,re oro rn,lish y,ori,s ,vorle h,
p..,.,,its rnr,,r ,nI III, No,o n, ,ho,,,
mr.. r.oll, ,,,or.i, i Immense or,,,pt - r,ono,.
,l,o,' ,,,., lo,,s, ar1 o,or,. ono ~ ,i,or, ,viit
..o,,l, 81. l,,.oo.', -, ,.ol,,o ,r,i, o,-,. ,oo,.
I,,, i,, ~ d., 900, f,,,, ,,.. L. 80, ~ ,,li
i,', ,,,,t,i,,in', ,. ii,'rar. and ,o ort Mir.
II a. an i,,,',i,,., s,,,..,,,r, s,,,,,.oI ~, ia
I,.ob ,,.,.,, b.,,,o.,, SCENT. Al, oul soyn,,v.
A., str.,,s On, of ,l, ,,ot,s - C.,,.,l pr.
o,,,rs ri.t, ,,,.si,., ,lo NM, o,.-,,,,c - ,b,
lnilIine md Inns glvs. a. The nnllic a.conven.