The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-03-18
Three Pictures.

WAGNER, Canal street., has just placed upor
exhibition three pictures by Oiague-ali in The
best style of that lamented artist. Two of the
subjects are those which Clague loved 30 well -
wonderful live oak trees with bits OF marshy Id.
goon half filed with flags in the foreground, and
dusky belts Of cypress fading away into the
dreamy, purple distance.
scene Ia laid upon the romantic Tchefunota across
the lake. and to our mind this Ia by far the finest
OF all the works OF Clague. Prominent in the fore
ground lie glorious live oakDot 80 tall, perhaps ,,
&c many OF the southland wood giants sometimes
grow--but very broad OF grth and far.reaching in
the wealth Of its sweeping limbs and Vanished
greenery. One-half Of the superb tree droops
over the water just where the placid river glides
BY In graceful curve, flowing onward towards
Lake Pontchartrain Near by there IL q dilap-
dated piece of wharf iutting out from the shore
to which rkiff 10 being made fast-the red fam
mel shirts of the scullers standing out in clever
contrast with the neutral tints OF the picture. In
the foreground, here and there, clumps Of flags
push themselves up into picturesque view, from
out the shallow places in the water, and in the
distance the wooded banks meet away into
wonderland OF Indian-summer haze and cloud
made almost real by the witchery of Clague's
dainty touch. The tone Of the picture 10 abso-
lntely delicious--rich and warm In the FORE
ground, dreamy and cool in the distance with
turquoise blue sky oyerhead-turquoise in m at
mosphere of pure crystal
The companion picture, though not so am
As between the two we should find 1t very hard
y 10 choose. In this work, wrought out from q
sketch upon the the Metairie Ridge, the live oak
tree is very fully garlanded with hall. human, but
weird-like Spanish moss, as II each swaying
bough upon the slightest pretense,
"Might slips its bark and walk"
In the shade of the tree number of COWS are
cleverly introduced and near by, refeoting upon
its etee-like bosom, everythi ng about its sedgy
borders u the b uest and dreamiest OF lagoons.
In this picture the perspective Is marvellously
worked out and one actually catches himself,
ever and anon, STOPPING to peer underneath the
leafy tide in the warm foreground for other beau
ties which seem to lie beyond.
The third picture il most valued for its clever
atmospheric and water effects. In truth,
Cls&ue's subtle genius never seemed to so fully
unIboss itself as 1t did when he painted water
and sky. It is scene in the Rigolettes, at the
mouth of Pearl rivera scene almost barren Of
such effects as painters usually seize upon for q
sketch. Save q rude and slightly fisherman's
cabin, few piles Of cord wood, Q small boat and
figure or two, there is scarcely anything for the
eye, at FIRST glimpse, to hold to. It IL in the
water and the sky that the artist unfolds his
dainty vision--and most delicious unfolding it
Isl The sheet of water is very still, so still that
even the rose-tipped clouds in idle cluster in the
west are perfectly mirrored upon its surface.
There are duplicate rows of willowy-l looking
green sedge skrtiag the long lines Of salt marsh
One above and one beneath the waterfall is 80
clear and translucent Overhead q few heecy
clouds seem swimming in an atmosphere Of opal
and amethyst while q mellow, delicious light
oyerfowH and illumines the whole landscape.
i Such IN brief are the Impressions we formed
When these are gone, when shall We hope to find
fhnfY fiEa