The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-11-26
Old and New Art.

AHS S'N''Ao AZ ShoARO VI tu0 6AOdfduOuS NC
lieve the statue to be the Hermes of Praxiteles.
which Pausanias speaks of as among the gifts
to the Her8um. If this be so we have now the
finest original work of that great artist. The
description of the statue is as follow: The
lower portion of the legs and the right forearm
are wanting, With the left elbow he leaned
upon the stem of tree, supporting on his arm
little boy OF the latter figure, unfortunately,
only the lower part remains and the tiny hand
that he had laid confdingly on the shoulder of
bis bearer. Over the tree stem, on which the
arm that supports the boy is rested, falls the
drapery in rich, deep-cut and wonderfully
worked folds, affording to the arm soft rest
ing place, and gracefully hiding the support of
the tree stem, which in this position was tech
nically necessary. The body of the youth rests
with an easy negligence on the left leg, so that
the soft flesh of the right hip shows, in mani
fold displacements, the play Of the muscles of
the blooming, youthful form. The head is
marked by the finest, most spirtualized youth
full beauty, and somewhat resembles the heads
we see on the Vatican Meleager or the Hermes
of the Belvedere. The body, too, resembles
those figures, only it is slenderer, softer, more
yyaeloas: A, AT the first glance we are struck
by the careless execution of the hair, which, in
parts that are usually unseen by the spectators,
is only slightly indicated. The back of the
statue is also less thoroughly wrought.
Ore of the best examples of Daubigny ever
seen in Boston is now on exhibition in Will
liams & Everett's public gallery, and is thus
described by the Transcript of that city: A
rich, slumberous twilight scene, with the even
ing sky pulsating between rose and violet, in
broken fecks of tints, and the river and foliage
in luminous shadow. The painting is mastery
in all the highest qualities Of this chief among
-. L. IL - -f-t
fuluess of detail, in nicely and trush of define
alton, and, above all, in the spirit and poetic
tone of the spot and the moment that deep re-
pose, that solemnity of nature, which only
those who devote themselves with undivided
allegiance to Nature may discover and render
This gallery is enriched at present, Also with
beautiful work OF Tissol's, of very different
genre, bat mastery, too, in its way-in the
painting of flesh and textures and graceful
French ladies of high degree. Van Marck 8
glorious cattle painting is also illustrated in a
superb example, and Thomas Allen, a young
painter of western Massachusetts, exhibits a
brown and bosky sheeo pasture under cloudy
autumn sky, with black-nosed, thick-pelted
Southdown naoatt0nS to match, both the bluoded
sheep and the wide billy barren being marvel
lousy well painted. Mr.. Aliens cool, clear
headed and deft-handed ceveruess is also
shown 10 the painting of a Mexican pld "a, full
OF figures and detail in the plein lunaiere OF
tIOpiCdi uUOuudf. w I'LL SuCu ldlIului Wurh as
this and that of young Picknell, equully sug
gestive of earnest, independent, individual
study, there need be little concern as TO our
newer generations of painters 'scamping"
their work.
Professor Curtius, the distinguished histo
risn of Greece in a recent lecture, described
some o. the ART treasures recovered by him
from the temple of Zeus at Olympia. He had
two hundred and sixty men under his charge,
and after long and arduous labor they un-
earthed, besides the Nike and the Hermes
fourteen colossal statues of a later period,
nearly one hundred fragments of terra Gotta,
bronzes and inscriptions, together with some
works in relief, nineteen works by Paonius
and fourteen by Alkamenes, all noteworthy and
of great significance, now again laid bare The
two pediments of the temple are of special in
tsrest; they are triumph of Hellenic art A
comparative study of both at once reveals the
fact that the work and the materials, too, are
unlike; even in the treatment of the drapery
and of the hair there are great diversities in de
tails. On the eastern pediment, the iect of
which is the chariot race between CA omaus
and Pelops, the work of Paonius, and dscov-
cred last year, are seen such objects only as
leave on the mind solemn and tranquil i'm
preston. Other characteristics are the strict
symmetry, the arcahic build of the figures, priest
-AJ iaaasHoo, tho prosoribad thenav.-Tho-
eral figures form no idle parade; they are not a
mere. lacking together of figures standing
loosely side by side; they fall rather into three
groups the Zeus group that of the horses and
the corner figures Moreover the statue of
Zeus forms no stiff, mechanical group, but one
full of life. On the one side Gnomaus stretches
out behind him his left hand, Peplos on the
the other hand, his left; close to
Peplos is his bashful bride; close to Gnomaus
his thoughtful wife, the whole forming beau
TRULY arranged and exceedingly ifelke group.
Next follow two characters, one looking away
from Ieus, the other turned towards him; with
these rank two seated, thoughtful, old men of
dignifiod mien; then follow TWO covering fig
ures, each clasping the foot on which the body
rests. Thus, on the eastern pediment there are
including the two pairs of horses, ten figures in
all to the right of the statue of Zeus and ten
again to the left. The case is quite different
with the representation of the battle between
the Cuntaurs and the Lapitha on the western
pediment, the newly discovered work of Aka
menes, although he too like Paonus studied
In the school of Phidas. The figures here are
more numerous, their position is assigned with
more freedom and boldness, and so far from
being grouped in gravely epic manner. they
exhibit positions pitched purely on the spur
of the moment. They afford us new insight
into the composition OF temple figures. Here
we find loose, isolated figures, and next meet
with figures belonging to groups more or less
closed Those figures on the western pediment
bring before us whole drama on grand scale
with its leading and subordinate characters,
retainers, spectators and all. These figures
show motives of all sorts 10 full play. We see
the sensual coarseness and grinning of the
drunken monster, half beast in shape; the dis
tressss she dependency of noble women the
ofty courage of the champions, the vulgar
alarm of the attendant slaves; lastly, the stolid
curiosity of the spectators
There wera never SO many artists and art
students in New York as there are this winter
The older men who have been here for years
and the new men who have just come back
from their studies, now find 10 New York some
thing of the art atmosphere" whose absence
has been hitherto deplored. A Munich master
said not long ago that in the course Of twenty
five years German art students would be going
TO New York TO be taught painting. He based
MS prediction upon the extraordinary ability
of the young Americans that work in Munich.
-ScTibner'S.
During the residence Of Haydn, the ceIe-
brated composer, 10 England, one of the royal
princes commissioned Sir Joshua Reynolds to
paint his portrait. Haydn went to the resi-
dence of the painter and gave shim sitting,
but he soon grew tired. Sir Joshua, with his
usual care for his reputation. would not paint
man of so distinguished genius with a
stupid countenance, and in consequence he ad-
journed the sitting till another day. The same
WEAKNESS and want of expression occurring at
the next attempt, Sir Joshua, went and COM
municated the circumstance to the commission
ioning prince, who contrived the following
stratagem: He sent to the painters house
pretty German girl who was in the service of
the queen. Haydn took his seat for the third
time, and as the conversation began to flag.
curtain rose aud the fair German addressed
him in his native tongue, with most elegant
compliment. Haydn, delighted, overwhelmed
the enchantress with questions, bis counte-
nance recovered its animation, and Sir Joshua
rapidly and successfully seized its traits.
MINOR TELEGRAms.
Attorney General Fairchd denies taking