The Portland daily press., 1878-01-18
Art and Music.

The Worcester Mass. Spy recklessly throws
out this disturbing question: "Why is il chat
no artist has ever succeeded in drawing even q
tolerabla likeness of an American axe? The
tool is common enough: everybody has seen
and handled it. the models are everywhere ac-
cesslble; yet the woodchopper in our illustrated
BOOKS, always seem to be waving little flag or
Drandishing walking-stick with a clumsily-
it.' VIZ '-~ VI
Speaking of string quarrette playing, the
editor of Brainard's Musical World, Mr.. Karl
Merz, himself an excellent musician, SAYS. in
the January number, but very little has been
done so far, to develop the taste for such music
in our country. Whatever quartette playing
there may be done, we will but rarely find ANA
tears engaged in such performances. Not
until our people will study the violin, the alto
and cello, will quartette playing become that
sort OF home music which it is in German
homes. There are, however, good signs for a
better state OF things. 1t is fact over which
all good musicians will rejoice that Mr.. Julius
Elchoerg, the composer, the violinist, the able
principal OF the Boston Conservatory, is educat-
ing Tor US generation of violinists. Bot re-
Gently read of the fact that he is even prepar-
ing ladies' quartette We have great reason
to be proad of the influence and learning of q
man like Mr.. Eichberg. He is the true teach.
er OF this instrument in our land. whose infu-
ence and importance cannot be overrated.
Wsgner's "Faust" overture (says the New
York Evening POST is specimen of a style of
composition that is perhaps destined to exer-
else great influence on the future of musical
art 1t represents the tendency of our time. Il
is ultra modern. We have had overtures in
many styles-operatic concert-like, realistic
descriptive, etc, but this QUE isn entirely differ
ntstyle. 1t isnot an epitome of Faust opera
indicating incidents and salient points, nor is 1t
dramatic in the sense in which we have shown
the Coriolanus overture to be musical illustrs-
tration of the closing scene of Shakspears's
play. 1t appears as a psychOlog cal study of
the character OF Faust an attempt To illustrata
tne mental state OF Faust when he quotes the
motto afhxed to Wagner's work, "The indwel-
ing spirit that can stir the bosom to its lowest
depths has 10 power to move the external ma
ture, therefore is life detested." The aim of the
composer who sets himself such tasks as these
differs as widely from the aims of ordinary
composers as the work produced differs from or.
dinsry music.No uneducated man can fuily an
preclate Goethe's "Faust;" no one In en-
tire ignorance of Wagner's intention canIfullv
appreciate this overture.
new painting by Mr.. Toby Rosenthal of
San Francisco, which for some weeks has been
on exhibition In Berlin, Is now on the way to
California. The artist Is seriously Ill in hos
pital in Hamburg. The scene of his picture Ia
the attic OF young ladies' seminary, Great
confusion has been caused by San inexplIcable
and ghost-like noise in that upper apartment,
and the scholars have rushed upstairs under
the leadership of Madame and a stout-bodisd,
stouthearted servant girl. The picturesque
lnconpieteness OF the toilettes, says the Ham,
burg Nachrchten, shows the haste with which
the ascent was made. "Here may be seen
shswls loosely thrown on, half-fastened dresses,
even petticoats, and the little feet in slippers:
one even has not allowed herself time TO mt
on tne Shippers, but hurries upstairs in her
stocking feet, in order that she may not be the
last one at the immense fun which will surely
be enjoyed. Even madame has forgotten her
own dignity to such degree that she runs mn
stairs In her dressing sacque, her aching head
empowered In curl papers and the curling
tongs in her hands, nervously feigning COURAGE.
The brave servant girl has opened the garrett
door behind which the terrible rumbling Ia
heard. But she also starts back full of ear, for
as II moved by spirit hand, large broom
comes flying toward her, and at the same time
clatter is heard within. Madame is terror
stricken; to her cling troop of young ladies in
the most varied positions, in whose faces are
very amusingly depicted helpless anxiety, wag-
gish mistrust toward the imaginary spectre
and courage, united with very little anxiety.J
Mr.. Rosenthal, Continues the journal, has sue
ceeded in embodying the originally simple idea
In his painting with happy skill and humor.
Another large work by Dubufe whose well
known painting, The Prodigal Son, was burned
two years ago, is on exhibition in Paris It is
called Thomar, and is intended as q represent
alton OF the Woman of Timnath OF the Bible.
The woman, arrayed in Oriental garments,
stands erect among thiekly growing herbsge.
Low down her neck, and round the upper por-
tion of her bosom are circled three necklaces
of gold, one above the other. Round her head
is woven q chaplet of circular gold ornaments,
the coins perhaps Of the period, pendant from
the ieweled hand. Her full and well-rounded
right arm is raised to draw the veil, more than
semi-trsnsparent, from her face; the left, rioh-
ly braceleted, rests upon the hip. The face is
more French than Eastern, with the exception,
perhaps, of the fine almond eyes and delicately
srchsd eyebrows. Dubufe seems to have mis-
taken his meter in selecting Biblical subjects
for his brush, and he is utterly unable to dvest
himself of thoroughly Gallo atmosphere. ill
suited to the scenes and the inhabitants of Pal
estine. Many of the faults which were patent
| to the most unskillful critic in the Prodigal
| Son, are also visible, although in minor de-
| gree, In Thomar. A far more healthy paint
ing by another French artist, M. j. Tissot, is
on exhibition in the Grosvenor Gallery. 1t Is
entitled In Winter-t me, and represents
young girl, appare ntly scarcely seventeen years
old, with rich furs about her neck and arms.
The face under the broad and feathered hat is
very sweet and gentle one, although there is
not regular feature in IL. 1t is generally ad-
mitted that this years Art Exhibition at Dres-
den has been, comparatively speaking, q fall
ure, and the critics complain Of the extraor-
| dinary predominence in modern German art Of
| genre painting, to the exclusion of the moro
important subjects suggested by poetry and
| history. There is also conspicuous absence
| of the higher class of landscape painting.