New-York tribune., 1878-03-30
AMERICAN ART.
SOCIETY OF AMERICAN ARTISTS.


Duveneck, and three by MrW. TwachtmanD over |hich
the Giant Despair of our NewYork Custom House has
been long mi bling in his sygian cave forior oo"h
In was.reet length been rescued from his law
ana added 10 the exhibition at the kurz Gar
leIy.
Three Of Mr. Duvenecks pictures--the PORTRAIT" In
Tie southeast corner of the gallery not numbeIed Ihe
Coming Man." No. 81 and the Interior OF san MARCH,
3Swi give much pleasure TO the general hoc' 'nc
two artists only VII care for' 'hsy
are study in ght-andshade perhaps the nfst lay gh
OF q portrait, and the head Of goDdoler. Inc Iof
trait" first spoken or Is evidently that Of professor
who delivering lectures he is seen at threequarter
length standing at a table and lingering with his lett
hand the leaves of his manuscript The sense OF
vitality in this face and figure is more vivid
than in Mr.. Chase's Z" Donna ElyTa," No. 90;
but Mr. Chase. in his "Apprcntice;" Mr.. La
throp IN his head of Ross r.. Ninans, Esq. NO. AZ
and Mr. Julian Weir, In either his Portrait No 45, or his
Portrait No. Si run Mr. Duveneck dangerously haro.
Judging these artists exclusively by their work In TINS
exhibition Duveneck is distinctly more OF cOlorst
than any the Others and by this charn so III common
everywhere In these days, all but unknown to Ameri-
can artists OF our own day, Mr. Duveneck makes more
convincing appeal 10 sympathies :han the rest. HIS
versatility, too, is another pleasure. Ii is new eAper'
fence to find American passing with such ease from
fre-paintng and the painting OF the lace, as mere IN
t,e q" Coming Man and the Portrait of Professor,
30 an Interior" like that Of the san Marco Nor is II
easy 10 say which of his several fields of woik he
shows the strength The Interior OF san Marco Is
one Of the very finest pieces OF architectural painting
that II was ever my good fortune TO and IL is much
70 be regretted that did not arrive CARRIER IN the month";
that more time might have hoen given to the study and
enjoyment of it, both painting and picture Those VINO
know san Marco will need to point out the truth
fulness Of Mr. Duvenccks report; but those who have
never had the good fortune to TIE great Basca,
will not object be told that the whole
interior of this immense church vast ncrustaon
Of precious marbles mOsaics aabaster and bronze the
only authentic witness surviingto the splendor of the
age that it like exhaation from the Adriatc
The roof with its many cpolas, is all ground OF gold
mosaic on which the saints, and prophets, aud martyrs
Of the sacred story protrayed in rch but sober
coors and the pavement reflects the soft spendor of
the glowing heaven above it in broad slabs
OF marble that to rise and fall beneath
our feet like the waters OF the lag0ons over
their rosy sands Somebody not content with installing
Mr. Duvenecks Portrait Of Professor for his picture
of the Coming Man "a enmOnths' baby in babyten-
der finds this interior of san Marco shaky in some of
its prOfessedy perpendicular and horizontal lnes'
This is queer criticism TO make picture of this
church in which, owing te the irregular settling
Of the foundations and the oesseess comeandgo OF cen
turles OF pilgrim feet there hardly horizontal or
perpepdcuar line TO be found. 1t is the most unreal
building the that shall see In wandering
over the wide world 1t is only corner OF this temple
that the artist shows us the space in front
of the that separates the sanctuary
OF precious marble and its marble statues of the
apostles the right and in the centre OF the picture
the larger Of the pulps OF the church This not
picture to be passed lightly by, but one to sit elsurey
down before aud study; best in the shifting light
and shade OF these late March days when the alter
natey darkenng and Frightening the veil Of clouds is
drawn and withdrawn makes startling Illusion. The
golden transeptends advance and retreat; the
Reflected i the Stabbed steps below
Mid aS star IN wafer
from the dome deepens and now fades; the sane
tuarys gloom with hangngs OF crimson and gold, its
alabaster columns its marble and bronze, the now
penetrates and now no more pierce and when In
the silent gallery the gloom from the rain-cloud over
comes us like canopy-the black sleek wharrats creep
out from crypt and push about the squares Of
mosaic the eyelas woowooed carpets, or Chamber
up the marble altar steps for consecrated crumbs.
Artists win be the first recognize the excellence OF
the painting this picure the richness and precision
OF the touch the sobrey Of the color which content
not say all revealing itself slowly but surely
to waiting eye; the truth of the perspective and the
sympathetic wayin which each material Is distinguished
do not know when such painting this has been pro
duced by an American nor is there living fTenchman
Engishman whose work in this kind could safely be
set beside II.
The artist shows an equal strength in his "Coming
Man." No. 81, although it takes much love Of painting
for paintings sake and much love OF ones kind to care
for this nasty little German baby. He Is in queer
MEDIEVAL babytender which he makes roll about on lrs
casters by vigorous of his sturdy legs. The htte
brat all alive n sturdy health goodnaured as the
day. and with confidence in the spectators sympathy
that ends by making friends OF all the world What the
Coming Man is TO be when he walks about without
the aid of baby-tender Is the line below where
Mr. Chase's Apprentice" looks out the universe
with imperturbable impartality, weighing us all in
the balance and finding all wanting. SO far as paint
ing is concerned this picture is good comment In itself
on Mr.. W. Hunts Portrait" No 80 Mr.. Duvenecks
90 Nnfa abadD ia Mr. but
whereas square inch of Mr. Hunts picture seems
TO say What next Z" welt content TO take Mr.
Duvenecks Coming Man lust it is, knowing that
he might paint on it year carry far beyond the
present state but knowing, too, that 1t is complete
enough without another touch Of the masters brush
Mr. Twachmann's Venetian studies are unequal IN In
terest they all show certain verify extremely val
uab after the OF the general OF artists
who take Venice in hand How real these sketches are
may be suspected at least by comparison with Mr..
Bnnners clever bat madeup Canal In Venice, NO lOi
butt is hard for any painter to resist the temptation to
make Venice look romantic than she really H.
Or rather that is not possible the temptation 20
make her romance derive elements other than the
real ones Is that the artist who should paint
Venice most literally would give his picture more
romantic look than VIC could well believe in This is
shown in these three sketches OF Mr. Twach
manu. the smallest the that shows corner Of the
wall that abuts on the canal with Its red rpots It's
struggling trcs its shelves for flowers stuck up any
where and everywhere; tidy undiness and confusion
without disorder; picuresqueness that comes Datur-
ally from the situation Of the dwelling and from the
going way Of life OF the inhabitants Here Is spot
the like Of which may be every hour n Venice and
which needs not the addition Of single stage-lr0pery
TO make il truly picturesque; that is, fit TO sit for its
picture There is a wide world between this naturasm
Turner's fairy visions where Venice looks Ike "some
gay creature Of the elements that in the coors OF tho
rainbow lives, and plays the plghted clouds"
bnVrav IA tugt In wa al