The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-10-23
A Richmond Artist in Munich.

Dear Dispatch: lC has been my lnteD-
ton for some time to give you an article
concerning the great picture-salleries, the
art-schools, and synopsis Of The doings and
workings Of artists in Munich. AS there is
really so very, very much to tell, shall
necessarily be brief, and make the article
continuous. I shall begin with the two
largest galleries of Munich-the Old and
New Pinakothek. ...
The New Pinakothek is an oblong, unpre-
tentious gray building, standing in Il simple
park about two-thirds rs large as our Capt.
tol Square. 1t is 36S feet long, 100 feet wide,
and 80 feet high, to tie prefecture OF that
part which lights the interior. The style Of
architecture is. Byzantine. The exterior
around the upper part is ornamented with
frescoes after the compositions OF kaulbach.
Exposed TO all kinds Of weather, they are
becoming somewhat dim, having been
executed in the year 1868. The interior is
divided into two floors-the lower floor be-
ing devoted to the exhibition OF porcelain
paintings, busts OF distinguished artistsand
learned men cast in plaster, photographs,
cartoons, &c. The upper floor is used for.
the exhibition OF oil-paintings exclusively,
being divided into six large and fives smaller
saloons and fourteen cabinets. AS it would
take up too much time and space to give a
detailed description Of the paintings in this
beautiful gallery, l shall only stop to look at
such as would interest you.
In the first saloon is the celebrated pic
ture by Karl Won Piloty, the present director
OF the Munich Academy Of Painting
"Thusnelda in the trinmphal procession OF
Germanicus." This is very elaborate
painting; believe the largest ever painted
by this artist. In the same saloon is his
s.The astrooser Semi before the corpse OF
Wallenstein," considered q finer piece OF
work than the first. "The Deluge,' by
Karl Schorn, is also in this saloon. This is
very impressive and beautiful piece Of
work. Through the artists death it 1e-
mains unfinished. The expression Of the
different faces is very realistic. The dead,
dying, and living are wonderfully grouped.
It is one OF those paintings which, when
once looked upon, are never to be for
gotten. The figures are more than life-slZe.
| Three Of such paintings would easily cover
the front OF the Dispatch building. In the
next saloon we find the "Destruction OF
jerusalem" by Kaulbach. This is also an
| immense canvas, the figures being life-size.
| There are twenty-five paintings in the
| building by this artist. The walls OF the
remainder Of the saloons and cabinets are
covered with large aud small works by emil
nent artists, every branch of painting beng
represented. A. mass, there is too much
convcntionality in the paintings to give
them any great consideration. Here and
there we find canvas with some origi-
nality.
The purpose of this building is to receive
the works OF the new school of painting
| ony-in the Old Pinakothek we find the old
| masters. The only painting by an Ameri-
can artist that is catalogued in either the
| new or the old gallery is 4 "View of Giar-
| dino di Malta at Rome" by Washington
Al!ston, in the New Pinakothek. In this
building there are about $50 paintings. The
| Old Pinakothck Situated in the adjoining
park} has so much similarity with the New
that hasty description OF the building is
unnecessary. This is the most interesting
resort for artists and lovers Of art in Mu-
Mich. The lower floor Of this building is
devoted to the exhibition OF valuable en-
cravings, etchings, water-colors, &C.; the
| collection being an excellent one. The
place is continually well patronized in IA
yorable weather by copyists. Ascending
| the immense stairway to the upper floor we
enter. The beauty of visiting these places
! to look at the pictures is, one never finds
them uncomfortably crowded. Every
where we find people copying. l be-
| leve they have the finest collection OF orig
| inal Rubens's here. Vandyke, Velazquez,
and Murillo are well represented. OF the
latter we find those beautiful paintings OF
the street-boys that have been chromoed all
| over the world. The small cabinets filled
with the old Dutch masters are really mag
| nificent. Some Of the still lires here OF
these men are the finest in the world. One
thing noteworthy on every occasion when
T visited these galleries, on all sides heard
comments in English. One can ind Ameri-
cans and Englishmen here at any time. In
this old gallery there are more than four
hundred pictures, the size varying from
about eight inches square to some as large
| as any in the New Pinakothek.
Very respectfully, your obedient servant,
NJ. HOTTIES.