The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-09-17

covering with his skinny and claw-like
hands over his stores of gold, that plausible
narples are endeavoring to argue him to
part with, that lascivious sirens are en-
deavoring, by the display of their seduc-
tive personal charms, to entice him to
share with them, but which the greedy
wretch clings to with the tenacity of
despair, while still looking greedily upon
the harridans who pose unblushingly be-
fore him. The artist who produced this
little work, M. Couture, the eminent
French artist, whose magnificent
picture, the "Deeadence Of the Roman
Empire" IS or rather was, a few
years ago in the Luxembourg Gallery in
Paris, was one of the famous artists of mod
ern times. The writer of this had the
pleasure of meeting him in the French
capital in 1868; a medium. sized, stout gen.
tleman, with a mustache and hair sprin-
kled with gray, an enthusiastic, but already
then broken, man, who died some five
years later, with the reputation of being
one of the foremost of modern French
painters. His work on painting, published
some fifteen years ago, tells really little of
the means whereby either his or, indeed,
any. great pictures are produced, although
protesting to tell all. 1t was pleasure TO
near MS discourse upon art, since he was
the soul OF sincerity, as this picture shows,
and his detestation of the meritricious and
pretentious in art amounted almost t1 saw
agery. Weigh the miser in his own balance
and the balance of the art critics presu D.
posed in this article. As composition it
IS complete; the figures are grouped SO arti-
hcialiy that they appear to have combined
IN this picturesque attitude because they
could NOT assemble in any other position,
and therefore the art becomes nature, which
is the perfection of art. Withdraw from the
picture ten or twenty feet and the luminous
ness of the canvas follows you and insists
upon your recognition as far as you can
see 1t. The color is the perfection of har-
mony, the drawing leaves scarcely any,
thing to excel it, and the technique will
bear the closest inspection. How many of
the paintings in the collection will bear
these diverse tests of its excellence and
OF perfection? The little gem is he property
Mr.. IL. ii. Hoffman, and itshistorv sinceits
purchase has been quite curious and inter-
estlng There is a fine landscape by Thomas
Moran that in effect is really remarkable.
seen too near the execution is sloppy and
faulty to high degree, at a proper dis.
lance the very faults are virtues. The
group OF cabbage palmetto trees, barring
mat they are little heavy and thick, are
we'll expressed; the palmetto scrubs nearer
'he foreground are faulty when examined |
90 closely, but take their place admirably |
when you place yourself to take in the pic |
ure as whole. The morass towards the
ga and the road where the cattle are being
lriven hastily home may have the same
and the same euogy. The sky is
surprisingly beautiful one, and the mass
II luminous cloud is really superb. The
hover and clouds gathering behind the
roup OF trees is bit of very clever work.
low shall this picture be judged? Shall
We come with our spectacles and magnify
ng glasses and criticise the touches OF the
rush and declare it failure? Shall we
nayze the sienna in the warm tints of the
lorass or the deeper shades OF the cabbage
and declare it too hot a contrast
)r the grass of the road or the lights of the
1liage and grass? Shall we not rather
lace the picture at the focus where the
rtlst intended it to be placed and regard
ne completeness of the finished landscapeo
ontrast the luminous cloud with the dark
lin storm effects in juxtaposition and with
arm shadows of the trees, the tender blue
the distant sea and the tout ensemble
the composition. Such judgment
ems to us the true one, and hence the
'ads travelled by different artists to attain
le desired end if the end be at last at
lned, seems to broad intelligence after
OF but very little real consequence.