New-York tribune., 1879-10-18
COUTURE AND WILLIAM NJ. HUNT.

COUTURE AND WILLIAM w. HUNT.
WAS THE BOSTON ARTIST An ADMTER oF rHB
FRENcHMAN'-MR. CLARENCE COOK REPLIES 10
sUSDRY CRITICISMS.
To fhs EdffOr Of The Trtbune
SIR The letter of your Boston corresponds
b." published The TRIBUNE OF the lItb INST.
full II per-mptOry contradictions OF almost an the
monts contained IN my letter the drsfh Of the lato
William ". Hunt. The most OF these contradictions
merely TO that b." does Lot thlak 10. aud
my opinions to me well founded as those II
b." and as see reason for exchanging mine FOR
his. 1 will dismiss these particular contradictions
briefly possible. When. however B" says that am
all wrong about Mr. Hunts feeling for Couture. and
that he not only did not worship thar artist. but
gretted The time had spent IN hls studio. bound
protest II Mr. Hunt did not time cry aloud
th- OF Thomas Couture, and teach all OF BIS genera
ton to admire him. who It tnat taught themi
Mr.. Hunt entered Couiure's studio, anu no enc WHO
knows how strong tns man Nls IN tie express
sion Of his iugs. aud bow enersetcaly d. iabored
convert bi, views. viii doubt that having
taken Couture for a ter. admring hin ana bel.ev-
him. he would. from the necessity Of his nature.
try 20 make veryboty he could reach bis
4usiasm This i what actually took place. and no 0ne
az tnat time except Mr. Hu could have made ~ all
flock the shrine the painter Of the " Decadence'
Ia Cure aud the page and the Falcon Ispcak for
myself WHO knows, for va nrst indocrrinafed
Hunt who were also his pupils. am astouished %
hear the fact of admiration doubted, though dare
say he Of it, Ike the rest Of us and at
the end Couture have stood for as little with him
he dd with the rest Of ths wOrld-with everybody,
indeed except Couture himself and those Older pupils
of Mr. Hunt wno remained true 10 the principles tuey
had mbiDed from their teacher IA The be,inuilg. <. To
the ast COuture's pupils were chiefly. n not exclu-
svey, Americans. mostly Bost0uiaus, aud some of
them, AZ least. former pupils of Mr. Hunt VIII not Do
unjust % Mr. Hunts memory O. believe that he
regretted the spent in CDuture's sfudO l. would
have shown much insrautude IN him had le really
done 80, FOR, certainly, lie owed 20 Couture great
stimulus and almost the entire material OF which hs
art practice consisted, While his Talks on Art"
suggests Couture az every sep-as much. thar
B.stonan suggest Frencnman. Nay, who eau
.ook AZ Mr. Hunts pictures aud not see Couiurr IN
them, not merely tle way of looking at the molel
and IN tie laying o. the pant. bur n tine earlier pc
lures In the morbid Of watch has n
fcctei for the time. tle pupl To Mlrt whom Will -
many others Mr.. Hnni cane 20 admir- lis PICTURES
bear no TX whatever Now, Mr. HUNT was. -
licyc of rgnr rr-ine-. and ue could never u cold
blood hive regretted tle lrA-ces that lll.e hm hAt
be nnd proud 90 b~. II be cid rssret Them,
p,rience. For rememher % have nosri a certain
from Coleridse. say most Injurious things Il that
teacher, and regret IN -pokeu dn-t aud ashrr mat n
helped HIM % rise higher than Coeridge ana le -corrd
the base drgTres oy which ne aii aseeud couture
. i.A' ~ l' i SV4' ,r R fb mann cbsr.c II J. ~. @tfr
But he says II is not regarded by moe VINO were
familiar with Mr. Hunts arife A. misfortune hat
Le was absorbed IN French masters" Wei I'D
not lay mat those p-r.ons d.d regard tle net
SAID mat myse. regarded DO a. msforifnc far aim.
tud fos aii of us. ana suppose ! may b- ai 0eh %
keen ms op nion !ich was formtd ffom 4 Anowledge
ol NJ. Hunts work, and without consult irion VIII
those iamlllar with That gen eman'- Hri-fr. " B."
SAYS my Statement t.at tn- ABSORPTION tlc French
scaoo restricted Sr Hunts powers % CHAT De- wasted
hI, the and our. u p"rtrai painting. !, as unjust
AZ 10 can well Dr" uud untrue beside. Hs flat
Mr. Hunt made no distinction 10 tne sentiment tiat
ue Thought De- improved upon an drai -n et ana nat
Of A pOTirat' / ca.nOf make much org nf fl.s queer
a ,rer . m % and ih '. as. .. w w,, nGI. Wr
Hunt. inrver a portrait bv Mr. Huur fhat had tho
boz mad tur sn m tli portrait ol ideal suh-rf 'wa- an
sad ,s much no doubt 10 some trrncnant. COM
psuen-ivc anu witty phrase. and all h pups .er 10 IA
, n, -1, e ri , f,... ,yLo neither b. va f.e fhin,
iAeusryes believe that Ir. Hunt oe ieycd it long
fr1,f- of r lro,t ana fhe Back R1v 7, - sarfnv a
painting poetry Mr. Hunt may. may nut. Dave been
i -frat artist, out he knew too nneh f9r That.
teaching or portrait painting lie loved teach. I'D
regretted ti nis portraits c"uo no. p- og. ti on QUO
sret, wondering W hy M Hunt .aoa. have wished 70
,uch Am nconsrnous apectlc.e WI mri y rrn-a41
tAat confined 4y Il ienrni To- tLe cAbie..iou OK ny
own ieeiins | tA.uk AID shall iear, con
t@acuing. II came 10 uttle. teaching, hat % has
lnpel upon aL ule wotk done Dy women 10 Boston,
nd much of tnr work dore Dy mru. le -Ien nisnua
r clever artist Wh" vas strong ehoush lo poe ~
20 his Aolc bu' wn0 was nlt strong Ell lgn 10
a
letter rke- The clear pruyurli note. Al tls Hrl-ora
aiuauon oi Mr HUT, 'l', te iouc.e ei the earth Ike
ne" business, this -weafin- for hiul l~f all
ard ertaiuv. very bad for stU o. could not
haye happened there had been public square infO
the hight ~ which not only his WORK uUt Uaf ot all
artists could have been bru-ht; There hld ben tle
OF On ink tlem face 90 i.Cc with tlc work
Of nen acknowledged greats a. thcg. had u'en Well
developed rr-rtdfton ~ fnn community crratri and
sustained by generation upon generation of artists
lu there such conditions B.~fe u any
where else 10 our America and NJ Hut suffered nv
fls l-o.n o. al DO IL lIs mi-furfuLc 20
iyr and work almost exclusively among women. and
his DC were too Ofteu judged and passed upon
lu pdgnr-. aud pefwtcn the niifn-s az faLs. one
aruld hardly believe that ptr-ona admiration eo.ld
swallow up fhe good sense aud perception uf people
lt-l.y educated DY books ana travel hut tie ogpor
seeing the best that n, been Ia ART
u the world, as happen 4 ln Boston IA ihc
o. it4uf. rsillttfIn~r reading utiur
nrW-parer collmu- ~ authority. that Mr. Huurs
Triupcf-r" tine artisric outcome
civil War Never sAdll / forget inY atOnl- ment On
-reiuE the picture hrIa. a.drdf Thought. " What
European VINO should come from the frequent study
great work. lu whatever LoIyr., LfhLI. or
Vatican. aud should be told fhat tnl- great
picture oy -rrat artist tLai, N Fact % Was tac eat
af'fsfc uHeunc of tremendous civil war. huf would
De- IuiuffunQcrcl" And how brlifflng must have
III, Ct Hrtl-t The puulc. of such
ldu.sfiDn a.ily and hourly administered. G.
Seic-I York; Oct. l6. l-7s
SAFETY CAR ON RAILROAD TRAINS.
To me Edtt0r Of The TFtbuHe.