The New York herald., 1879-01-06
LITERATURE.
A French Critic on the Present
State Of Art.
THE BATTLES OF THE CIVIL WAR.
A Lords "reminiscences The
Story Of Liberty"
CHARLES BLANC ON ART AT THE PARIS EXPO

CHARLES BLANC ON ART AT THE PARIS EXPO
sITIoN.
NJ Charles Blanc, member of the French Academy.
of the Academy of Fine Arts. and Professor OF
Esthetics at the College of France has republshed
in book form-Librairie Renouard, Paris-under the
title Lies Beaux Arts iExpostion Universelle de
1873" the interesting. scholarly and eminenty read
tble series of fortnightly articles which he con-
rbuted to the Partisan newspaper LIE Temps After
,eventy-two pages devoted to architecture at the
Exposition. including the main buildings and those
erected by the different nations, the author passes to
sculpture. and opens his critique by saying. 'Who
viii explain this singular phenomenon? Sculpture
is the art for which the French school has the most
aptitude and the French public the least taste! One
may even say that the skilled 'our artists
in this art the more the public Is in
different to it, And again, 1T is true With
out doubt, that sculpture would perish i'll France
If it not protected by that parsonage who
represents the general interests and who is called
the State" He says that in sculpture France holds
the first rank among the nations of the world. In
Italy it is endemic art; in Germany and
Austria Hungary it has the vices of ocalism and ser
vile imitation of classic styles. and in England
though that country exposed several remarkable
works-thcre is in all, even in the best OF the
works. something of a savage flavor. The writer con-
cludes this resume by stating that there is hardly any
true sculpture to-day ont of France.
NJ. Blanc in opening his chapters on painting
says:-'.Whatever may be our love for France and
partialty for all that goes to make up It's glory,
it is impossible for not to render homage to the
truth, at least to what to the truth, in
saying that to-day French painting is like tree that
still produces fine fruit but in which the sap
to grow feeble and in need of rejuvenaion.
The passion which formerly stirred it, together
with the struggles for supremacy, have long since
ended The energetic temperaments the artists with
deep convictions, the souls Of strong stamp like
Ingres, the soaring natures like Eugene Della
croix, have disappeared and if there are painters
who bring credit to the they forbear to mount
to the heights. We have very few artists who
seek the subjects which an elevated style al
lows; those who. instead of offering the fastdious
repetitions Of realsms, carry where poetry gives
form to all its dreams and an air Of truth to all its
fctions. A few minutes walk in the galleries
served to tria-Hungary for example, sufices to
make us feel that there is. in the painting which
comes to us from that country, o youth an abund-
ance, juice, q substance, an enthusiasm which is
not seen in our think of our national art and
that Of this people-the first as gentleman who
wears with distinction q threadbare coat. and the
second provincial. newly clad in garments
whose gloss is not yet worn off," The causes of
this the author traces to the worldliness Of the
French artists Of the time; to their mingling
much with the world and thereby losing the bene-
fits of isolation. When they lived apart from the
world they were not infected with Gallo rony they
could be original. rare. fearless vivifed without
fearing the raileries of the press, without being
stopped in their ighto Of imagination by the thought
of ridicule. Living with the world they think them
selves but mirror of it and their true duty the im
tation of their land. its customs and denzens They
aspire to be not of all time but of one. to talk
natl cad Of ha of m
ing in France is not indigenous. in Italy;
it is acclnated plant which needs protec-
tion. and official sunshine. The French
have always been better scupors and architects than
painters and musicians The true fruits Of French
genius literature and dramatic art. Among the
French painters of note there is not OF those who
have produced high art whose works are not second
hand-inspired by that Of others.
In painting the fathers expressed where the sons
now initiate. Formerly paintings thought out
and composed before painted; they are produced
without forethought But the cooks Of the paint
of Kitchens table, furniture and vegetables con-
slider themselves equal the masters in style they
are placed on art jures like them and affect kindly
compassion for David and Ingres. That there are
still artists in France who have heart the dignity
of their art and who paint Ia 9rande peinte due
chiefly to the school OF Rome.
After critcising in detail the works of the French
bcHOOs tuc Wrlter taxes nasty tour through the
exhibits of the rest of Europe omitting
entirely to note anything American. and
concludes his volume follows:-"Up to
the present the pre-eminence belongs to our
country. Here it is that produced-foreigners
concede 1t themseves-the finest works in architec
ture painting, sculpture Of the glyptic art and en-
craving. Nevertheless there are in Europe symp-
toms which must be looked to, and it is lucky that
we have been able in magnificent and serious ex-
hibition of the products of the world to establish
comparisons. the differences and the various de-
grees to which the water mark OF humanity rises.
This universal competition teaches that art is
awakening in Greece and in Italy, is undergoing a
transformation in Spain, sleeps in Portugal; England
individuslizes IL curiousy Belgium cultivaes IL with
success and love and Germany sustains its honor;
but saddens in Holland vegetables in Denmark lives
in small style in Sweden and shivers in Russia.
Switzerland has 1t only in fragments; AustriaHun
gary alone seems to have conceived the noble am
bition TO lead day. at least painting and this is
not impossible If II be true, Fourier says, that
attractions proportonatc to destinies."