New-York tribune., 1880-06-27
HORACE GREELEYNrHEsALoN
ARsENE HoUssAYE ON TIE NEW PORTRAIT

Horace Greeley the founder of THE NEw-foRk
TRIBUNE After the Holy Alliance of Kings, while
we wait for the Hsly Alliance of the People,
| there is confraternity of thinkers The
Grand movement of the two Revolutions. American
and French, has made the New World
fruitful as well as the Old. Out Of this
| movement came brave and lofty men,
who sought to be in advance Of their age,
and who gave 1t the mark, or less elevated OF
their own personality. Horace Greeley was one OF
| those men. SO when he passed into the
land of death-a sOmbre but radiant land says VIC
| tor Hugo-he left to his country thor
oughly vital work. Here IL the ideal Of every
gifted man-to leave life that survives death, as the
sun at its setting still illumines the sky.
An American, Mr.. john Davis, has painted HOT
ace Grseley think he has sacrificed too much to
truth in dlvesting his form of all 'dealty. Not tnao
he has failed to give 1t the vivid light of intelli-
gence; but il is certainly In bad taste to
paint a gentleman in his shirt-SeeveS The
founder of The TRIBUNE can hardly
have desired to be painted in this way
for exhibition at Paris especially where our polti-
clans, our Journalistic, our artists never show
themselves in such unceremonious toilet. You
may smoke your cigar in the face OF the public you
may cake the public into your private apartments.
but even If you wear pea-jacket you must put on
your cuffs as CarOlus Duran did last year and he Is
above all things realistic painter.
II.
The portrait is the test of the painter All the
great masters painted admirable portraits; Mi
chael Angelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, Hobein.
Velasquez. Rubens, Rembrandt, without speaking OF
the supreme Venetians or Of the French and English.
In the portrait there should be valiant
struggle with nature. The painter who
does not give to tho portrait the forco
of truth and the accent OF the soul is not great
artist he is an artist who passes life by and paints
only DEATH
It has always appeared to me that the best school
is that which puts the young artist face to face with
living figure L do not like either marble or plas'
ter casts. The professors say they arc use
full to teach style; but Nature herself teaches
style to him who is gifted with the poetic
sentiment. There arc, moreover, always two sorts
of painters-thoSe who paint anew the pictures OF
the Greeks and those who paint contemporary pic
tures-for to every man who knows how
to see, even IL he is still at school,
Is not Nature always the same Nature
that she has been for two thousand years
Does she not always produce pro1les that
are naughty and others that gentlei tho su-
prone attitudes Of grace the poetry OF strength.
az well as the poetry Of softness the maneof the
ion as well the smile of the child 1t is, there
fore, always with an emotion Of sympathy that
study the art of portraituro. If the face which 1t
has painted speaks to my mind or my heart stop
suddenly. that it may speak to me againj enterinto
it's life even though it IS stranger to me. Whatever
face it may be- t is q specimen of humanity IL has
the right to interest in me the philosopher tho poet
the man. Molierc, who never went up intO Olym-
pus save for the purpose of mocking che gods twi-
ness his Amphytronl, says that to get an idea OF
God We must study man, because man. with all his
misery and his weakness. proves by his energy in
the struggle of each day that he carries IN himself
the power of tho creation. Every man has his quar-
ter of an hour of divinity.
This was man that Mr. Davis has painted, for
lie was n creator. endowed with prodigious vital
force. The painter wished TO symbolic this force
by representing the great journalist in forest
armed with an axs resting from tho toll OF the brain
by the toll of tho arms
Whoever tries to prove too much proves nothing.
Herein is the error OF all symbolic minds. BY paint
ing Horace Greeley in this fashion. Mr.. Davis be-
widers the mind OF the spectator 1t Is not In the
forest that the great journalist should be painted.
but rather in tho crowd. dominating it with his
words, quoting or agitating the ebb aud dow OF
popular feeling by the majesty Of his ideas, as
Lamartile did in 1913. Bnt that would have
made picture and Mr. Davis only wished to make
portrait.
Then why did he not paint Horace Greeley IN his
editorial office, with meditatlYe brow and q pen In
his handH Nothing wonld have hindered him from
placing on one side, at his foet, copy of The
TRIBUNE, which sets many doas in motiop, and
which from the new world gives lessons to the old.
On the other side might have rested the wO0dman's
haChet with boughs Of olive or Of oak freshly
cut. Here would have been background that
wonld have liked much better than this forest
which resembles tho Forest OF Dondy, with tho hand
Of beggar soliciting charity. TN
It Is useless to symbolic thus the heart, always
open to good, of tho former Editor Of The TRIBUNE.
Every one knows that the editor of newspaper IS
by the force of things man Of charity. Every
public man belongs 10 the public body and soul.
1t is there. above all. that nObesso obliGe. l
Now that have said all my thought about tho
unlucky symbolism Of Mr.. Davls's picture, return
to him in all sympathy because there is painter
in him: From my pen this is no moderate praise.
This American artist, who will not lose his time
If he remains few years with us, has painted from
his memory or from photographs, living face, for
happily the best part of this picture is the face
This man lives by tho thought. the mind ard the
soul, as we'll as by the power Of the blood (;
the eye Is keen. the mouth is about to speak;
you seize an expression at once of ralery and of
kindness tho head is powerful. There is Partisan
journalist who does not give his hand with right |
good. will TO this journalist of New-York.
The wood painted by Mr. Davis lacks neither sap |
nor odor. These are nOt zinc trees like those We
saw so many of nt our Exposition. Their branches !
seer, to sport with tho cool breeze. We would |
willingly try an axe on this forest, which ut first |
view. seeing it dominated by journalist took to
DO the forest Of rTeludioes.
III.
When Emile de Girardin had himself painted, 1t |
was 1 who furnished him with his painter
Carolus Duran. lie wanted to be represented in
the exercise of his func ions seated at his
desk. gold pen in his hand, the forehead
thoughtful, the mouth menaoing. because truth is
always armed or else she would be told to 90
her own way. The portrait of the celebrated pub
cist Is Duran's chef guvre of life and color, of