New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-04-24
urNKICSY'S TASTES IND TfLENTS.


From The N cr1ran Art Errirr
In spite Of the production lac has shown for sub
.rt, of earnest at times even of more than tragic
uurur No one l. further from being morbid ~ the
least degree than Muukac,y. OF a saugninr-
nervous temperament. his disposition l. amahir
and huoyant. though never h"l'irr9uS. here Is
moi one drop of gall m his heart, and while krrnly
sensitive To- nu-tIrr and WONG he Nrrin- luraphnc
of returning II with 'umitV One might easily l',
led to form an ideal of hun from hs works. assisted
hy hi personal appearance, ~ i"n~iNr dreamer
fnud uf the sulitndr of u world Pr"plrd only WIN
the creations of his Imagination But such an ldrhl
vould be- utterly unlike thr real Munlat~y. The
physician Who upon similar grounds ilncmd
(iiualdI To DEE the happi',i man ln Inc worm was
not more mistaken. Ne uuc Is tond'r ol ~o'lct, anu
the hauuts of men than the painter of Milton.
IN pus,-ldnri hr took danciug-l, >-on~ Whii" M Wac
AZ work on his tragedy of The tondrinu'd, ana
one of the earliest investments ho made OF III" FIRST
iu.talnrn of H. price Was {" rrut lauituI by Inc
season AZ the theatre. At ball, and parties hr en-
io,rd himself To- an almost feminine dcgr"e and
at the MakaSten hc shared ia the widest n'rIrt
without any other stnulaut than the l"vournr~~ col
biz own nature. The Hungarian, are dnnLrrN' a. q
nation to an cXionf which has been ap"lor/rd Tor
nn the srorr of the vile taste of the water of the
Pu,lia. which contains ~alprirr and soda and the
practice of The German painters N,rins based upon
The dIcium of Luther:
wcr nicht ncnt Vein, Web md Gcsang,
Der hlcbt cu Narr scin Lch' ulang
Yet. do~pst the examples and temptation, around
linn Muuhac,y rarely ever drank wine. still moro
..llnrn beer and never spirits. Champagne indeed
hr was fond of, and would order " lth Proiu,r hos
ptaity on occasion; but having bcrn introdncrd'
on his first Visit 10 IHrl~ 10 an American SOFIA iuun
tain n the Boulevard Dies ltalicn-, hr seemed tu llhd
I'M that frOthy compound beverage that he liked
rnually we'll If indeed lac did not prefer Il To the
,intAgcs of Az and Marcuil.
Among other social TALENTS which Muukacsy has
cultivated. and IN which hr cNccs, are tho~" "i act
ing in private thratncals and prc>tidigiiiilon.
Every great man has his pet vanity. knauS. Tor
instance. took moro pride in the strength of his arm
and the circumference of his hiccp~ than In anything
rI-r-at least until hs wife presented him with "a
male rosebud ~ his garden of girls. Alexandra
Duua, anil Ro-.inl affected 10 hc cooks par crocifHce
Iribi- weakness like that of knau~ l. his ply seal
strength. and MunkarSys IL cOnJuring and the APP
plai%c earned 10y sore dcNtcrons sright of hand
uiNr, him moro pleasure than any compliment pald
10 his painting
Like the genuine Partisan that hc has become he
rarely leaves Paris. except to make an occasional
visit 10 the Chateau de COlpach, the cOuntry-sca
near Metz which his wife inherited from her first
husband the Barun de Marches. He has the same
need of a world of men, of populous streets tllht
Charles Dickens suffered on account of az Times, 81
which longing on one occasion Madame Munkacsy
related an amuSing illustration. On their wedding
tnur they visited Venice route to Hungary, and
the lady described the impression made upon her
conpanion by the SEA Cybcle "A oppressive al
mnt as nightmare. On the night of their arrival,
as their gondoa threaded the labyrinth OF silent
canals between miles Of frDwning palaces, Mlhaly
crrd ont almost in agonizng tones TO DO taken back
IN human haunt-,-any where,-whcre only living
beings might I've seen and heard. Iaris charmed
him from tho first and on his second visit there he
wrote " Existence in Dusseldorf appears TO me SO
unlcarable now that must really pity you and all
the more because | am 80 happy here that 1t even
seems wrong done 10 the friend who shared all the
dull days for mo 10 DO enjoying tho bright ones
alnnA." He was offered in1"e>;-.-c.i.s to g2 y
do so he removed his ateer TO the worlds capital
where he found home congenia as TO Justify al
most the claim Of Albert VIOLA in tho Figaro
Munkacsy is o French painter, born IN Hungary"