Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1882-08-02


Powerful realistic art can only be pro-
duced under certain very definite restricted
conditions. The model must be steadily
fixed for some hours together in an unohang-
ing aspect before the artist, however rapidly
he may work, gets into his work that exact
likeness and the precise details which gives
to such painting a striking look of realism.
The art which seeks to put into form an
impression, an inspiration, works from
mental vision. So strong is the impression,
so complete the inspiration of such Iltans as
Pheidias, Titan and Turner, that the exact
ness with which essential truths are seized by
such mental vision as they were evidently
possessed of, is greater than the exactness of
most of those artists who initiate nature for
the sake of the realistic qualities only.
Modern art has developed its own special
kind of realism, and Mr.. Millais has, in some
of his finest works, blended such realism
with poetry and pure sentiment in most de-
lightful and original manner. 1t is not the
realism which we find in such works as 1.-THE
Huguenots," "The Northwest Passage, ="
'sEfie Dean" it is wished here to depreciate !;
it is the idea, an idea which emanates chiefly
from foreign schools of painting, but which
has most destructively affected our own Eng
lish school, that it is a worthy aim for an ar
tist to treat realism as an end IN itself, IN
stead of a means of expression. 1t is the
over balancing all other aims in art by the
desire of producing the effect of reality,
toward the finest quality in natures laws,
! that of perfect balance for by such an
over balancing many modern realists defeat
| their own aim. In art as in othsr matters it
| is obvious that the exaggeration in one direc-
| ton will end by destroying the virtue OF
| those very qualities for which others are sac
riiced What the eye sees without reference
| to association, thought or emotion, can never
i satisfy as complete vision any civilized hui
| man being whose culture embraces the
| thoughts and history of past and the aspI-
| rations toward future. The English popu-
lar taste has never demanded the lnteliectua!
| element in art, SO the short-coalng interest
in Mr.. Millais' genius has not stood in the
| way of his popularity. But it is to be
| doubted whether his popularity would ever
have become really great and stable had he
| in his less recent work left out emotional
sentiment. No one can justly say there Is
| want of ''heart'' in Mr.. Mi]lais' genius. how
| ever little he may choose to put into some OF
| his later works; and his dexterity, as q
| painter proves the power of his hand. Per
| haps it may be in Mr.. Millais' case more pre-
| else to call the third ingredient the eye, fol
| it may be doubted whether he has much ma
| tive facility of touch. AS servant to his
eye, which is splendidly accurate, his han6
| works with touches of almost unrivalec
| force; but that instructive touch, the result
of the whole nature being permeated with {
sense of beauty, which unconsciously hie
over the canvas, leaving in its tract always
| some suggestion of beauty, as in the sketche
by Reynolds, such facility of touch we d.
not find in Mr.. Millais' painting. If he hur
ries he smears, if he generalizes he daubs
still, when he means an effect should come
however much time and labor it may cos
him, the hand can carry out the effect. Th
real short coming is in the intermediate in
gredient. Mr.. Millais seems to havo becom
more and more callous to the value of the in
tellectual quality in art The world in gene
raj has of late years become more and NOR
callous as to its value. Mr.. Millais has prob
ably influenced the public taste by giving
fascinating work which has so little though
in it. and the public taste has probably infu
enced Mr.. Millais by being SO enthusiastically
| deliphted with such art.