New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-04
ROSSErTI AND HIS FRIENDS
An ARTISTS MEMORIES OF THE PRE-
RAPIIA ELITES
EARLY DAYS OF TIE D-PERsoNAi
CHARACTERISTICS OF ROssETTL MILIAIs, NoRfi

AND OTHERS.
To ne razor Of The Tribune
SIR: The death of Dante Gabriel Rossett mas
naturally revived interest i'll all things connected
with the pre- Raphaclitc school Of painting of which
ne was one of the first founders My "reminiscences
of the Order though rot very extensive, are early
and may be acceptable to the admirers OF those
pointcrs and poets who are now famous ana OF
whom Dante Rossetti was by means the least dis
tincuishcd
Through the dim haze of tobacco smoke and thirty
years of time sec n group OF young men with Icing
clay pipes in their mouths and cups of coffee con-
veniently at hand seated around n dimly lighted
studio filed with obscure corners, giant shadows OF
easrls running up the walls and the ceiling,
and weird forms of lay figures draped In white.
These were all artists or poets, mostly members OF
the new order Of pre- Raphacte Brothers, who were
wont 10 meet at each others studios and talk art
poetry and me aphyscs, RECALLING themselves with
| coffee and tobacco nothing mOre) up TO nncanny
hours of The morning. Those ] can only clearly re-
call at this distance OF time Dante and William
RossettI Millais, Hunt, Wooner lthc sculptOr
William North and Coventry Patmore, both the last
poets Il is needless to say they were all enthusiasts
in art though think metaphysics occupied more
of our conversation than poetry or painting
Az that time the brotherhood were publishing
a small magazine called The GERM which name they
pronounced, afcctedly some OF us asserted, cor
rectly as they maintained with the q hard. lhls
Germ was their organ. each number OF winch con-
tanned a copper-plate etching, generally Of a very
straight female with some of her limbs at right
angles to the body. but still wrought ont with
great accuracy in detail. Such was the illustration
to the first number, by Milais female ligure IN
profile perfectly straight and perpendicular, with
one leg raised from the knee and projecting behind
at right angles 10 the body. She was supposed to
be irving to detach a bramble which had caught
her dress. Another etching represented n horl-
zona man PROSTATE on the grass, holding MS mead
in his hands. not player would cricket pail IN
catching il, but more woman would an apple
dumping in making il. This attitude was intended
to express great mental anguisl-and perhaps IL
did. BY the side of the horizontal man stood
perpendicular woman. " catching her head on thc
fly 4" in the recognized baseball fashion. Both these
etchingS illustrated poems. TO this magazine both
the Rossettis as well as their sister, supplied sew
eral poetical contributions and the whole thing
was written by the little circle Of art refOrmers.
| remember at one of these tobaccOnalian meet
ings Dante Rossctti being somewhat piqucd mt
rather harmless joke of William North. The con-
vcrsatIon had somewhat turned upon the Apocry-
pha, as it apt to turn upon almost everything
from the price of lard to the immortality of the
soal and someone spoke of Christs supposed mira
Gle of putting life into the twelve mud sparroWs
and causing them to fly away.
''Rossett" cried North, eagerly, chat wonld
make a splendid subject for picture for you
GLOW !" qucricd Rossetti, dubioIsly, but with
some interest," for he was given to painting religious
subjects; / don't see"
"Don't you see r. repeated North.
GO" answered ROssetti.
Don't you see what splendid opportunity for
artistic effect ii gives yOup
"No, don't! How does it"
"Why, don't you see you could put the figures on
one side and place all the sparrows in a row, on the
top of a wall, in the centre of the picture"
Rossetti felt that he had been trihed with and
turned away with an exclamation of impatience.
When bantered or criticised about the angularty
or any other eccentricity of their work. their favor
lite and final answer Invariably was, "We!l, that is
the way see nature ;" till at last the phrase be-
came a bywOrd with those who were given 10 quiz
zing them. and the most prcpOserous caricatures
were drawn by some of the unbelcvers and Justl- |
fed on the ground that that is the way / ma
turc" OF this party MaIs not only the most
successful but was also the acknowledged artistic
chief. At the age OF nineteen he was receiving |
600 year from a London silversnith for making |
designs for his wares About this time he eXhb- |
tied his first picture in the Royal Academy. think
this was his first but if not, 1t least his first
Christ in the carpenters shop. He is standing
among cedar shavingS by a workbench IN such an
attitude as to throw a shadow in the form of
on the wall behind He has just wounded his hand,
from which drops of blood have fallen on his feet,
prcflguring the wounds of his future crucityiOn. |
Both the crucial shadow and the drops of blood |
were considered wonderfully poetic conceptions |
by the Brothcrh lod This picture must have been |
the inspiration Of Holman Hunts painting recently |
exhibited in this country, since he employs the |
same trek for it scarcely deserves better namel
of the shadow on the wal, and in other respects
treats his work in similar spirit
Mlais was of Norman-Frcnch origin and had
Norman face. His father was. believe, clergy |
man of the Church Of England. and man of sufii-
ccnt means to enable his son 10 pursue his studies
without check or embarrassment II is sad that
both his parents look deep interest in their sons
pursuit even to the extent at least As far ~ the
father WAS concerned, of mixing hs colors for him.
to which fac; smc less favored and less SSful
artists attribute large measure OF his professional
advancement. "
Rossctti was Of 1t allan parentogc and showed his
origin in his face; the editor Of a London paper,
who describes him rs typcaIly English, to the con.
trary Notwithstanding. lle had roundish oval
face, black hair and large, dark, soft eyes that
were decidedly Latin. He was an unaffected, |
kind-heartcd, generous fellow with very genial
manners. know oi one case where he was al much
Mains and expense to execute very delicate private
ssion for friend IN Nev-YOrk, and that. too
when he knew il was labor lost and that the case
was hopeless and worthless. In packing of it,, he
said "Of course | carried out poor North's Wishes
but saw at once that he was entirely deceived and
would find it out sooner or later" His paintings
he made il IA rule never to exhibit: whether from
principle pqGr ! an unable 10 say, but am
half inclined TO think tina; he almost regretted his
early resolve in aftcrfe, for ten years later he said
to me IN ms studio On the banks of the Thames:
Perhaps this course OF mine may not have been the
wisest on the whole but | never have exhibited,
and it is too late to begin now" This studio in
winch found him after my absence of decade IN