New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-02-23


perhaps retained more archaic treatment and dis
tribution than was usual with other painters, it
was never tue slave of material, but appealed by
meutal images rather than by the rigid imitation Oh
| facts The poetic idea rather than tue me
| cbanical execution. is tho leading object OF the
work" Mr.. Sharp remarks that the student OF ART
Is generally taught first to attain mastery over
FORM then to strive fora corresponding result Win
color, and finally TO tn ink Of the poetic ldea Dut
Rossetti reversed this process; he thought hrst OF
his poetic motif next of its representation through
his marvellous powers of color lastly OF form
matter in which he never attained the highest
technical power. for his drawing was often sngu-
larry faulty Hi had all the Greek love and venera-
ton for the beautiful but none of the Greek tond-
ness for light clearness and severity of outline Ills
| spirit was more akin to the uothiC instinct OF in-
dtiniteness and elaboration, the harmonies OF dii-
fused color, and the supernatural fancles anu ueop
| symbolism Of the myJtcs. The hardness ana ahgu-
| larIty which popularity supposed TO Do charac-
terstc of the Preraphaelites are observable only In
his earlier works, painted before tho significance Oh
! color took hold his imagination. IhronBhout
Mr. Sharp's analysis of the paintings the details OF
color are described with great care and the attec-
Tomato pains which he expends upon this task are
rewarded by what he must look upon as the most
satisfactory result for ne certainly conveys to road
| ers who have never seen the works deep impress
sion Of splendor. richness and ssnsuous charm. In
| this Venetian afuence of color and in spirituality
of expression M Sharp holds Rossetti to be unri-
vailed In our times There is another aspect OF his
art which is moro open TO debate. Rossettrs types
OF beauty not universally accepted; but our
author defends them with ardoI. It's in hsfemale
facial beatty that Rossett has surpassed all living
painters. 1t s surely admissible to say that he mas
given an individual spiritual significance 10 the
| female face such a. art has not vet recorded, in
vested IL with a charm of spiritual beauty wholly
| original Tho type may or may not be OF the high
| est may OF may not appeal to many, but 1t is I'M
| douDtedly type such rs we look In vain Tor IN
| antece dent and indeed IN contemporary art; and
there are occasOns when the intensity of its inner
significance is strong to cOnstrain the behoder
to the strange spiritual personality represented,
alone leaving him altogether oblivious TO tho de-
tails Of the rendering" MI. Sharp does not attempt
tn define the relative rank Of Rossettis pictures
among themselves but there are two to which
| fame has assigned special Importance, namely,
the Bcata Beatrix," in the possession OF Lord
| Mount-T Temple and the Dantes Dream in the
Walker Art Gallery nc Liverpool. Our authors
description OF the latter work is particularly good
The first impression this great picture maEes upon
the sympathetic spectator, he remarks Is oil inc
| extraordinary depth, harmony and beauty OF tho
| color. charm that grows and grows with each re-
| moved inspection and which, apart from every
other merit Of interpretive imagination and techni-
| cal skill would alone entitle its painter tn rank
| among the highest not only in England but In any
modern school in Europe" Sir Noel Patton in
letter to Mr. Sharp, gives it still moro emphatic
| praise:
I was so dumbfouDded by the beauty OF THAI
great picture of Rossetti's called L" Dantes Dream
| that unable 10 give any expression 10 the
| emotions il eXcited-emotions snch a. DO not
think any otner picture. except the " Mauonna at al
| San Ssto" OF Dresden ever stirred within mo- Inc
memory of such picture Is ike the memory OF
sublime and perfect music; 1t makes one whoJuuy
feels it-silent Fifty years hence 1t will he named
among tho half dozen supreme pictures OF tho
world.
That il should be possible to doubt whether the
PAINTER OF one OF the iaf dozen supreme pictures of
the world was not greater n poet than us paint
er is surely one OF the most extraordinary facts In
tho history of art and letters yet Mr. sharp quotes
with at least qualified assent the common state
| ment that Rossett was born a poet aud made him
self an artist" The careful reader of this volume,
with all its warm euloges Of the paintings and
drawings will probably be driven to tho same con
clusion-that verse rather than the brush was the
medium through which Rossetti's poetic feeling
found the most spontaneous. facile and complete
expression Iii tho consideration Of Rossettis lit
erary work Mr.. Sharp follows the same method
which he ossryed in the chapters on art-that Is to
say, he applies himself mainly to tho task of ex-
positoIy comment taking all RossettIs writings
| ia turn, prose and verse; original composition
| and translation. and explaining In each case the
subject, the mode of treatment and the principal
characteristics. This method does not lend itself
readily the higher kind of criticism. but 1t has i'm
porant uses and if the author does not undertake
| 10 pronounce authoritative and comprehensive
judgments he new ertheless nghtens US by faithful
and sympthetic analysis. with many evidences of
| acute and Just perce1tiOn. An Instance Of hs crit
| ical keenness /, afforded in his remark upon Ros
setti's imperfect feeling for naturca def"ct which.
In spite OF Preraphaete theories no less apparent
in his pictures than In his POEMS IL Is only of the
POEMS however, that Mr.. Sharp is speaking when
| he GAYS: ITO Rossetti except In few noteworthy
| instances. doubt II nature ever much moro
| than picturesque accessory He certainly did not
| love 1t as a poet,-nclther with tho passion Of
Shelley, the Joy OF Keats the deep understanding
| of Wordsworth. the enthusiasm of Burns; aud
| though lines here and lines there may be taken
from his poems repete with beauty and concise ac-
| curacy yet they arc markedly exceptions to tho
rule Where the heart 10 not. tho spiritdoos not
cure to dwell, and save only In what most I'M
mistakably his moments OF inspiration, natural i'm
ages have over to be summoned and como not Of
themselves tlronging upon the mind" Mr. Sharp's
general verdc. upon Rossetus poetry Ill DO sutil-
GENTLY clear from the following extract:
While there seems to mo but little doubt that
| his supreme. poems arc Sister Helen" Rose
Mary" and The Kings Tragedy" there little
doubt that the was his special vehicle of ca
presslon and that he Las used 10 IN such way that
oiated With Shakespeare, Milton, Mrs. Browning
and Wordsworth. The House OF Life Is as much
| a revelation o the inner man rs Is the collection by
the author of Hamlet: and IL Rossettis sonnets
are MT as ruo characterized by the imperatireness
of those OF Milton. by the acute personal note of
| the Sonnets from the Portuguese" by the So
rome transpurence Of the best Of Words worth they
| have these qualities la less degree. blended with
other characteristics that place them In the front
| rank of sonnet literature. They have luminous
/ xisinn an nrgeucY of REVELATION. that now and