New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-09-21
NEW PUBLICATIONS
FROMENTIN.

FROMENTIN.
EUGENE FRoMENTIN Painter r,s snc dSa Bsa,r Arts
oUs by Mary Caroline Robbins. Svo, pp' xl'
go" james R Osgood
This handsome volume. copiously liiusIa'eo WIN.
.e.c,,ve reproductions Of Fromentins sKe'cnes anu
nenciI-drawings. is sympathetic STUDY Oh o" ni'o'
estIpe parsonage. written Win TASTE acu'eno'' on.
r,rht feeling. and published in q style OF renned
.,.raro. winch seems to he especially suited TO the
sr,;sct The picture of Fromentin suggests INC
.har.crsr botp of the man and OF his art IL ID 'no
soce of a serous earnest and intellectual person.
nth strong individuality but complete good preou
ind The biographical chapters describe aui0''
;ndustrious. and uneventfui career IN WHICH 'no.o
are no incidents more striking than the artsSs F's
70 Algeria and the Sahara He became 'no on,'-
iutsrpreter IN French art and literature " W.
sceuery and life of North Africa, not moro i', .
ohio Gar no vipor and cearness of his representa-
t;ons than sor their absolute tru,hfulness lie hau
mo, vallous acuteness of observation. prodlg'ous
,n.morv for nby sical and Typographical iofms' anu
r,a facultv for seizing the true picloriai aSpeo'
80 ma, end things. What landscape. no" 'ha'
Danbieuy is Dead" says NJ. Gonse Oh rro"o"''n
"Falcon Huntn "can be brought lnto co"p"ii'o"
with tins flowing. luminous. aeriai paso' az
calm and full. in which Algeria thae ianu VI
grace M beauty seems to adorn i'sen "i'h 'hii"''
tai youthf What sky can be found deep'r' hRn'oi
moro delicate, more livingf What a'hio'pne'
more sub,lea What diffusion OF llght more 'enu.i
What smile of festive nature more eAq"'S'0' A"U
,vha, smootbpess in the tonel What Transparency
a, ,h. ,noterali We must agree that nothing so
ultimately artistic, nothing of such perfect balance
=. .ro.,ncsd now Fromentn belongs TO that
,,.o,. spoch in the art of painting which begins
-,,h Delacroix and ends with Corot. passing
throuoh Rousseau, Milet aud Daubigny. He is the
last of This noble line; he the bond which, whue
terninatin it, binds it to the period oil transluon
and nnre,t In the midst of which we struggle
nurnose which played leading part IN all his WORKS
was "the study and rendering OF light IN us
tbousapd variations, of hour and day and climate,
of season and surroundings. and particularly Vi
that difiused light which develops and softens oo-
iectsv Corot is the painter who exercised tne
GREATEST Influence upon him. and with whom ne
had the strongest natural affinity AS one m'gn'
mi from this be should rather be styled a mar
monist than a colorist; his primary desire was
the rendering of values OF tone rather In tneir
dellcacy and harmony than IN their opposi'ion.
This characterization, however, applies principany
60 hi. later works his early pictures have less
delicate quality His art criticisms expressed Win
great boldness and Independence so tar as schools
uara concerned. but with a scrupulous tenderness
for the feelings of living painters. provoked many
angry d,sputes The Italian masters, Titan e&-
crpted. hardly moved him but he was fascinated
NV the Dutch school, especially the landscape
na,nters of whom he wrote some admirable tnings
in his book on 1.-THE Old Masters OF Belgium ana
Hollapdn Rembrandt, however, he ala not ioVe'
and his observations upon this master were ex-
tremely daring.
His fame as a writer rests upon his volume Oh
sl.,v.fr nc
criticism and upon two small books describing DIS
African impressions. namely, "A summer III the
sahara.n and "Sabel,"or journal OF year 10
Algeria in which his power of precise, viva poeu'
cal and refined description seems AKIN 10 the nles'
oualities of his art as painter. Fromentln was an
aamirahle writer before he learned to paint, ana
with the pen he was always perfectly at ease
than evsn with the brush. NJ Gonse calls his
"SaharaD "a masterpiece Of picturesque litera-
tnres George Sand hailed this work as we'll as the
"SabelD with prompt and enthusiastic acclaim,
calling Fromentln's literary form lone OF the hnest
pantings that she had ever read" Her reviews Oh
the two books led 10 correspondence with the
paiuter-author, aud later to hrm frlenuship
Some of the letters which passed between them are
given IN this volume They are little stately, but
they are interesting George Sand gave perhaps
che hest Characterization of Fromentin, in bis fe
his pictures and his books when she called him a
model of delicacy taste. perseverance and distinc
tion."
A DICTIONARY of MUSIC AND MUSICIANS. Ed
ted by GEORGE grows, Del Double F"rt' A'i'
and XVIII Macmillan 20.
Tho present instalment of Sir George Groves
"Dictionary of Music and Musicians" the only
GOOD work of the kind ever printed in the English
Language. begins with the last pages of Mr.. Rock
stro,s curious article on Sketches" and ends IN
the midst of an elaborate antiquarian essay by the
same writer on the old canon or round, summer Is
icumen in.o Part XVIII. closes the third volume,
ana one more volume, of SIX parts is expected
TO finish the work. The most important technical
fopcs treated in the parts now before us are " Son
atan and Suite" by DR.. c. Hubert Ii. Parry. and
"sonc.n by Mrs. Wodehouse. These are discussed
in the systematic and exhaustive style character
istic of the plan of tho new Dictionary, and abound
with historical and other information not easily
accessible elsewhere. Mrs Wodehouse. however
seems TO have an imperfect comprehension OF some
of the modern German ng-writers and her mis-
annrecation OF List is deplorable. Among the
biographical titles are "Spontln," by DIR. Phihpp
Spitta: "spohr," by Herr Paul David; "Stradi-
yarin livery complete and CAREFUL; sullivan" by
the editor; Antoinette Sterling" the "Stein
vavsD and Maurice and Max "Strakosch.'
nv Boston contributor, Mr. jerks, who must
write q very blind hand. for in the list Of
ungers who are said to have appeared
under the management of the two brothers in the
United States we observe no fewer than seventeen
misprints.
GOD OUT AND MAN IN; Or REPLIES TO ROBERT O.
sscprsoII By w. H. PLAT ID D., rector of ST.
Pau's Church, Rochester. n. Y. New-York: Thoma
Whitaker.
Dr. Plat was a lawyer before he became clergy
man; and In the present volume he submits th'
u. oe Afr tnoera.,li n n calm and melcllcs
legal ANALYSIS. The result is disastrous to the so
called arguments of the champion of in6delity
Nevertheless we question the wisdom of giving
.arions answer 10 the sneers and 1dicule which Mr.