New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-14

AN ETCHING BY A. P. MARTIAL FROM THE PAINTING
Nv ryyEN-PERRIN IN THE LUXEMBOURG GAL
LERY.
Tho taste for etchings in this country seems
ot unnaturay to take the direction of the substitution
:, obed prints engraved prints wall decoration,
s,her than of the love of etchngs such. With this
ndency well developed 1t is qualification to be able to
call attention TO etching which, while sufficiently large
20 attract the attention Of those who primarily desire
prtn for hanging, at the time reproduces noble
picture in excellent etching technique Either in the
original translation OF sort another the work
of Feyen- Perrin is toleraby well known to Americans 1t
Is always pure mainly illustrative OF the life OF the
Atlantic Of France and far we can judge the
region the Bay OF St. Mao Is his favOTte ground Is
life he shows us in its simplicity, Its scanness It's hon
esy Its fortitude rather than its bravery and as con-
sequence rarely without touch Of pathos Owing to It's
having Deen speak, raised to the plctoa peerge
OF the Luxembourg Gallery. the Cancalases Is PROB
ably one Of very best known of his WORKS ls sud-
sect has been thus explained The oyster beds OF Cam
Gale on the French coast carefully protected private
property But on a certain day yearly, during the
autumn low tides all the people OF the district are
allowed by liberal old custom to gather as many oysters
as they The sale OF these oysters affords
70 the Cancalaise almost the only pin-money
they receive during the year. Rich ladies sometimes join
the peasantry in this annual procession"
The view looks directly seward the sands occupying
the foreground the horizon being rather high Out OF
the water and up the sands the long procession OF oyster
gatherers sweeps from the centre of the middle distance
70 the left and back again that the larger part
of the foreground filled with figures. The foremost
one is that Of young whose gab is that Of the
common people With graceful swing she carries her
basket fixed under her or poised on her hip just
behind her two ladies whose faces mark them Tor
sisters and whose attire shows their higher social pos
ion despite the sabot assumed for the occasion But few
men In the procession To the extreme left one
he old a scOWlinQ
looks toward the two ladies' II she were not well
pleased that they should have been cleaners In this mar
vest of the sea- The face OF near her Is said TO
have been intended portrait OF the wel-known raul
Here the uniformity of the procession inter
rupted by man woman bearing the heavy two
handled nets used for gathering the oysters To the right
of the foreground at the edge of the water detaehed
group OF few figures which serves to keep the balance OF
The picture Well toward the horizon are the sails OF
the returning fshingbOats.
As 10 the Interpretation OF the picture little need De
said to those who the skill of that hand which will
never hold a needle again. Martials mechanical facility
was singular His work certain that 1t may per
haps have taken matter Of course by those who
had not by disappointing experience learned how easy
As not to succeed With this perfect technique he had
remarkable gift of observation of detail His etchings OF
street scenes of buildings and the like perfect
records as photography would have made The multi
tude Of things that he made his illustrated notes OF
visits the Salon. and not the least In Importance his
illustrated letter the methods or etchlng are Wen
every lover of the art With THIS genius TOT
detail it is but that his original work wanting
in imagination and that his manner Is rather dry one
when however undertook to interpret the pictures
of Others this sperlave skill of hand stood him In good
stead perhaps his want of imagination may also nave
been of use He professional artist and his train
ing enabled him to enter alphabetically into the intent
OF the artist he TRANSMITTING Tin this instance we be
Ieve personal friendship between the painter ana me
etcher aided understanding and his powers OF Cd
servaon and his wonderful skill as an etcher usually eit
little to be desired in the result
Although in these later years so many expert repro
cessed TO be so exceptional II twenty years ago.
vet we know OF who quite I'LL his place; ana
Ii is with genuine regret that think shall never
again the hearty figure busy at his work by the VIII
dow in the sunny apartment in the Rue ST. George.