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

b;tious work of it's kind ever puDlisheu III hi"'''
II consist of twenty etchDgs ihade 'oi tns VIZ"
r. as many artists most of whom are well Known
afort;sts with an introduction and explanatory
s,,m.nts upon each plate by Mr. 5. X koehler.
T ltterpress is not the least interesting part ol
chs work. No one in the country is better b'tei I"
yrr,te about American etchings than MT hoeh'er,
and no one we believe. has done more 10 ios'er al"
soL general the interest in this branch OF art Inc
;ntroducton is exceedingly judicious anu Is harhou
bv that catholicty of appreciation wmch Is shd
a. Is an characteristic of the American Art review
The twenty artists here represented are farrer'
w Wood Parrish. Thomas Moran, fenneI' r o.
church @ II. Smillie, NJ. Minnie Moran. Cole
pltt Ganpenpigl Van Elten, Peter Moran, Collnail'
mailman X s. Clifford, De Haas, j. ID Smlille' Ncoll
ord Monks. The plates include figures, ANIMALS
landscape aud marine subjects, and snow "iuo
range of manner from the most sketchy silhpHc'ty
IN the most elaborate TRANSACTIONS OF painter ""rA
The suace at our command Will allow OF bare NEIL
ton of most of the plates. ,.
Mr. Ferrcr's contribution is one OF the largest
,lotes in the collection about eight by thirteen
- ~ sizo and IL entitled Winter Evening" A
country road bordcred in the foreground oy eanesS
+rees whose branches make network against 'hc
Ioar evening sky runs into open ground and plSV %
farm-bouse. Further back fringe OF trees CLOSES
the view. The manner is that which Mt. fatra'
rrovions MATES has made familiar TO u.s. ana win u
The same pensve and poetical feeling which so oiteh
pervades his work. -,
Mr. Wood is on the contrary almost new etcher'
His Mate is translation of his picture formerly OK
bibted here called His Own Doctor" An old ne
GRO enyeloped in n bcdquilt carelessly drops some
medicine from n phial into spoon. Mt farrlSh
v.s M The Inner Harbor, Gloucester" n success
fl plate much better think than most OF ms WORK.
which is often married by tricks of execution and
mishaps in the composition. Mr. Thomas Moran
aTower of Cortes" is characterized by his usual
dext.ritv. and shows besides skiliul WORK III line
frightening of effect by the use OF the roulette.
Mr.. Pennell has always seemed to ms real
.hor +bat il IN saw one to whom etching was u
method of expression, and his work therefore
meyer fails TO interest us. 1Ie takes the welworn
,beme of the Ponte Vecchio this time, but he makes
Il fresh for u.s. Mr. f. S. Church translates or more
strictly speaking interprets one OF hls own ";'ei
colors called The Lion in Love" The force oil tine
Mate depends almost entirely upon simple me-
there being little Of elaboration and but hnts OF eV
and shade Mr.. George H. Smile Is repreSehte" oy
aAr ola newfoundland Orchard" row of apple
trees stands as a dark mass against the SKY ana
bordering the orchard shutting in our view. y few
twisted and distorted trunks in the foreground show
nv their scanty leaves that the spark OF life Is sun
in them Mrs. Moran is another ctchcr whose WORK
is usually interesting. The plate here gwen Illus
tratcs the burden of an old Scotch song, tween
the ploamin' and the mix. when the kye come
hamc" Its etched work IS strong, but the roulette
has becn used so freely that the plate becomes III
cert a mczzotint. We should wish the sky less
solid lint for all that the plate is of the most
interesting in the collection. Mr.. }. Cole was one
az tho earliest of American etchcrs but has but re-
gently resumed the practice of the art His plate icn
titled The Three Cows" Mr.. G. a. Platts " Canal
Boats on the Thames is an example of strong effect
gained by simple means, largely, in thus instance
by the strong contrast of a powerfully bitten lore
ground against delicate distance. MI Uahg'n-
Viars "And drive dull care away" shows man
whose scanty rament is that of the last century,
and whose surroundings have no suggestion oil lux
ury sitting upon trunk endeavorng 10 charm
awav the evil spirit of care with his violin. The
Deserted Mill is IN Mr.. Van Elten's well-known
and finished manner, and is All agreeable plate
Mr.. Peter Moran's Harvest at San JUAN New
Mexico is an elaborate plate. The scene Is a
threshing- floor of the Pueblo Indians The horses
whose hoofs serve the place of our threshihg ma
chine. are Just being driven into the circle around
The stack Of straw. Men stand around with whips
10 keep them in place and going at the required
sneed. Mr. Comans Cloudy Day in Venice re-
calls the Venice we used to know, before Whistler
and Duveneck and Bacher gave us the revised YER
sion 1t is a very charming plate Mr.. Dielmans
plate. aThe Mora Players" is perhaps the most
elaborate in the book. 1t is rendering OF his plc-
ure of the same title. We have not bad opp0r-
tunity 10 compare the plate with its original but IT
seems to MS that il must DO very successful tTansa-
ton; il is a real painting with the needle.
aThe Mouth of the Apponigansett" shows Mr.
Ciforgs crisp method of etching from nature. aud
also one of his favorite along the Massachu-
sets coast Mr. De Haas is etcher; the Fish
ing Boats on the Beach at SehevenDgcn" is said to
be his first Published etching. 1t is done in the
manner of hasty pen-sketch Mr.. }. ID. Smile's
sMarblehead Neck" on the contrary. is completed
picture From rocky elevated sheep pasture the
view is across rolling country to the sea- Ihe
technioue of the plate is likewise Of the finished
STYLE which this artist has always at his command
sThe Smugglers Landng-placo" is also an elabor
ately etched coast scene by Nlr. Ncoll The picture
il full of the half light of hidden moon. Mr.
Marks is another etcher who gives us "a picture
entitled Twilight"
In running over thus hastily the collection we
have been unable to make any critical remarks
upon the plates sngy. Ii is perhaps unnecessary u
do So as tie style and manner OF most OF tic con
tributors is well known to tho public, and these
mates are almost without exception striking exam
pies of the pecularities Further one is Impressed
with the general excellence of the plates This II
perhaps accounted for by the great care that wa'
used as we are informed. iii selecting the plates
some of the contributors making more than one
The technique of the whole is excellent. We doubt
if twenty painter etchers In any country could O'
found TO do better; are, of course not speaking
of professional interpreters of paintings.
We should have been glad to have seen the names
of the plate-printers given. Their work Is for th
most part well done. The type-prnters name hnd
prominent place. Why not follow the foreign Gus
tom of giving the platc-printcT his share OF credit
Six years ago, when the Etching Club, OF this city
was formed no really good printer of etchngs ex
listed here If an etcher wished bis plate to escap
earieature he was obliged to print it himself. To
day excellent and intelligent work can be had.