New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-04-10
THE FRENCH LMPRESSIONISTS.
no coming OF the French "impressionists

The coming OF the French "impressionists
has been preceded by much violent language regarding
their paintings Those VINO have the Inost 70 90 WIN
such conservative investments the works OF Bougue-
reau, Csbanel, Meissoner and Ger0me have Impaired
the information that the paintings OF the "impression-
iss pirLske OF the character of "crazy quilt, being
only distinguished by eccenrictes as blue grass,
violently green skies and water with the cooring OF
rainbow In short 1t has been said that the paintings OF
this school utterly and absolutely worthless We DO
not find them On the contrary, are disposed TO
blame tho gentlemen who purvey pictures for
tie NewYork market for leaving the public
in ignorance Of the artists represented at
the exhibition IN the American Art Galleries There Is
evidently more vitality and beauty In some OF the paint
ngs by Claude Maae PissarrO Ronoir and Ferret than
in studio scrapings which Rousseau Corot and their
brothers II alive would be reluctant TO father There
technical lessons bs learned from tho pictures OF
Mnnet and Degas which worth something to every
artist who has the power OF Intelligent Discrimination.
Those pictures represent Interesting movement III
foreign art and th time has rue by for Americans to
walt to earn OF movements from ancient history
When Deacroix and Gericault leading the ro
mantle" movement. and when Constable Was iniuenc-
ing French art Americans placidIy Indifferent, collected
"old masters" When Couture was In his prime. we
collecting Dusseldorf pictures and there was no
general enthusiasm Mst and Rousseau until their
works were skilfully doomed" after their
deaths. NJ Durand Rusl may be anxious to
"boom the paintings OF the impressionists
in which. hoveve imagine that he sincerely beeves
That has nothing TO with the undensole proposition
that American art lovers the stayathomes should
acquant themselves with what is going on In the world
OF art Despite the bizarre effects anu violent contrasts
of crude coors which Tie impessonists have found In
nature and despite tho speechless Indignation of slad
Acadcmcians behed these effects yesterday, these
versatile and technically clever painters have done some
work of nue quality. And If there is any good work
being done by artists matters little whether they call
themselves Rea!istA" "Naturalists." Impressions
lists" Independently" IntranSigeantS" the PteIn
Ar school" Ut the Japanese School"
Plainly Manet Is only partly responsible for the
children OF light whose Oriental coloring illuminos
;hese galleries. 1t is twenty-five years
since Manet fresh from the studio OF Couture
began to expound his theories OF seeing nature
In masses. OF the relations Of those masses to
each shown by the color rather than line, AID
their relation to the background His Fife OF the
Guard appears painted to express the values OF simple
masses OF color without gratdtions or nterne
diate notes. In "1he Absinthe Drnker" "A Beggar"
"A PHILOSOPHER" there is graduation of tones. and
these pictures. in On the Balcony" and No. 1872
the ability OF the artist in expressing values and ac
centuating salient points is admirable. Eaca part of
these compositions keeps its place. There Is strong
Bull Fight" and Race Course" with plenty OF
"go," In spite OF absurd drawing. These with the
timely "Kearsarge and Alabama" form
group Of pctares fairly representative for
our purposes N Maners excellence His excellence is
or iecnncs and this Is true OF the other artists
represented here. These have evidently no moral
nor literary MISSION Their end ia Technique. but this.
~ may seen OF RenOrs pictures, for ex-
ample. Al the Circus Moes not lncluie accuracy IN
drawing In the Toilet Of enid" doe. II include
careful modelling. differentiation OF texture Yet
the coorng and some points 10 me action OF the lorrr
excellent. and the vivaciiy Of the child ID the latter
is worth than academic ""oienness la fact II Is
the presence Of yvaclty and vitality which induces US
TO think less of faulty drawing aud discordsnt colors
These paint as If they liked It, with al abandon III
wnch there IS certain sehsuous ehdi Aney arc iot
the painting OF serious subjects but they paint
conventional water parties at Bougival, BATH RS
basking sunlight, the varying intense whites ana
glowing IN the sun, he strongly reflected III the
water Trees svery gray as the willows OF Corot
we'll object to such inconrrence AS his Near Monte
carlo tn som of his sketches ana fog effects
but the most conservative viii hardly quarrel with the
i0rceiul simplicity Of his Road OF Challly No. 1885,
ard there eerS. b% an?"s !sge NAY sa ne
he versatile. One more judge hun from one or
two pictures Judge Mr.. George Inness.
whose work Manets sometimes recalls Then come
kenors build attempts at painting iro the nude ~ out
door light of winch The Batner ut the seashore No
go, Is u striking example. There are several por-
traits by this but Renoir seems to repeat the
less type IN nearly all his pictures seurts big study OF
boys Da.hng n az snect WI, reoeys ap a!.en
markedly truthful and beautiful pastel peas
There 8 more humanity here
In Gallery we lind Or two finely airy landscapes
D. strou2 pedsahl stuuy Wy iise"tf"
The inydsto effect noticeable in most of these pictures
very here. effect due, 1t seems TO the absorb
ton the oil from the cOlps when squeezed from the
tubes and the OF absorbent" canvas. The cOUrs
used almost Of the consistency or putty and Iohded
on. method which promises poorly Tor the life or the
pictures We must pass over j. L. Browns water coOrs
and oils spirited hunting and racing scenes,
Mile. MUriZot's somewhat disappointing studies,
Caillebotte's oarsmeD. carpenters and canoe-nen.
ana Degass OF the ballet with their extreme
technical ceverness. Montiuerd's Road from 1ouon
10 the selue," with its splendid distance and Melius
perb dogs LEAD to tnreo paintings III Gallery A. which
% dU 81
" Oull form notable exhibition by tie Lsoives. These
ale The Austrian staff Officers at tue Death Bed of
General NJ rceau" the painting which won Tor Jean
Paul Taurens the Piir dU SATIN IN 1877, The OrSan"
h,n which LerOlo MS done nothing stronger To our
knowledge and "a study" by Roll. painting OF great
echnical merit But OF these aud other pictures OF
his most interesting exhibition We must speak AT an
)ther time.