The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-01-16
ART IN THE NETHERLANDS.
MIR. Sidney DIckinson's Lecture Last
Evening.

A large audience greeted Mr.. Sidney Dick
inson at City Hall last night and listened
with great enjoyment to his excellent descrip-
ton of the Art of the Netherlands. The
pictures were thrown on the screen with bet
ter effect than when Mr.. Dickinson delivered
his first lecture here, and their fine drawing
and distictness gave a good presentation OF
their originals.
In commencing his remarks, the lecturer
said that no better place could be selected In
which to begin study of the Belgian school
than the city of Antwerp, which everywhere
abounds with memorials to Rubens, the
greatest master of the school. The speaker
then described the masterpieces of Rubens
contained in the cathedral and the church of
st. JACQUES, wherethe great painters buried,
and before turning from the consideration of
the man and his works briefly pointed out
wherein lay his excellence and what were
the qualities which contributed to sometimes
mar the productions of this painter
Van Dyck was Ruben's pupil but he has
left comparatively little of his work in his
native country. 1t is fortunate however,
that the specimens contained in the Antwerp
Gallery are of religious character, as afford
an opportunity for comparison with the
works of Rubens' Van Dyck's works lack
the strength of Rubens', the object sought
and attained seeming to be the portrayal of
grace. If Van Dyck never rose so high as
his great master he also never sank so low
From Antwerp, where Belgian artIattained
its consummation, Mr. Dickinson turned to
the ancient city of Client when Van Eyck
in the fourteenth century represented the
early Flemish school, 1t must be remember
ed that Van Eyck and all the artists of his
time did work which was decorative, and
consequently subjected to the requirements
of architecture. In the cathedral of st.
Baron at Client, Van Eyck's Alteration of
the Holy Lamb still retains it's original col
oring and distinctness, thanks to the enamel
used by the painter, the secret of which
would be of untold value to modern artists.
The picture is divided into ten divisions, the
centre one containing painting of Christ in
the act of blessing the world, and well illus
trates the art from which sprung the school
made famous by its later followers.
In introducing his hearers to Bruges the
lecturer referred to the verses of Longfellow
HAllOn hetfO ii1ouC UllO WY AdlAOuos tiAN odho
that some places to be seen at their best for
the first time must be seen by moonlight.
Among such places are Melrose Abbey, the
Coliseum and Bruges. In the Hospital of st
John in this town is Meanings quaint reli-
quarry of st. Ursula. The different pictures
Illustrating the romantic legend Of the saint.
and her final death, together with her retinue
of II, 900 virgins, are painted upon large
chest supposed to contain an arm Of the
saint.
The painters Of Holland originated new
school of art. Other countries have been de-
yeloped, while Holland has been literally
made, and it is not surprising that while the
artists of other countries should have devel-
oped school of art, the painters of Holland
should have turned to new fields. They gave
their attention to portraying the life and
scenery of the country, and became proficient
in class of painting called for by the de-
mands of the guilds and other bodies for pic
lures containing large number of life size
portraits. When it is remembered that the
difficulty of painting such warks increases
by geometric progression with each figure
introduced the proficiency attained by the
artists of Holland will be realized The
Anatomical Lecture and Cloth Makers
Guild by Rembrandt are examples of this
class of work, and it is probable that his
famous Night Watch, the subject and mean
ing OF which awakened so much discussion
was painted to supply like order from a
company Of arquebusiers
The lecture closed with description of
Dutch cattle painting, landscapes and other
yariatinc of Dutch art