Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-06-06
Turner az an Artist.
National Review.l

As an artist Turner may be said 10 have
bo>somed in 1900. Up to that time he had
been making acquaintance with his tools
ard training bis hand 10 their use. He
had been a pupil 81 Sir Joshua's for atime
and had acquired enough facility in the ule
Of oil 10 paint hls own portrait, and he had
tecn steadily drawing English land
scaTCs and English architecture and
doing il with q care In which much
restraint Of hand and fancy is trace
able. suddenly, in 1900, he seems
10 Lave lifted his eyes from his paper aud
fixed them finally on the shifting beauty OF
The world. Up to this time his thought
has been given tO the balance and Truth Of
ms results. but from henceiorth he seems
to live IN the nature at which he gazes. In
the process If digestion and selection he Il
now ana for the rest Of his lie governed
Us notion Numerically opposed TO t1at
OF oil great painters before bin. lie
selects, rejects, and simpliEes, a.
every painter must. but he does 1t
on principle that was new to art. He
does II, not 10 enhance the unity OF his
picture, but 10 Increase is comprehensive
noes. His method Is not 10 remember the
material limits OF his instrument, and 20 TO
bring nature within its easy reach, but so
to stretch aud expand the powers OF paint
rs 20 give hints, mt least, OF beauties which
had never been put on canvas or paper
before. When he sets up his easel
before Kllchurn Castle, for instance, he
sfis his mind TO work, not 10 select
from the scene before him those chlrac-
teriSties which tend toward a single
impression. but rather to introduce foreign
clements: 10 take features from distance,
to bring in forms which had caught his
fancy the day before or the day before that.
In short. his " Kilchurn Is not sn impress
sion from the scene in which some one effect
Is forced 10 it, highest power by selection
aud qualification. but a short epitome OF
Tie Highlands, into which genius has put
rs much Of its encN clOpIdic knowledge As
the - ace would held. Here we have the
principle which I urrer followed for thirty
years OF bis life. 1t Is one upon which
none but phenomenal mind could work
with success. II requires the eye Of
hawk, hmitlcss memory. and sensibility
so deep Gs 10 be dangerous to lis owner.
All these II found In Turner, and IT found,
besiGCs, a material environment which al
lowed long life to be wholly devoted b
it, Illustration. All these conditions came
together TO give 10 the man who enjoyed
lhtni position dldIl iTOHl al olHcI piiut-
ers and TO earn for bin the quaSi-worship
he enjoys in his native country.
But we cannot blind ourselves n the
facts that il finds but a slight echo in
The Latin mind. and that this worship
comes mainly from those whose artistic
training has been considerable rather than
severe. The cause OF this will be discussed
in q moment. To put Turner's achieve
ments, then. as shortly as | can, ii was, |
think. the gift 10 civilization OF new
world to MASTER lie opened the gates and
explored what was beyond them, but he
did not finally conquer, organize. and all
minister. lie led the way from the gray
fields. the solemn seas and woods. OF the
old art to the iewelled color, the teeming
distances and palptating sunshine OF the
new. hut he left the conquest IN be com
pleed in future which may never come.