The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-11-04

De0rtnnl iaLu. ana re bA< paibteu III A.
no other artist before or after him When
in the Hilnalayas he assembled. toget her
with bis wife, the second highest noun
tain on the globe. the Kanclinga on the
borders of Thibet, and that in the month
Of January. Some English officers In the
neighborhood tried to dissuadc him from
the project, but, with Characteristic Oh
stinacy, lie turned a deaf ear to them.
He wanted to study effects Of snow and
cloud. The journey almost cost him his
life as well as that Of his brave wife.
The cold became so intense after while
that their guide refused TO continue
further, and rctraced his steps to seel:
help. A small wood fire was now the
sole barrier between the determined
couple and death They covered over it
until the falling snow oxtinguished
the flames, and then for all that day and
night till far the next day they struggled
as best they could for life. AS q final eff
fort, vcrcstchagin, taking leave of bis
partner in joys and sorrows, whom he
never expected to see again, reused him
self and dragged his almost frozen limbs
down the mountain to look for help.
When he had gone long way he met
the coolie who had left them coming back
with food and aid. only just in time to
save both the travellers lives.
/ should add, in speaking of verest.
chagin's Indian trip, that he was suspected
by the British officials of being a Russian
SPY and sometimes treated with extreme
discourtesy. He has, however, gotten
even" with the English by painting a
striking picture Of the cruelties practiced
on the captured Sepoys by British soldiery
in 1854 picture which has in measure
opened old wounds and cxasperated the
natives against their masters.
In 1877 we see him again in the van Of
Russian army as art volunteer" and gen
eral adviser to Gen. Scobeiof Severely
wounded by the explosion of Turkish
gunboat on the Danube, he RECEIVERS in
time TO participate in all the operations
against the Turks in and around the
Shipka pass, and to picture the horrors Of
the campaign on a series OF striking can
vases. This was Verestchagins last ex-
perience of war, but his travels have con-
tinued ever since that time, and his trip
four years ago to Palestine furnished him
with material for the paintings which
have recently agitated European religious
circles to so great an extent.
So much for the mans career Now
let us touch upon his theories on matters
artistic and social, which belong to the
leading causes Of his prominence. My
different conversations with him have
satisfied me that he considers il
as much within the artists scope to
render service TO down trodden humanity
as the clergyman's. the writer's or the
professional philanthropist He does not
say that when he started in to paint it was
with a view to reforming mankind, but
certainly such would seem TO I've the
tendency of his work. He is realist, and
his realism is of caustic kind. II is
heroic medicine the use Of which he thinks
justified 10y the extremely diseased con
dition of the body social and polite. He
limns war, for instance, in all its naked
horror. 1t is not glittering uniforms that
we see on his canvases, not pretty figures
on prancing steeds nor wounded warriors
Ia theatrical poses. He shows the reverse
Of the picture-the wounded writing ia
exquisite agony; the dying convulsed with
the last awful spasm; the dead rigid, dis
membered, hideous. Such work as this
must necessarily open the eyes of the I'M
thinking and diminish the natural love OF
the race for bloodshed and strife. Vcrest-
chagin is realistic in still another sense
None of his paintings can be called the
products Of his Imagination, for
he depicts only incidents witnessed
by himself, and when we contemplate
enc Of the Central Asian scenes, for in
stance, We feel it has been painted OH the
spot.
1t is in tie domain of religion that
Verestehagins work has caused the most
discussion. Following a logical sequence,
he has not hesitated to depict scriptural
subjects, not as tradition required, but as
be understood them himself after years Of
historical research and a prolonged visit
to the Holy Land He has departed from
the beaten track Of both ancient and
modern masters, and represents Christ
with reddish locks and strongly marked
Semitic features. He has also painted
him in company with family of brothers
and sisters In another picture, Of which
a sketch accompanies this letter. he shows
us the Saviour in the act OF leaving the
tomb on the third day after the crucihx-
ion. These paintings We're exhibited in
Vienna and raised u storm Of opposition.
Cardinal Sanglbaur wrote q strong pas
toral denouncing the "sacrilegc' But
Verestchagin had al answer for every
animadyersion. and lac proved be-
yond the shadow Of doubt that the
tombs of the Holy Land were so con.
structed that the only means Of egress
was hole exactly large enough 10 admit
a supino body. Still the acrimonious ma
ture of the debate seems 10 have impressed
him to some extent, for see that the re.
ligious paintings 90 not form part OF
the forthcoming exhibition.
V. GEIBAYEDoFF.
New Library I'm New Orleans.