New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-01-14
MUNKACSY'S MOZART"

Another OF Munkacsy's large exhibition pictures
Tho REQUIEM OF Mozart" can be seen at the twenty
third Street Tabernacle The theme OF this picture Is
tho tradition that Mozart on the last day OF his LIE
conducted a performance OF the requiem upon which
no was engaged during his Illness. The subject has
been deemed sufficiently sympathetic and popular 10
engage the at entiou of various artists, and we have
had ono American rendering OF the scene This pct
ure tells us nothing regarding the painter but
b,s inability to meet the requirements OF his subject
h OF course less offensive here than It has been In
the case Of his called religious pictures. His at
titude Is that OF maker of spectacies rather than
that of artist OF sensibty and sincerity, and the
OF his work is therefore appeal to merely
interest Has composition Is more evenly
balanced as regards masses than In his "Caivary,'
but the centre Of interest and of light Is on the right
side as before In the actual centre of the canvas
disturbing prominence is given to bit of still-life
painting Tho pillow behind the head Of Mozart, who
largo chair, has tho highest value In the COM
position and the white OF the face less emphatic
There tho usual attempt at an effect heightened by
contrast In the bitumlnous shadow behind the head
which we'll illustrates Of the artists false man
nertsms. Elsewhere the shadows Will be found en-
tirely untrue nature but their exaggeraton seems
essential to the coarse methods Of the Painter
The coloring IL comparatively subdued, but the
scheme still includes the much-used reds, reddish
forms a centre Of very light tones which are opposed
to dark tones below and above to the dull red of a
screen This figure is more carefully drawn and paint
ed than usual, but the figure WORK Is cur7ously un
even, including slipshod drawing OF the woman ana
child right and two faces those OF the
performer, and friend leaning on the harpsichOid
which resemble some ot Dores ILLUSTRATIONS OIL haDe-
las The most pressive of the faces Is one " hen
appears BESIDE the screen In the background The
singers merely conspicuous lay nguits without
narIIce OF expression m th;lr stold faces Munkac
ufl.nn lal
touching NOBLE and 1t would appear that the paint
had failed in the likeness as well as IN tho sent
men. OF the scene THIS picture was evidently IN
tended to satisfy popular taste for sentimental an
ecdotage, rather than to represent seriously historical
art, but any one who Is moved TO accept Munhacsys
Mozart truthful portrait viii do well to examine
the Tsschben portrait which, We believe, Is generally
clover painting of Costumes In this picture but thoe
has been little opportunity for the kind OF coarse
genre w.rk in which Munkacsy has been most success
Iul and IL Is possibly this count that his eAeoI-
ton, usually vigorous although careless, seems al
fected by cOnstraint. He has been unable to riot in
crude color, roughly to express the harsher emo
lions In the faces OF mob OF boulevard models, or
II Hungarian peasants, and II can hardly have been
a pleasure to put this doleful spectacle canvas.
There is some good painting-that may readily be
taken for q anted-but tho picture remains a per
functory performance, which leaves tho impartial OBJ
The Mozart painted or three years since in
Paris, the third of the exhibition pictures which
were the fruit of the eedelmcy yer Mnnharsy alliance
1t exhibited in Paris, trlckly hghted, rs II is
here Tho auditorium was in SENT light. Con
cealed behind the picture orchestra performed re-
QUEEN. but alas the volatile Parsians were quick to
see the ridiculous side OF this charatanry, and the
picture and its exhibition became a laughing stock
After this experience in Paris and brief encounter
with English Indifference. the picture, like the Others
which had ontllved their usefulness abroad. was
rought to this country. Last year II was shown to
various picture buyers of this city, and finally sold
1t announced that the purchaser has now lent 1t for
exhibition Whatever shortcomings this work may
have. 1t be said that 1t shines by comparison With
certain minor examples of Munkacsy's decadence ex-
hbited in the gallery the most as onshng pot
boilers which have been offered to American amateurs
as specimens OF contemporary foreign art