The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-02-09
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

Portfolio Papers. By Philip Gilbert Ham
erton, Editor of "The Portfolio" (Boston:
Roberts Bros. Portland Loring, Short &
Harmony There is delicacy as well as
reasonableness about Mr.. Hamerton's writ
ings, which always appeals to us. In mat
tiers of art his judgement and taste are to De
relied upon, aud he gives us good, honest
criticism, without affecting to know more
than is given to mortals to understand,
which is so common and amusing foible OF
several CT our modern art critics. The pres
ent volume is tastefully and agreeably made
up of the papers written by the author LOT
"The Portfolio" the art magazine, SO ably
and successfully conducted by Mr.. Hamerton
and his partner Mr.. Seeley The book is
divided into four parts Part | Notices OF
Artists: Part II Notices on -Esthetics
Part Ill Essays: Part Nv Conversations.
The artists of whom Mr.. Hamerton espec-
tally treats are Constable. Etty, Chintrenil,
Guignet and Goya. The sketch of Constable
Is based upon Leslie's life of this artist and
contains much interesting matter, a large
part of which has special reference to the In
creasing Importance of Constable's name In
the history of landscape art William ETY.,
long and lamentably failed TO impress him
self upon his time, but his Cleopatra. with
its voluptuous glow of color, and sensuous
passion brought him into public notice. SO
that at his death in 1919 he was considered
one of the chief artists of the modern English
school. or Antoine Chintreull, Mr. Ham
erton says: HE was one of the most per-
feet instances of the pure landscape-paintel
known TO the public hitherto. He was born
for landscape painting as others are born for
music" 1t was through the friendship and
persistent kindness of the poet Berangel
that, 0hintruil became known to a little circle
Of Intelligent people who helped him to tn,
success which he achieved. raaf ~. .s
Next in the list comes Adrien Guignet.
poet ON canvas, he fascinated iall who wer,
admitted to his dreamland. A biography O.
Guignet has been written by Theophil,
Gautier, who was one Of his admirers. TIL,
pictures of Goya were seen at the Paris
Universal Exhibition in 1873, having been
loaned by Baron Granger Sin order to give
the public an opportunity of deriving mora
and aesthetic benefit" from the works of the
successor of Velasquez. Goya is not the
least interesting of this group of artists.
In Mr.sHamerton's Notes on Esthetics hi
replies to the possible question of the reader
as to whether there is any use in studyine
such a science, since the most eminent art
lists of.past generations troubled themselye:
little about it, whilst their clever and pros
porous successors in the present day Iexpres:
hearty contempt for all who concern them
selves with Esthetics as idle dilettants, who
make phrases about what they do not under
stand.p Mr.. Hamerbon's answer to this
question, which he proceeds to elaborate, is
that like all true sciences, aesthetics does moi
pretend to be practical. though practical re.
sultsmay sometimes follow its investigations
And that 1.-THE only object of aesthetics is to
form a true theory about the nature Of art"
The volume closes with a very bright and
entertaining conversation upon Book Illustra
trations; the participants being a poet, an
artist, q scientist and a critic. The critic
happily says of Mr.. Ruskin: "He is an artist
when he writes, a student when he draws
In writing he unhesitatingly sacrifices ac
curacyito effect, and that is quite character.
istic of an artist. In drawing he seems al
ways anxious,aboye ali things to be accurate
and that is characteristic of the conscien
tious, painstaking student" How often We
have found this to be true when reading one
of Mr.. Ruskin's charming and vivid ldescrip
tions of an object which our own sight fail,
to verify. One can only find what Mr.. Rus
kin finds, by seeing with his eyes. The bool
has an etched portrait of Mr.. Ruskin a:
frontispiece and full page cuts of drawing
of Raphael, in the British Museum and st
Sebastian, from the engraving of Albert