Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-02-16
TdE GREAT PICTURE.
"TTIE LAST SPIKE,v BY HILL, AT
THE LOAN EXHIBITION.
A MasterIy Work Its Essential
Elements and Historic
Character.


There is now on exhibition at the Loan
Exhibition of the Ladies Museum Asso-
citation IL the E. B. Crocker Art Gallery, a
noble work of art in which the State OF
California should take a pride tina. will
brook no rival possession of it. Thomas
Hills The Last Spike" is work of such
historic Interest, that ii is inseperably
related 10 the story of the State and as
muca record of the final act in the great
est achievement affecting
THE DESTINY OF CALIFORNIA
As The most elaborate text of the greatest
genius of historical writing. As time
recedes this superb picture will come more
and more prominently into the contour of
State history, and be looked upon not only
as a treasure of art but as gallery of por-
traitrre of State builders, such as never
again can be massed III any one painting.
THE DAY HAS COME
When whoever looks upon the picture and
takes but the hastiest retrospective glance
down the aisies of the stirring history of the
last thirty years, and forward look into the
certain greatness of this State, cannot fail
to be impressed with q profound sense OF
: the historic value of the painting. When
the last Of the actors in The momentuuus u }
drama that began in Sacramento, when Il
genius OF Leland Stanford, G. P. Hunting
ton, Charles Crocker, Mark Hopkins and
their coniieres grappled with the problem
OF nalon saving by nation binding, aud
ended beneath the blazing sun OF the
Utah plains on the 10th Of May, 1869, are
desd; when they live only in the memory
OF their mighty achievements, generations
OF spprecietiye people will look to this
NOBLE PAINTING
As the chieiest and only truly dramatic
record OF that impressive ceremony, in
which foremost citizens of common Union
of inseparably- banded Soyereignties gath
cred upon the bosom of the continent to
forge the last bolt of the iron bond of fra
ternity, good will and union of States and
people, that embraced in the willing thrall
OF love and national brotherhood the whole
American people. Such painting as this,
as all great historic paintings must, belongs
to the people of whose history it is a part.
1t stheirs By another right it is the pro-
duct of the chief of the landscape painters
the grandeur of the scenes of their State
has developed; the genius inspired By her
hills, valleys, atmosphere and civilization
to labors that have made her known in
lands where else California; s fair expanse
had never been heard of.
ART SPEAKS
To all alike It is the one universal lam
guage Music is silent before it. 1t is a
voice that is Ineligible to all ears. It's ex-
preston never calls for the intermediary,
translation. Hills Yosemites and Nevadas
and all the long line of his varied and mag
nificsnt reproductions of the noblest of Cal
1fornia scenes have, in one form or another,
by the flash of the sunbeam into the
came-a, the touch of the engrayer's STYLUS.
ths biting of the etcher's subtle agencies,
the skill of the wood engraver or the crayon
strokes OF the iithographer, been sent into
the utiefmost parts of the world, and from
wall, portfolio, magazine and gallery. de-
claimed TO the nstions of earth of the SUBJ
Unity OF the heritage which which we are
so blessed.
But TO THE PAINTING ITSELF.
Whoever has even the faintest conception
of what constitutes superior art ability and
LOOKS upon this picture, must be pro-
fouudls - pressed with the enormous diff
culsy of the task H;ll undertook None
but master hand could have evolved from
such diversity OF material and baroness of
landscape such vitality, breadth, and
human interest. We do not believe there
is in the world a painting that introduces
~ many AE-ANS anu HiSoSnlo CNcI1 OnS Vi
them as accurate and finished portraiture
We do not believe that there is in the world
another painting that, with such meager-
,ss of background effects, and such i'm
mtnsitg of foreground, has such bounc-
lessneSs of distance. such loftiness of sky.
LET THE BEHoLDRR
Look to the left or right upon master works
in the Gallery, where the painting now
hangs; upon the sky effects beneath tropic
suns, Arctic rigors or Italian softness, and
upon the mingling of cloud and celestial
blue OF the temperate zones, and then turn
to "The Last Spike" and note how, with
out so much as heck of cloud, The inn
mensity of the armament by day has been
preserved TIE most unImpressible be
holders will instantly see that here is pre-
served realistic effect almost startling, of
warm, dessicating, pulseless atmosphere.
such as hangs above arid plains; and of
dTeary sweeps and stretches of distance
checked only By the abrupt rising of tie
distant Wahsatch Range The ordinary ar
list would have been utterly disheartened
by such landscape material; nine cut of
ten would hsye produced from such
timber ouly structure dull and unin-
teresiing. But genius swept aside such
natural obstacles, pushed through the duh
seeming, and exposed a nobility of distance,
lofiiness, immensely, silence, that is the
apo:heosis of sublimity, and causes one
reverently TO bow before the grandeur of
nature even in her unadorned and barren
exposure.
To SAY THAT IT Is REALISTIC
Expresses the truth of the picture 1t
realizes expanse as has never before been
done, because no other painter had so little
aid from natural objects through which to
express to the understanding the idea of
breadth and distance. II realizes activity
in portTa;trre-groupiDgin in scene ofloftiest
historic significance. 1t realizes by the
poses of the figures, the unconventional
grouping, The solemnity or expression of
the countenances of the chief actors, the
strange and puzzled interest of the Chinese
laborers, the nervous anxiety of the cleo
trician, the almost revereatial attitude of
the spectators that there was enacted
grand drama, the story Of which
will go sounding through the ages and
reyerberate in the halls of national history
with never. ending repetition. IL realizes
with the very least of detail and studied
effect we have ever seen worked into such n
large painting, the maximum OF activity,
completeness life and dramatic expression,
with the minimum of disclosed effort.
Battle pieces with charging squadrons and
dashing columns parks of belching artil-
lery. the rush and confusion Of conflict,
the diving soldiers. the trampled and con-
forted dead have all aids possible TO be
summoned tn quicken the imagination and
compel the oehoider to
cLoTHE THE SCENE WITH VITALITY
And make its action all but real. But here
no adventurous help could be enlisted, say.
ing the distant Wahsatch peaks nature
gave to the artist only silence; immensity,
fiat. unintefesting and oppressive Out Of
such M sterial he has commanded grandeur;
out of silencehe has evoked voice that pro-
claims to man the majesty and awful glory
of the creator: ont OF the desert he has
builded temple upon the canvas. whose
dome is gray, cloudless sky, reaching into
the unspes cable depths of the heavens
. farnnla uhasa walls are the linlv-s see I,