Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1890-04-04

horrors of the subject, and in spite Of your.
self you stop to gaze at the mighty form OF
Polythemus, whose every muscle stands ont
sharp and clear and seem quiysring with
gigantic power.
Another painting in this weird collection
is "Napoleon In He'll" Here the great em-
peror Is tied 70 stake, while around him Ie are
mothers, sisters and daughters Of the men
alain to crafty his ambition. One holds the
head of her son in one hand, another the
heart of her lover, and another the body of
her babe. With long, tremulous fingers they
all point accusingly at him as the author of
all their woes. In his face are portrayed all
the emotions one would expect to find there
under such circumstances. The whole gal
lery is filed with just such paintings, ell of
the uncanny sort, and yet all showing that
the hand of master had guided the brush
that painted them. In one end Of this gall
lery another phase of his eccentric character
is illustrated. A number of Y-shaped
fences, each about eight feet high, stand
there, making small triangles. with the side
of the room forming one boundary. Circu-
lar openings about one foot in diameter are
cut in these partitions. just high enough to
look through conveniently. You approach
and gaze through these little aperturss.
Each division will have Q picture hanging
opposite, while the little room thus made
will be arranged to form the complement to
the picture.
One picture called "The Resusoitation"
represents the burial place of city during q
plague. A coffin has been hastily deposited
there during the epidemic and left instantly.
Its unhappy occupant has revived, broken
the cover, pushed it up and forced his head
out. As you look in through the opening
you catch the appealing glance of this aban-
boned, miserable wretch, who has taken In
his awful situation. It is not a very pleas
ant spectacle to one subject to nightmare.
Another alcove has the entire side oppo-
site the opening covered with mirror. The
side which you are on is covered with q pic
ture which represents the most horrible, dis.
torted and deformed wretch Imaginable.
The artist, though, has given him no face.
This, however, is supplied by the visitor, for
the opening Is dsftly arranged so that it fin.
ishes the picture. Imagine the sensations OF
the spectator as he looks in and beholds his
own face on the shoulders of body as
frightful as the genius of the artist could
make it.
Another example of the painters whimai-
cal nature is illustrated in q narrow corridor
at one end Of the gallery, which apparently
leads into another chamber. You follow it
unsuspiciously. Suddenly You turn sharp
corner and start back overwhelmed with con-
fusion and embarrassment. You have appa-
rently wandered into the private portion of
the house, for there is door ajar, opening
into lady's bedroom. She has rushed to
the door scantily clad, and while with one
hand she tries to conceal the exposure of her
person, with the other is motioning you to
20 back at once. You are about to do so in
the greatest haste, whom an explosion of
laughter from your guide reveals the fact
that all this is but creation of the artists
brush and another illustration of this eccsn-
trio genius. The whole gallery, in short,
presents q constant succession of startling
pictures, replete with ability and genius, and
yet with a strange, weird, horrible some-
thing as background. You walk through
amazed at what you see and you 60 out feel
ing that somewhere about the artist some
thing was ajar, and that in this case truly
was genius akin to madness.
Imagine the condition of a soul constantly
brooding over the awful creations We have
noticed, or over such others as we find there,
for example, "The Contest for the Body of
Patroclus." where you see q spear thrust
bodily through the heart of the Greek hero;
or "Vision of Beheaded Man." or "Hun-
ger, Madness and Crime" or "The Suicide"
or 'sStarvation," or s'The Last Cannon" or
"Concie~ge," or many others of similar
character. Can you picture to yourself a
condition sadder or more terrible? And yet
If this gallery is a faithful index of its crea.
tor, such must have been the environment of
his life. When exploring Brussels fail not
TO visit this old mansion. Though you will
go away saddened and thoughtful, yet you
will 90 with broader experience aud with q
profounder thankfulness for your own whole
some mental condition.