The sun., 1890-01-12
Ar rsn UNION LEAeUn oLun


per are followed this month By one OF wholly
different character, but Of saual interest and
. greater novelty. The products Of ancient
I Greece take tho plaoe Of Oriental works In the
cabinets and on the shelves while on the walls
instead OF miscellaneous assortment Of pio-
lures, We hnd American landscapes only.
Of the sixty-nine Greek vases shown, sixty-
one are loaned By Mr.. T. B. Clarke. and the
others are contributed by Messrs. Mnrqnand,
Russell SturRis O. J. Lawrence. J. W. Els
worth, Henry Graves, and BENJAMIN Altman.
The series beeins with an example attributed
to the eighth century B. O., and found In Asia
Minor. From the arohaism OF this. others
carry us gradually down to tho fourth century
b. o., when the potters art. like that Of his
Fellows In all other branches, reached its no.
blest development, and thence to the third CEN
tury Of our era There is as much variety in
the form as in the date OF the examples. many
OF the choicest and most characteristic shapes
|. beloved OF the Greeks being illustrated. while
In certain cases the painting is Of great excel
lence. remarkable number OF the pieces are
In perfect preservation, and the catalogue is
careful to indicate such repairs rs have been
| made. This collection offers chance hitherto
unapproached In New York. OF studying one OF
the most famous, significant. and delightful OF
the minor DEVELOPMENTS of Greek art.
But still moro interesting. at least to the
general eye. is the collection OF Greek statu-
|
| were first revealed In any quantity to the pub
lie at the Paris Exhibition Of 1878; and having
come from the tombs Of Tanagra in Bootia.
| TanaRra fRurines" remains the popular
name for the whole class to which they belong.
| Single figures from Tanagra itself as we'll as
from other places, may be seen at the Union
League Club; but with them are number OF
groups discovered in more recent years in Asia
| Minor. Certain European museums own such
thntrt tata al d
| 1t is probable that we have hero as fine exam
pies as have been uneerthed. In the e. Pan
Extracting Thorn from the Foot of
| Nymph," loaned by Mr. Marquand |
and attributed to the fourth century |
B. G.. the group is finished in the round and |
the Girl'sfgure ts exquisite in pose and model |
ling. Unfortunately the head has been broken |
from the body. and the rejoinng has not been
very neatly done. Esculapius and HyReia
Attending an Invalid" Of the same period,
and loaned By Mr.. Ives. Is to be viewed from
one side only. the healing gods standing at
either end OF the couch. The dignity Of line in
this little work may bo contrasted with the
more graceful composition Of Mr. EllsWorth's
Youth Of Bacchus." but there Is little to
choose between the two in vividness of facial
expression. In the latter work the young god
is seated on q goat while silenus follows him,
and q bacchante floats before The delightful
|
remarkable here. In third category
stands Mr.. Clarke's "Bacchio Dance" which
Is not properly group. but q high relief
with five figures. All these and many OF the sin
gle figures are true artistic creations. evident
ly designed for execution on this small scale.
But others are as evidently reductions OF largo
statues, and the one labelled F" and repre-
sentinR Sappho on her Cliff is plausibly cats
logued as copy Of a painting. Nor even IN
AYapntinn N urip L. |
artistic value. as is shown II tho delicate rem.
dering OF detail In the best examples is con.
trasted with its rude indication In Others as
In the hands OF the one marked 20" Traces
OF the white paint with which the clay was first
coated survive in many cases. and in some :
remains OF the outer color and gliding. Es-
pecially noteworthy in this respect Is &c"
where the girls hair is red and her garments
red and green. AS studies in the treatment Of :
draperies nothing could be more charming !
than this, and some Of the other single figures
where a long thin mantle Is closely wrapped u
about the slender form. .
Turning to the pictures, we find that the fifty = :
landscapes represent moro than thirty diff :
ferent artists, and the high average theg re- h
veal Is therefore doubly satisfactory. 1t the h
first cursory survey one 10 struck by the num- q
ber In which poetical feeling is manifest: and y
this is another cause for especial pleasure. In :,
view OF the fact that in France to-day the q
greatest falling Off from the noble level reach q
ed by the landscape painters of the last genera
ton is in precisely this quality. Ia technical :,
power and in care for composition the young N
In France is ahead OF Tours; but in "
sentiment, In individuality OF mood, our own a.
surpasses. and it looks as though in color, too,
We were improving, while the 1renchmen are .,
losing. All the painters here represented are A
still alive excepting one. Mr.. Baker, and he d
died very young, 80 the show really represents Il
current work. Yet in 1t are included some te
'urvivals Of ideas and methods now dis n
tinctly out of date. like Mr.. Moran's a,
theatrical canvas and tho huge typographical a,
,rudity signed by Mr. Bierstadt. 1t Is q a,
lelight to pass from these to the productions | ~
of another veteran. Mr.. Inness. and find him | hi
lot only abreast OF tho youngest. but ahead of =
hem all In some respects. Perhaps 1t would
% better to add: in some OF his pictures. for o
more variable artist never lived. II he were
represented only by the carly Delaware VAL
ey." one might say he had strong. Intelligent y
'rush and power Of synthesis sufficient to IN
make true picture out of detailed treatment I'd
Il a panoramic expanse OF mountain and val
ey; II only BY the Sunset" Nc. 20, that he
lad poetical feeling and little else: II only By
he Mill Pond" a gorgeous "impressionD of
utumn. with great red maple in the fore en-
round. that he had poetical feeling and col AZ AZ
rlstlc power, put no care Tor textures and
ot much care for truth to natures facts
omething the same might be said too, Of
10. 80. which is catalogued probably by q
rinters error, as Sunrise" though II repre-
ents the moon rising in front OF the spectator ~
lille the setting sun behind him reddens tho
loon and the tree trunks. This. too. is poeti-
al. and ia fine in color. but docs not pretend to
veraclty. But In the Gray,
owery Day" which shows valley out by a
rook, and covered with dense growth of low
ashes amid which rise groups of trees while =
line OF hill runs in the background. and '- =
cam vi Hkh' iais acro5S the iniuuie distance, lut
Q nnd compositlon' color. texture and poetry to
i realized. together with broad. suave, and d
aat0rly toueh Thia IA eePtainlv tha anant | ity