Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-17
ART AND PLEASURE.
A Review Of the Work of Verestcha-
gin. the Russian Painter.
QUITE A BUSY FRIDAY In SOCIETY.
A Number of Entertainments That We're
Social Successes.
PLEASANT RECEPTION TO A PASTOR

In view of the excitement which the Ver-
estchagin collection. now on exhibition at
Carnegie Library, has justly created in this
city, it will be interesting to review the
artistic work in relation to his general char
acter.
Vassiii verestchagin is BY birth noble
man, and wealthy by Inheritance; he is a
traveller by inclination, and a philosopher
by experience, but an artist by impulse and
from choice.
These various circumstances prompt him
TO treat, with masterstrokes, an immense
variety of subjects. Thus it is the religious
feeling inoculated, ii not inherent, in the
Russian aristocracy, that causes him to
plant his easel before the Sea of Galilee, in
some oriental courtyard, suggestive Of
the workshop of the Savior's Father,
or before Abraham's tomb; again.
his love for humanity and the
somber philosophy born of the reek Of
human blood, urges him to paint the hor-
rors of battlefelds with truth that scarce
falls short of the hideous reality, in order to
check the awful havoc of war by exciting
the pity of mankind. The true love of the
beautiful, or an artistic feeling for the
grotesque, guide his facile brush in depict
ing the oriental luxuriance of the gardens
that surrouud the Tai Mahal, the Himalaya
Mountains, seen from Darjeeling, some char
acteristic faces, or begging dervish.
Verestchagin is thorough realist. Des-
pire his technical mastery, he is incapable
of stepping beyong the truth. Even in the
large canvas of the "Cruciixion," fit SUBJ
ject for inspiration, he has only photo
graphed, as it were, highly probable illus
tration of q Roman execution. And vet,
the painting has its dramatic power by vir-
tue of this very absence of intention to be
more than truthful.
very pleasing conception of the "Holy
Family" 1t is nothing mUre than a genre
painting of court yard. The unstudled at
utudes of the figures lend a charm to the
composition that studied poses would lack.
Advantages of Sketching on the Spot.
The war pictures were mostly made on the
fields of battle. As Adjutant of General
Skobelef, Verestchagin had special ad-
vautages for sketching on the spot. His
soldiers have not been painted from models
hired at so much an hour, who dress in the
proper accoutrements, lie down upon a mat
tress and pose until it was time for them to
sit for some other artist and for another
character. His models were the dead and
dying. as he found them upon the battle
fields; corpses who have retained the fright
ful gestures of the last struggle in the rigor
Of death.
Foremost in point of study and execution
among these pictures is a large hospital
scene. The tents are too small to hold all
the unfortunates brought in from the battle
field, and the sloping ground is covered
with soldiers wounded and dying For God
and the Gar" as the Russian battle cry
has it. In the underground one has risen
to his feet in the restless agony caused by
having had his jawbone shot to pieces. The
face of the man, with his blood-covered
bondage, is in itself sermon against the
wholesale butchery called war.
A mournful grandeur pervades Blessing
the Dead" The corpse-strewn field almost
merges into the somber clouds that hang low
as ii to merciiully cover the horror of this
awful spot OF peopled solitude. What are
the thoughts OF the priest and the officer who
are administering the last rites to this silent
throng?
Verestchagin has remarkable power for
preserving local color. He runs the scale,
of Oriental scenes, with equal force The
two small pictures of the Tai Mahal, the
large Entrance OF the Prince of Wales in
Bombay" the scenes from Palestine, etc.,
are as full of sunlight as the Hanging of
Nihilists" Skobeleff at Plevna," and "All
Quiet on Shipka Pass" are tull of the biting
cold atmosphere OF Russian winters.
Remarkable Technical Daring.
The two large mosque interiors. as well as
the smaller ones, are remarkable exhibitions
of technical daring. In the large Private
Mosque" the perspective OF the white marble
interior is handled with exquisite delicacv.
the shades OF blue in the shadows being low
cred In scarcely noticeable gradations
There is not single picture, large or
small, IN the collection that would not be
worth seeing, and the most fascinating part
about Ii is that every picture either tells its
story or gains interest by reason of the story
connected with the scene it depicts. Next
10 the paintings, the collection of carpets.
laces, embroideries and metal ware is worth
seeing. Verestchagin has been in a position
TO make his own selections on the spot. and
therefore his carpets really represent the
countries in which thev were made. Here
Is gorgeous marvel of textile fabric from
Samarkand; there one from Khiya; over
vOnder one from Buckhara. In this case you
see metal vases upon which have been law
ishly sqUandered the most delicate designs
in nlello known to the oriental jeweler, and
in another case can be seen the gold EN-
broideries and laces that deck the bride at a
hhirgiz wedding.