The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-03-15
Paintings by Many of the Worlds Most
Famous Artists-0ther Works of
Genius.

from no book in existence, and to acquire
which in tour of foreign travel would
exact careful aud repeated visits to a dozen
galleries.
Some idea Of the extent of the collection
may be formed from the fact that 1t contains
| works by the following among other French
masters ii the day: Vibeft Da ubignV,
Bouguercau, bore, the two Meissonlers,
Gerome, CaDanel, DelacrOiX, COrot, Dupre,
Milet Pun dc Chabannes, Rousseau ald
Courbet. SEnong the English painters rep
resented are I. q. Brown, Nicol, Gainsoor-
ough, Boughton aud Constable. The oil
Dutch Flemish school is represented by can
vases by Paul Potter, Teniers, Van Ootade,
Van de Nelde, Berghem and Rembrandt
Among European painters outside of France
and England the visitors will find works by
MuDkaczy. Clays, Schreyer, Richter, Max,
NerbGckhoven and Defregger. Few modern
galleries contain so varied a collection, or
one in which the methods of the different
schools may be studied to better advantage.
There Is even a Rubens, rs to Which in
genloGS art critics have aired a good deal of
ceverness aprOpOS of its authenticity.
W hateyer may be the Intrinsic merits Of the
picture, no one who has carefully gone
through the Rubens collections in Europe
can doubt that it is by the same hand. 1t is
far Inferior as work OF art to a dozen pict-
uTeS In the collection. Indeed, people at
the present day are just little tired of the
opulent charms Of Rubens' nymphs, and of
the bright DtUe IN when ms soul reJOlceu.
He was good, honest, hard working artist
who took contracts for so many yards of
painting as q carpenter takes an order for
So many yards of fencing. But he is not
master VI his art. by good deal
THE MAN WITH THE HOE.
The gem Of the collection is, of course,
The Nan With the Hoe" That is work
of art which has history. II was painted by
Mlllet when his power was at its zenith, and
he had begun to realize that he had a miSsi ion.
1t Was exhibited, ii the writer remembers
rightly, In the salon of 1862. 1t created
storm If antagonistic opinion. A large class
OF critics, under the lead OF Gautler, de-
nOunced it as a libel on the rural pOpua-
ton. Others, with deeper insight asked
whether II was true 10 nature; II 1t was.
then it had right to exist. M!llet himself,
stunned by the clamOr of the controversy,
ventured timdiy to defend his work in a
letter to a friend. He said he had merely
painted what he had seen. He, also, had
been peasant, and had worked with his
hands in the fields. He had watched the
tired lab0rer rest upon his hoe, to give his
muscles a few moments repOse, and TO nil
his lungs with breath of fresh air. Surely
the spectacle OF such man was a fiji topic
for the painter; for the rest, he had no word
to offer in regard to the execration of his
picture. That must stand Or fall upon lis
merits.
That the great painter had much deeper
purpose than the mere portrayal of a IA
tigued peasant will only be denied by those
who see nothing in The Angelus" but Il lad
and a girl in field. He was too modest to
claim the rank OF n philosopher He left
the world to find out-his meaning without
suggestion from him. But that meaning
stood ont too distinctly to be long ignored.
As in The Angeius" he painted the deyOut
II teu its stony TO those VIM eonid read il
N in ..'Tbe Nan Win tbe Une'' he rttereJ n
fierce nrotast against n svstem which hruti-
fes the Sam npasant and deGrades him In
the Level Of the trorlodvfe
The man with the noe is scarcelv human.
There is not a raw of intelligence in his face.
His exur,ssion IS one of homeless yacuitv,
lie has ewes hut thew seem hardly cauabje
OF seeing ANYTHING but the clods he skaters
with his Implement His mouth is open to
brnatha fraal,. but in lnnks idin+ir Uis
bawed figure seems 10 be n compromise he
tween tie creatures which stand upright and
tIosa hjch crawl an all fours If wnuld
not take much to induce him to fall ON hands
ami knees. AS tie Caye-dwellers did. The
unutterabie sadness of the nicture il har
rnWinp
WUATI.A RRI-yFRE WROTE.
T. ,.,s ,ot AIjitat Viz d5.oo,.-,,aI .l,,,
,+b ~ dTo-Iat'oo ~ ,,iah aa,,nra.io ,,,S
~ ,,it1'S Ill Gad l'i - Errt
,,aoHa,,tri ,Ion cant'Irias ~
80. Ia - - pr,'t-a ho', ,rTt4
MS N'''io =" - - go ''''1
oca'teien thIough 'le rural o'stilctS one sees
i;, i a. ,'N al ~ nv ~, "iu
and gtH6 Win ceaseless perttstrnc V 'N' Th I.
possess voice which seems 10 be articilste, aud
when they straiglten themselves on their leg,
they display human face. They IN fact
men ana women. lheS SINK away al nlghtlall
70 2 mus ~ "Iele 'ne! sustain Aie Ny ueNoutihg
0',1N O'e"u, ""'-' ""u '""''
arthur 1"uhgS pictures OF the british
COhuluOu OIL ine frehch peaSahtry followed
that Oh La bIuyere AFTER an interval Oi
HubulSu anu my EeaIS; ana iaGer SUI,
3Iuce MiiIe' painted me man w lh the
h9e, IoI" mas ueicrloeu III equaiy viva
coIoIs the same Grass III ~ q mover Wni n IS
iepuITSlVe III us realism. ne man WIN
tle uoe' WitiouI hopes Without IeeIlngs'
Mi.hoGt nulllai instincts, Mltnout virtues,
Mltn9ut SenSe VI lleHt uIu MIouE' - ItpIO,
Guceu III ua!l uoLeh Shapes III la leire.
no lo'e my the painter, h"u Ine loity
pun pose o. uIaNlis aIteh non 10 Tue Qeetadh-
tioli VI tiie ieuGn pe"sah'ty' anu oi point
ing our Ihat when some ol me Dest minds
III france are Dusty engaged III searching
w ieHcS vi plenLstOlic lldll tile man Oh 10
ua1 III tle county c9ln'iules Is actually
Sin' ltauns W tle I'VE Vi tuat Iols-lusV De
ing. miners prush Is not as vigorous and
ii"'tI % Loia Peu oa. ne Is laI Sgpe-
Ilol u 1 tue hofellSs ~ tehueIhess anu ueli1
caC9. l ue ,, ineialCHo9 pOen vi tle ilreu
pG 5a. WI NC Hiu I SIooa ny HueuIeoS
" nooe sVou t"s1e 10 ''lVeA ~ of Hola pre-
al VI eiio 1epaseu anu
Ill
mau tne Saule ann ~ Fle"' auu IL vas
. am i; ~ tire M o. Tue
ne III, ~ Io NV Wis nc, nc
gna, tais e5 to iG ,t te
onnaal without shocLxing tbe most spensitive
beholder 1t is one of those paintings which
accomplish results.
Next to Millet's painting four landscapes
challenge study and admiration. OF these
the first in merit is probably "Tbe Oaks"
by Mtllet's friend, Rousseau, II is a charm
Jig autumn scene, painted throughout in
light brown, warm and rich. Trees and
heritage are both tinted with the tender
autumn hue which in Eurnne takes the
place of our more vivid fall colors.
Corot. which is hung next to this is in the
masters best manner The play of pure
light through the trees and the dancing
green of the grass are admirable. Further
on Ia the same row is n good canvas by poor
Courbet. a clump of trees set in meadow
casts so heavy a shadow on tile grass that
the spectator can almost see and feel the
fierce afternoon sun. Warmth beams from
the canvas; one quite understands the
eagerness of the figures in the painting to