Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-01-04

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1t was thought q week ago that the great
Verestchagin collection Of paintings and
articles of virtu would be ready for public
exhibition during the first week in January.
This impression was quickly dispelled by
Mr.. Edward Brandus, the general manager
of the collection, upon his arrival in Pitts
burg from Chicago. It simply amounts to
this: Pittsburg and Allegheny people who
have not seen this wonderful collection do
not realize its magnitude and importance.
Instead OF requiring few days or a week to
| gallery and hang the pictures it has re-
| quired the entire past week to simply
| transport the works to the gallery, and to
! perform this task three enormous wagons
| were required and the labor OF "a
| men. 1t will now require probably
| ten days, in addition to the time
| already consumed to place the works upon the
rugs and articles of interest from India and
| Asia, which In themselves form quite a
! respectable museum. 1t is said some of these
| rugs are superb in color, and that in artistic
| superiors In the world. 1t is not yet time to
! speak of the paintings bur it Is certain that a
collection which has been seen with amazement
| and delight by the people of Two continents
during the past IL years will afford the people
| of these cities treat the like of which it has
| not heretofore been their good fortune to enjoy
collection here which could for one instant
| be compared to this, and 1t may
| be many years before we are again
honored in like manner. OF course, the indi-
vidual character Of the collection is one of Its
most important characteristics. The paintings,
l3l In number, are all the works of Vassili
Verestchagn. Certainly he is one Of the most
versatile artists living. His subjects differ
| widely and his treatment, from technical
| standpoint, ia said to differ as widely. You are
| impressed with the wide mental range Of the
man when you stand in the presence Of an
elaborately carved frame lying In four sections
each of which required the combined strength
| OF ~ or IL men to convey it into the building,
and realize that he painted the enormous can;
| vas which fills this frame, and also the framed
| canvas near it which measures exactly 3x5
| inches Through them all, however. runs the
strong character of the painter-soldier, and
trail Asia, the Holy Land, India or over the
Balkans, ir Is Verestchagin who accompanies
you always. No other collection approaching
| this in size, the work of one painter, exists
| to-day, save only that of Gustave bore, In Lon
don, and his works differ so radically being stu
| dio productions, that comparison cannot be
sibly above it, is the intense realism of Verest-
chagln's art In fact, he paints SO realistically,
| representing scenes which only an intrepid SOL
| der has the courage to behold, that presented
| seems too remarkable to be believed. 1t was
| charged that his picture of priest performing
| the last religious rites on battlefield over a
mass of killed, plundered, mutilated soldiers,
| who had Just given up their lives in defense of
their country, was the product of his imagina-
tion and downright falsehoOd. Yet the very
| priest painted, afrerward appeared in the pres
ence Of the public, standing before the picture,
| and declared that 1t was he who had reformed
/ those last rites and that 1t was done in the very
surroundings reproduced in the picture.
ONE of the most elaborate, as well as beauti.
| full, specimens Of penmanship and design shown
in Pittsburg in many years is the elegantly en-.
crossed set of resolutions shown at Youngs
during the past week. The work was done at
| the pen art department Of Duff College, and
| not only reflects credit upon that time-honored
| institution but does honor to our city, because
the National brotherhood OF Locomotive Engi-
| neers, having the establishments Of the entire
| country to select from, awarded the commission
| for this work to Duff's College. The design
certainly displays wonderful skill in this par
ticular branch Of art work, and it s difficult in
deed to conceive of pen work being done with
more deftness or precision.
Mr.. STORM, whose paintings are frequently
seen IN Pittsburg, spent the holiday season in
New York. where his son resides. He has on
| his easel picture of General Sherman, which
will be exhibited soon.
Mr. D. B. VALLEY departed from the city
| before Christmas to spend q fortnight with his
| family in Ohio. He will return tomorrow.
|
A VERY clever painting of flowers by Miss L
W. Luce was displayed at Gillespie's during the
| past week..
THE Gross and Lenz collection of paintings,
which has been exhibition for many weeks,
was replaced during the past week by a new
collection owned by the same gentlemen.
| Among these new pictures is remarkably
| beautiful Detaiile, soldier carrying a gun on
| his shoulder. There is also a charming Berne
| BeIlecour and an interesting sketch by Fortuny
THE past week was one OF almost profound
| stiffness in the art schools and studios of the
CITY, Brushes and palettes were laid aside on
Christmas Eve. not to be again taken up until
the close of the holiday season. A solitary
| pupil, Mr.. John Flender, labored diligently
| throughout the week at the Pittsburg Art
School, in order to finish an important study of
| fruit-not because he wanted to work, but be-
cause the fruit being perishable refused to wait
| for the reopening of the school. Mr.. Hetzel,
| Mr.. King. Mr.. Walz and others were absent a
part or all Of the week.
| $50
Mr., l. L. RoUsH, formerly Of this city, and
| who has occupied q studio in New York for
some years, is prospero us and busy with Illus
trarions for magazines and other publications.
|
AN important exhibition of old masters is
now open at Durand-Ruel's. New York. The
| works are py Rembrandt, Rubens, Terburg,
| Halls, Van Derneer, Van Ostade. Cuyp. Teniens
and De Hoagh.
g. BOYD Co. recently sold for Mr.. Hetzel
| two landscapes, and also works for Mr.. Walk
ley and other Pittsburg artists.
THE World New York, has the following
summary Of the art season: "The art season
has settled down into a comparatively steady
run of not over-important but interesting series
| of small exhibitions Of various kinds Of art
| work. Following several water-color displays
noticed recently in the World, there have come
during the past fortnight the exhibition of the
works of Bruce Joy, the English sculptor, at
Schaus'; of four fine modern masters at Kohn's,
of a collection of the etched works of
| Paul Raion at the Gro1er Club, the reg
ular monthly exhibition OF the Union League
ing special exhibition of the works of Alex.
anier Harrison, William L. Dodge and Charles
| Walter Stetsop, which is now in progress al
the American Art Galleries. The fact that the
art public andspeople interested in art matters
were given all last week an opportunity to view
not only these exhibitions but the many excel.
lent carvases in the leading dealers galleries
and to inspect the autumn exhibitions at the
Academy Of Design and the Metropolitan
Museum, and such charming display Of orig
inal illustrative work as that shown by Charles
Reinhart at Richards gallery, goes far tc
prove how much New York has advanced in
art matters during the past i've years, and tc
what large proportions the element which Is in
rerested in art must have grown to render thi:
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