The record-union., 1891-02-28
ART NOTES.

ART NOTES
The Sacramento School of Design will
hold its annual exhibition the first week
in April at the L. 3. Crocker Art Gallery.
Miss Lucy Polk Smell, young artist
OF some talent, is one of the few surviv-
ing relatives OF President Polk, being his
graudniece.
Meissonier was one of the many little
men who have played big parts in the
worlds history. His head was large and
his shoulders were rather broad, but his
body was short and slender. His legs
were small and insignificant, but they
answered Abraham Lincoln's test, in be-
ing long enough to reach TO the ground.
It was in Cornhill, in the days of my
boyhood, that my eyes first dilated upon
a then well-known painter, who now, as
! look back, seems like one Of the old
masters. 1t was John r. Penniman; and
though much of his time in his then old
age was spent III the coarser branches,
yet many decorative work attested his
ability for higher art, and his real genius.
Those were the days when open rum
shops were attractive to the eleven
O'Clock topers. Penniman knew the
places of that sort in Brattle Street, and
might be seen, Fast by an ingle bleez-
ing tineiy," in the old Bite Tavern in
Dock Square, or sitting i'll the old Stage
House at the foot of Brattle and Elm
streets. None ventured to dispute his
high calling, and other circumstances
might have arrayed his name on the roll
OF fane.-Sunaiet L. Gerry ie NeaO Eng
laaad Magazine.
1 am forced to believe, after half
hours study of the Russian artist, Mich
OLAF Cues, picture entitled "What is
Truth?" that the Gar was correct in his
estimate Of the picture, for when he had
viewed it, so tits said, he ordered it boxed
and put out OF sight, claiming that it
was not a fit OF appropriate repre-
OF all the Christs that have yet APP
peared upon canvas, this Russian type,
exterior as well as interior, is the worst.
The sumptuous PLATE is more likely to
gain followers than Christ. Never yet
did such creature contain resources
sufficient to lift woman to the level of
man as Christ has done. Munkacsy's
Christ was clean, presentable, though a
Slum type; he was q little more than
idiotic III expression. The Flemish
painter, Rubans, the Italian artists. the
Dutch and Germans have given us superb
Christs. DelacroiX, a Frenchman, has
come nearer to my theory, my concep-
tion of Christ, than any other portayer
Tender, true and delicious in color, as
well as possibly human, it reached the
stony heart of the skeptic. The Bible
writers make Christ on the cross an
agony, thus appealing to human sym
pathy; here is another agony, another
draft on poor humanity, always q sui
ferer, no doubt; but there were times
when he was clean; Gabriel Max gives
US such an instance, so have hosts of
other good painters. There is, of course,
a mighty strong contrast between Christ
and PLATE; the latter is gross with royal
fat and regal with kingly robes. His ami
NAL propensities are evident; there is no
a NJ f.lf.tc nd lr,S,t
and gain, clothe him about. He would
make a fine landlord, capital high
sheriff, and would not appear out of place
in q prize ring. Munkacsy's conception
of Plate was better; it possessed the
rulers facial expression, ii nothing else
The realistic coloring and drawing is in
teresting, so IS the method; all is effect,
effect, effect, dramatic and startling.-N
Y. Star.
In 1858 Sir Everett Millais began his
brilliant portrait Of the celebrated
art critic. Ruskin was known as the au-
thor of Modern Palnters:" he had pub
lished his Seven Lamps sofArchitecture,"
the Stones of Venice" and other things,
and had taken up the position of the
champion of the cause of the Pre-Ra-
phaelite Brotherhood. This movement
had for the last five years profoundly ex-
crcised the minds of the art world, and no
pen but Ruskin's could have fought its
battle so Hcrcely, so powerfully, and so
eloquently, nor with so great measure
of success. In acknowledgement OF the
yeoman's service he had rendered
and was still rendering, Millais
painted this portrait, and which its
possessor, Sir Henry Acland of Oxford,
has SO courteously allowed us to repro
duce. Both painter and sitter We're in
Scotland. whittier the young author had
gone to deliver his Lectures on Archi-
lecture and Painting" and there, stand
ing by the waterfall of Glenfinlas, Millais
painted him, religiously abiding in the
execution Of the picture by all the tenets
OF the re-Raphaelite faith. Ruskin saws
somewhere that the Englishman is con-
tent to have his portrait painted anyway
but praying-the chief delight of the
Venetian noble, and similarly here, though
not on his knees, but wrapped in loving
reverence of nature, full Of that spirit of
humility and awe which even atheists
resented, Us he stands bareheaded
by the little cataract that rushes
and dances down the "gray-white val
iey'' to join the waters of Loeb Lomopd
With rare conScientiousness has Millais
rendered every detail in the scene; tho
geologist cannot find flaw in the paint
ing of the rocks, nor can the botanist carp
at the representation of lichen, plant, or
flower. Detail was never more faithfully
and accurately set on canvas than here in
this small frame, measuring in all but
twenty weight inches by twenty four.
while in respect to technique, the painter
OF this work, which he completed III 1854,
the year of his election into the Academy
Tile Magazine of Art.
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