The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-02-18
SOME QUESTIONS OF ART
Easilsh ana French Pictures NJ the Union
League Club.


League Club.
This months exhibition in the galleries Of
| the Union League Club has excited 80 much
| interest that It has been decided to admit
visitors in the evenings all through the pres
ent week upon presentation Of a members
card. Mr.. w. H. Fuller's private collection OF
pictures has been transferred entire from his
walls TO the walls Of those galleries. which
they suf1ce to fill. and. for the first time in
New York. an opportunity Is afforded to see
what English painting in its most famous
epoch really meant. Mr.. Fuller owns three
examples Of Sir Joshua Reynolds. four OF
Gainsborough. two Of Richard Wilson. two Of
John Crome tmore often called "Old Crome''h.
seven Of Constable. and one each Of Thomas
Barker. Cotman. and George Lance: and al
most all are excellent, though none are very
large examples.
With Reynolds, OF course. untravelled New
Workers. are somewhat familiar. and mono OF
these portraits shows how he could deal with
q large composition containing several flg-
ures as does the triple portrait in the Metro
politan Museum. But from this canvas the
flesh tones 1.-THE carnations" as one can hard
ly help calling them when speaking Of an old
English painter) have almost faded out, while
they are better preserved In Mr.. Fuller's pic
lures. and. altogether. these give us for the
first time an adequate idea Of Sir Joshua's
power as q colorist All three are half-length
portraits Of young women. and. though diverse
in matters Of pose and color. there Is much
analogy between them. The finest is the
Portrait Of Mrs. Knapp" where the charm
ing sitter. dressed In red. with fur trimmings.
thin white sleeves. and red necklace and brace
let's. and a bit Of red ribbon. with pearls In her
hair. rests her head half pensively on her right
hand and looks the spectator in the face.
&. h1o sf,,t,
are space and air around It.: character.
as one might expect, is admirably rendered.
yet without the least emphasis. and the color
is rich and delightful even the flesh tones be-
ing fairly we'll preserved. It Is not only an
excellent and charming piece Of painting. but
one which has pictorial style: and 1t was. of
course. the possession OF this gift OF distinc-
tion-rare in our days when so many mon
paint with such extreme cleverness-which
gave Sir Joshua a rank to which few modern
men have climbed. The Portrait Of the Hon.
Mrs. Darlington" is less attractive. for the
figure is stiffly posed and neither hand is
shown. but 1t is almost as satisfying in color.
In the third example. Portrait of the Duchess
OF ANCESTOR" where We have dark-haired
girlish subject with dark dress. gloved
hands. and tuft OF green leaves in the hair,
the pose Is extremely individual and graceful
and tho face beautifully drawn and character
lied. But the work seems unfinished, and
unity and charm Of color are less pronounced.
Gainsborough's Portrait OF the Countess
OF Buckinghamshire." also o half length.
where the costume shows strong notes Of
white. blue. and red. and tho hair is rolled
over high cushion and powdered white. is an
interesting contrast to the Reynolds pictures.
1t shows stronger II less rich and suave color,
and a more vigorous IL less distinguished
method OF rhn Ctarfza fiop h,,t
show GainsborouRh at his best as painter OF
portraits. Neither does the Portrait OF an
Officer" where We see small full-length fig
ure. likewise gayly costumed in blue. red and
white. stretched on green bank with q very
decorative wide piece OF landscape as back
ground. But this Is a very interesting exam
pie in its evidence as to tho way in which a
painter who died little more than q hundred
years ago rendered plein air subject His
way was not the way OF to-day by very long
degree. Ono studies his officer without think
Ing OF the conditions OF light amid which
the painter studied him: and. indeed. these
conditions might rs well have been those OF a |
studio interior for all that Gansborough tells |
US about them. And while his landscape is |
very charmingly composed and delicately |
colored. 1t is hot at all study OF nature as We |
have come to estimate such things now.
In truth. when We compare the landscapes. |
which form the most interesting portion OF
this collection. with the examples OF modern
French painting which Mr. Fuller also owns.
which fortunately also hang in tho gal
ertes OF tho club. We are not so strongly i'm
pressed by the "modernity" OF these century,
Did English works as many commentators
would have us be- The Constables are very
good Constables. with possibly one or two ex-
,eptions. This means that they are very
different from the Constables at the Metro
politan Museum. authentic though these un-
doubtedly are. 1t means that they are full OF
color. very freely and freshly. but not
'plashilv. handled. very we'll composed. and
usually marked. like Sir Joshua's portraits by
he quality Of style. They are disnifed pic
:ures. not merely bits OF scenery casually
transferred to canvas: and they are very at
ractive pictures. harmonious in color. rich
md agreeable in tone. But to say that they
IAN be compared. as revelations OF nature. to
he work of the great Frenchmen Of the past
is to speak as one who has never
ooked at nature carefully enough to know
What careful looking reveals. And. OF course.
10 one could say that, even II delicate natural
acts are overlooked. these pictures render
general effects with the vigorous veracity
'ompassed byth best impressionistic pnint-
rs OF to-day. They cannot even be remotely
compared with these. the most typical land
Sobo poAAloIa VI ouT uuy. DuC they may
lightly be compared with those Of a genera
ion since. Tho superficial resemblance is
trong: both bands OF painters were "ro-
mantle" in mood. both were satisfied with
ubject matter OF simple sort both cared
'reat deal for color. and both. it is very plain
see. cared most of all to be true. But the
renter skill OF the later band shows not only
n much greater degree OF truth. attained
7ith no loss OF breadth Of effect. but in much
reater beauty OF color. Even the delightful
one OF the best OF the Constables cannot bo
ompared. either for truth Or for beauty. with
ne gorgeous tone which Daubigny has achiev-
d. using much more diversified scnlo q,
DIOR In the picture Of an orchard in sprinr
mich hangs In the smaller ROOM Look Mt
onstable's Weymouth Bay" No. Is, ma Won
I'LL not perceive at the first glance that it pro.
asses to interpret an effect OF full sunlight:
nd yet the strength of the shadows cast bv