New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-24
THE DEATH DF THE ARTIST ARBO.
HE HAD BARELY EEGUX HIS PICTURE OF LEFT
ERIKsoN SOME SMALL PRELIMINARY
STrDIFS REMAIN.

| sir: Little did link. when last wrote To The
TIbmc concerning r. y. Arbo and his picture Of Lrit
| Eril>on', discovery Of America, that when wrote
! again # would be- to pay fitting tribute To his mem
| Dry His last letter 10 me- and II was one OF the
last he ever wrote was dated october l. and contained
much OF ntcre. In regard to the picture III q'eSuo"
| and the Chicago committee lie stated thaI ''I'"'"
cuisy prevailed among the public to learn the result
OF the competition for the picture ordered DIV Tue '"
caco committee. and that It was decided In favor OF
on. OF the Younger artists. :" as was 10 nave deem eA-
p.c,ed after the FIRST committee that had been appointed
here with Professor Detricksen mt the head. had Deem
/ rejected" lie Informed me That he hau rec" NV
sketches which he did not find especially Satisfactory
and no wondered what one would In Chicago about
the picture chosen when It got there. 'As far as my
picture + concerned he wrote at not vel hhlsDed Us
! have had much other pressing work. but snail
take Il up again at The earliest opportunity IN my
rcply I sent him u copy OF our Tribune letter anu
rc,d him 10 write at once TO Daniel Huntington. the
president OF the Academy OF Design and 10 MAKE ar
| engagements to have his picture exhibited In New
| York. lie WIS dead when that letter arrived. some
weeks later received hrart-rendng letter from ms
widow apprzing me that he had died on October H.
after eight days Illness OF typhoid fever. She was
50 shocked and grieved that she could not communicate
the dreadful news TO me before. She assured us mat
IA. certainly thought OF us during his Illness ana would
have tried TO write. He admired greatly your ana
Mr. ShIpey's energy, and we hoped 10 see you some
day" She added: 81 think you also valued his
| friendship: bis simple. loyal. truthful nature made
every one respect him" Then she Informed me. win
deep regret. that his Left Erikson picture was uh-
nul.hed-only the Sky painted land the sketches SO
small" She continued. naiveiy: at would have
been good picture ard Interested him highly. Now
he would said stop TO portrait orders ana begun
with fun strength his big plcre-but he had TO leave
| II and Us ALL"
shortly after Mr. Arbo's decease the Chrisiana Art
Union got up exhibition Of the worln' he left behind
him The catalogue comprised 10 less than lO' mum
bers Of them loaned from private collections ana
| The National Art Gallery. Many OF his earlier works
were there painted In the romantic period. but In
tere,iing as links In the long artistic development OF
which this small but vet 50 rch collection bears the
plainest traces" There IS The Amazon Hervar
IIcdreksdotter Exhorting 10 Battle with the Huns
there Is an Ingeborg the great picture Ed Skalla
crimson Debating the Poem Sonneabet.'" which Is
taken down by his daughter. etc. The whole OF the
north wall WAS taken up With the artists many his
| torcal paintings among which We shall mention The
three pictures Aasgaardsreen" the several "Nalky
rirr." the episodes from the Thirty Years War. etc
Ills portraits are spoken OF pearls OF the finest
p0rtraiture-art." The critic add: These are also
not half Of The dnlgtnt artists works that they have
succeeded in collecting here but. nevertheless. this
exhibition dives % good view VI ArbO's development.
his sound understanding. and mastery execution
Of hi, work. that one g. filled with admiration over
what he has been. and with sorrow over his losS'
y j. from The tLrl,udli papers hlIulf srHt Nv
NTs. Arbo that able 10 CLEAN all these Interesting
details. one OF these nudes 10 his Left EriksOn
picture. the SKI toes OF which had their honorei place
In this exhibition: "Arbo al an early period turned
his Interest toward historical Subjects. and there are
In the exhibition twenty pictures and sketches
Of his nature. OF which the greater part have derived
| thelr material from our saga world and Saga age
| Among these IS the artists unfinished large picture
.lIomeward Bound vikings. with two sketches The Az
| tempest" says little more about 1t: lone OF the
| unfinished paintings that remain his easel Is
portrait OF Carl Ky ~ we'll "a one begun OF Left Erik
sons landing In America. which he did not desire 10
| submit for competition. but which be was for all
that urged send to America BY artfrends residing
| there" sun another paper has this 10 say: ArbO
had intended to take In The Left Erikson compe
iition and had already got far In the wording OF
lis painting. when he withdrew from the competition
| Hfer the change vi jury lie continued the work,
however lie privately urged TO send the picture
| 10 America" This Is evidently a. much OF the truth
as the Norwesians have leak In their
obituaries the Norwegian papers do Mr. Arbo tOlerable
degree Of justice. but far from enough 10 compensate
| for the last egregiCls wrong inflicted upon him by
| his cOunrymrn both sides OF the ocean. which
not bat remain the btter,9t Of recoections them.
hat Ae bore II like Il philosopher does not lessen their
guilt.
| Peter Ncoay Arbo was born June Is, 1881. at
| Gulskovcn. near Drammrn IN Norway. lie gradI-
| ated al the Drammen school In l547 but soon gave
| up the academic devote himself 10 art. lie
| first went to Copenlmgem whore he studied under
| iielstedN direction until he repaired to Dusseldorf
In lo'2 wnere Just AT that time sch Ol was lUrnied
| by the two celebrated Norwegian painters. Tide
mand aad GUIDE. Arbo. however became a pupil u
Me Academy, and AS such derived especial good
| from the Instruction OF the famous Carl sohn and
| The battle painter iunlen Ii WI, daring his stay
IN Dusseldorf that Arbo painted bis best known work,
! The "Nakyrler' Of which there are three copies.
The irst-the smallest but perhaps the best-s The
one he painted in D,.edOrt IAis ,t Is IN private
|
contained IN the National Gallery ut CmistIania the
IS% Stsn"ns ' q tie war; p $50 nc Is there s
pcnhagen in 1872 Arb exhibited A9sg,adsfri,n7
commissioner, partly igryman at the eAhibiaons In
Sockhom IN iso0 in Vienna IN s73 and in pha-
sion OF years until his DEATH director OF the Ma,
" AT ' and a an 70, 0a 1855 ht o WS ad
Knight OF the order Of s. olI for meiitorlons pub
Ne service. and besides decorated with the cross
u the Nasa Order aud that Of the Austrian Order
| ~ he Iron Crown.
Far more commensurate with this great artists
s'ivc words in "rhe Illustrated London News" Of
| July -, 1873: p. ~ ArUo's Norwegian legend Of
ih. .Ausgaard,r,id whom we see On their black
| >tred, dasmne impeuousy through the air above the
i, line Imaginative work OF art Of which any conn.
Try might be IrGnG Aso I IN ,e rr s o. ONE o
their chief figure painters i T. v Ar6p, ana De Sels
good example TO hs cSnntyms by n% "nG ep T a
voting himself heart and soul = lts Illustration The
| .Aascnardsreid those warriors who have not done
enough OF good merit heaven. nor enough ~ ev
10 deserve he'll runi,hncn they are condemned
| to gallon Wildly through the midnight air on their
| coal black strcds. accompanied by croakIng ravens
aud witch like forms. The onward sweep Of the war
| rlurs f. vigorously conveyed. and the genming nre
| In the murky distance and The lpwlying moon help
TO lend mystery TO the stormtke tInllt IN the upper
| air TN, artist has caught the spirit OF th" legend
| and transferred II In its entirety 10 his canvas
| I'm Mr. Aro Americans hav' lost nm artist VI ne
ft.t rank wh, not only contributed 'rthi - ihelr
cnnt,nnnl Exhibition. but has for several wears been
d.vtInr deep study TO the first great event III 'h.lr
Ntnrv az n nation he discovery OF their land-ir
| In. nirpose Of representing this noble theme M
rroudly rs II deserves on canvas. Ihe whole ,h,i,
I.s rrnson deeply dcplOre the perNeSltv ana envy
hot nr.vrnted the accomplishment OF his great plf
| nosr This unfinished pciut" 81 ms - a cohdLni'h
r,n unon the NOrwegianS that time VIII scar'r,S DE
| Dllr 20 cface. $500 MAMIE ~ ''' ''
London, Dec. :. lso2