The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-07-09
JIM HILLS GREAT PICTURE.
Corots "Biblis" Now on the Way to the
st. Paul Palace.

NEW YORK, June 3d. Special One of
the most beautiful of modern landscapes
and this means one of the most beautiful
pictures ever painted-has recently been
resting at Boussod. Valadon e. Cos. gall
lery on its way to its new home in the
West. This is Corot's "Biblis," which is
owned by Mr.. James ]. Hill, OF st. Paul.
Mr.. Hill has already collection of
French pictures which must be one of the
best if not one of the largest in the coun-
try. He owns, for instance, four Dau-
bignys. two Dupres, three Dalacroixs Tin
GLIDING the small "Convulsionnaires
de HANGERS" which is well known in
New York;. four Millets, and six pic
lures by Diaz; he owns Corot's Ferry
man." formerly in the Defoer collection,
and fine example of those nude female
figures which Corot sometimes painted
but rarely exhibited, and several other
Corots in addition to his new one, and he
owns Rosseau's beautiful Mont de Jean
de Paris" once in the Morgan collection,
and other Rosseaus besides; three From
entins, two pictures by Decamps, three by
Troyon. three by Puvis de Chavannes. and
others by Bonvin. Courbet, PHermitte,
Barge, Ribot, Cain, Henner. Laurens and
Jules Breton. The list is a very good one,
and those who know the pictures describe
them as excellent examples.
But no matter what they are, the
"Bibls' will be the jewel. the queen of
the collection, for it would be jewel and
queen in any possible private collection of
modern works, and am hardly afraid to
say that it was in the vastsRetrospective
collection, covering the results of hun
dred years. which was the chief feature OF
the Paris exposition in 1889. / have said
before that, Puvis de Chavannes not being
represented in this collection devoted to
men who were no longer alive, the two ar
fists who were throned there above all their
fellows were Corot and Bastien-L epage.
This prince of modern idealists and this
prince of modern realists shared between
them the glory of having accomplished
the very best in century which had ac-
complished very marvellous things. Even
Millet, more of a realist than Corot. more
OF an idealist than Bastien, and almost as
great painter as either, did not seem
quite so great as either when quantity
OF his canvases were brought together and
were contrasted with those of his many
great predecessors and contemporaries.
Among the Bastiens there was no single
example that could be esteemed the finest.
But among the Millets there was-the
wonderfully beautiful Cleaners. And
SO there was among the Corots, and it
was the "Biblis," which now finds itself
in SO distant and so very different
spot There was whole alcove
filled with Corots, and other examples
which could not find room there were
scattered about on other walls; and
almost every one was marvel OF truthful
Interpretation of nature, of poetic feeling
and OF pictorial beauty. But the ''Blblis"
L.
wonderful of all Gould l have chosen
one picture out of this century of varied
pictures for my own it would have been
the "Biblis," and when looking at II felt
that no one who had not seen 1t could
truly appreciate Corot.
It's a large canvas, nearly five feet IN
length and somewhat less in height. On
one side rises rocky cliff, crowned with
yer,iure and draped with wreaths of ivy.
On the other side is gentler slope. bear
ing n forest of wlde-branching trees. Be
tween is an almost fat grassy glade with
tiny trickllng stream widening into
little pool in the foreground.
And beyond this is glimpse Of
the sea. and a most marvellous late sunset
sky. Near the wood lies a little PROSTATE
figure and in the center OF the middle dis
lance are four other small figures running
toward this Binlis, whose supernatural
transformation, one supposes, mas Just be-
gun. ..
ING about Bibi- except that she was
nymp who for some reason, probably con-
cernei with the affections, was turned into
a brook. But am sure that Corot knew
nothing more; for no one was less OF a
scholar, less Of classlclst, IN the
scholarly sense, than this son of Paris
ian hairdresser who. better than all the
scholars who ever lived. has reproduced
for US the very air and breath of flavor OF
classic fable in its most poetic mood Coroi
never wanted a story that he cou!d
actually illustrate, historical or Ut
ersrv scene that he could actually
portray. lie wanted simply an ex-
cuse Tor an exquisite landscape en-
livened nv figures whose value IS PIC,
torial rather than dramatic. lie could
never have treated the story OF bloiis as
Bernini. for instance, treated the story OF
Daphne. Bernini represented IN cola anu
solid marble Daphne turning INTO Tree
with punches of leaves sproutins IRON the
| ends of her fingers and toes. Neither torot
nor anv true artist would do such 3 thing as
this. eithee IN marble or on canvas; nor
would he snow US an actual maiden actually
turning 10 water. He tells lis about Blbits IN
| the only way that a true poet IN paint
could He shows Us the PROSTATE hEure
| al a distance, and he puts tflcAiths E4Su-
| let in the foreground, which, II We choose
we can imaginatiyely connect with the
| figure But il we do not choose torot
wouid not care. We should stu see the
splendidIy beautiful landscape AMI the