New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-25
THE Vanderbilt PRINTS.
REMBRANDT. DURER AND OTHER,


The exhibition at the Fine Arts soce'v's bHhdhG
closes to-day Considering It's quality. the ehWtness
Of lis life Is 10 b. regretted but especially l. II '0SS 70
the public to have withdrawn iIo'n lis view the '"
tlOn Of prints loaned for The occasion by NJ ''Hs'
Vanderbilt. 1t would be- indeed fortunate II the works
by Rembrandt and Durer and the engravrrs VINO To-
produced sir ios,aS paintings In mezzNin cold re-
main IN the three small rOOnS tLey now OCCUPY nu''lS
the exhibition OF the Architectural League. 1ol III
them the highest genius Of the photographic arts II
expressed. thcv Illus tate the unique achievements
Of the needle and he BURN, II not oil ne" Scrp"r ~
they have never been iElHIa1ed before in on cHl"l
ton In THIS CITY. The representa- OF ReIn'F'''iu
and Dlrer Is complete IN all essentials. ana Mr. VAN
derfilt has had the privilege of finding rood hn'f'S
soS OF Nearly every plate. ie has relics Of All fhe
great European collections. TIA" AVc'i0ri. Bncclnn3
BToihlnSt. Jiadcn Mafette F.rminIhd BraVDroohe
and Others Of equal fame.
IL Is indicative OF Ronblandt's immense power that
ia" width OF his range Illustrated quite gs rlly In MS
black and white work AZ in his paintings. Ac'pa
color Is nstnt-thcrc l. color. OF course. In sense III
his e,chlngs-bt the d!stngg INC note in Rcmbrandts
work is not the note of beauty bu the note Of human
sympathy. OF piercing insight into llfe and ~ he com
hinet genius for ohlaroscrro with rs r'n'arklhe
genius for stilon lie could accomplish mas ieT
piece on small piece Of copper as easily as on
large piece OF The elder Duna, s said Ia have
remarked that for the making OF n plav he needed onV
two trestlts. board and passion. Rembrandt
needed nothing more for the making Of "A great WORK
Of art than plat" six inches square. more or less
few models. IL maltered not how few. md an Idea
The simpler the idea the better. but the rhleitSt
necessity that whether low exalted IL should BE-
saturated with human significance. There Is nothing
remarkable about ulr plates In Mr.
vanderbit'S collection-thev number between two
hDl lhve dnndred--tlan their ineXhauTible
interest psychological records. Gou Will lnd
Rembrand, lingering over pietuIe-quencSs once Ia u
while. in the foreground Of the great design OF
"The Descent from the Cross there Is pomp0ns
individual whose rich turNa and cloak appear 10
have commanded the etcher's most loving care, but
withou: single exception his aim Is to express the
meaning OF his composition and the character OF
each figure in II. For him truly "the uphoStcrer
was nc pontn," anc underneath the tmppings he
gives. lac felt. the memorable truths Of the men
and he studied. That he Is great artist
Ms well great Judge Of character IS the result
Jf the intimate connection between his matter and
his manner. between his thought and his technical
habit. II In the nature Of his atitrd" toward
NE 10 see clearly, 10 come close 10 the actual facts
and 10 value them FOR what IIcy were worth aud no
more. and this un1lnchng point OF view seems to
have impellec him to tao most direct. economic
mode OF expression within his reach. The charm
OF etching Is pre- emnen,ly the charm of line. and
it Is natural to feel looing at some Of Whistlers
and Iaden's plates that these artists must have cN-
tracted cnjoymen. from tho mere direction given 10
the needle. the lines havt In themselves such beauty,
their mOdulatIons, their variety in force touch an
emotional chord in the sensitive spectntor But
Rembrandts line has power rather than charm II Is
admired for the truth with which II expresses some
thing else rather than for tho indelnablc beauty re-
siding in &C. II indeed IT has that beauty le made
10 the vehicle OF the subtlcst yc. lankest presentation
Of those outwnrd appearances which reveal inner
truths which the art Of etching has known. tn"
vitality OF his figures must be Inscribed I'm equal
measure 10 tho boundessucss Of MS sympathy and
10 the dirocncss Of his STYLE. lie strips everything
Of acciden,as will have no patience with lumber Of
any sort.
one u the finest proIuctg OF this split
In him IS the sixth state 81 our Lord before Pa,e.
In the states OF this etching figures crowded
before the platform upon which the christ is pllcci.
and the effect Of the design is scattc'd. In the
later state to which rcfcr all these Nsures are
worked out, and the central figure IS given
thousand times more importance An instinct
seems 70 have guided him 20 that most difficult Of
attanmcnts composition that f. really composition.
balanced, cumulative. fitted To emphasize a sngi"
point. and yet absolutely natural unsirsin'd The
Ecce Homo" plate. Tie Descent from The Cross
"The Resurrection OF lazarus these and oh"r' ar"
perfect Illustration, Of uncrrlng Judgment In the pac
ing Of figures. And the samo Instinct tod him just
where 10 place his marvellous ligh's 10 10" br>i adj
vantage. II is this ond the p0gnsncy ~ his feeling
which give entity his treatment Of sacred subjects
He could never make his models anything but The
coarse featured uIovely beings they wcre-iAe corner
stone % h would have been destroyed had lie AT
tempted to do so5ut lie could preserve their pahos.
their humanity and then he could touch them with
the magic Of bic Illumination. Tho figures In "1he
FLIGHT into Egypt" I'm the "Chst Preaching and
I'm The Angel Ascending from ToMt aud Ills Family
are unutterably earthly, but IN each case IN" play
Of ght carries the work into tho realm II Imaginative
art. And there 10 jupElrry In his distribution 81
gnt II is The outcome OF his simple direct genius. a
+, the line OF which have spoken. To return 10
The later. The Vanderbilt collection contains per
hans the best examples Of IL revealing character, In
sc4es Of proofs Of the portraits of himself ana 81
others which Rembrandt executed II was IN follow
Ing the modelling Of face. OF haHd, III pc'uflhs
the texture and ripple Of hair that the elch"rS h''d"
seemed TO have obcyed his will 10 the production oi
the most marvellous effect. " The Great jewish
Eridc' Young IInsrinE" An Old Man with I.arg"
Beard Lifting His Hand Ills cap" Bust Of an Oh
Man with a Long Beard A Young Woman wih
IIeaddress OF PEARL" Rembrandt Leaning on stone
SILL" these and dozens VI Others show al, peculiar
mastery Of line, mystery which, we may aHn' i
more than other chlaroscuro sentiment the source
Of his success in landscape
Rembrandt, hud a distinct advantage over Dur"r
Enoyug the technical ease and license OF etching he
could Inform hii line with his quick. obs"rvsnt In
tellect his warm temperament he could make II per
sonal and expressive Of what he was-an richer VINO
was also Il painter Handling the engravcra tool Di'r
made his line sCptur-sque In feeling; h" colh not
be otherwise than cautious. carefully constructive
clpssc ia tendency. his may sound IKE lirinnA,
for that which is classic is necessarily simple, ana me
most obvious Of Durers Characteristic, l. complex
turn Of mind, but that. II must De rcmrnbcII lo'hr'
the stve ~ hi, designs. tlc quality "l his me re-
minis because Of is simplicity aud purity. ~ classic
a. the draHgs man,hp OF an artist IKE lnsrr-: IhTr
f. n curious contrast between Durcl's method. Which
was partly forced upon him and partly determined ny
his preference. and The character ~ his design i'
eccentric tlau N'mblhliIi -
lie loved mystery symbolism. ." PIl u ep''lIa'i'
thnugn into MS celebrated "M"lanchplla such o.
The Dutchman never knew. end. although hS print
II 80 I'll" Pal OF Onr I.ord,' Of The Ap%'lyp;f,r
and Of "Tlr 81 10" Virgin" are painfully reals
t,c. there l. - strain OF Intense. my,nc i"i
Ing In them Beneath hi, firm ,inc. beneath me re-
voting uglino OF mnny 81 his figures. Tier" - u
iect,d impulse To- Held down 10 Garth by
the BURN. j." dii not Kick against ia" prirE, h"t a.
oiod himself 10 IA" rVariIne instrument ana lhu' ~
Yield him lin" strong and sharp bat rs h'Nlp' "lu
Oft IL IL" In engraving. Inc mann anu
Eve" The 81. HUBERT" the platc known - me
treat Fortune" The "MrlanchOia' Itself me - OF -
Arm, with The SniIl' and hr portraits Of Mtlnuch"u