New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-21

or,rxnrxrs WHO HAVE SENT WORKS
ro THE r,IR-MoDERNITY AND ITS
GOOD AND BAD EEsrLlS-A
COLLECTION THAT MIGHT
HAVE BEEN BETTER.
,,ov srArr CORRESPONDENT OF THE 'k'hoM
chicago. June l5.-1herc Is picture pS '"'o
M. IN the French section IN the art huiiul"-
-h,oh cnitomizes the method and the uhaeriSi"E
I'll n most OF the works among winch IL many
=. .hoxs the Pont DIES Arts, across 'he 'einc,
-. of iron reared on piers oil STONE. i"'
-. calculations OF the structure loom pulhhS'
,,;,h .ome grace in their curves, above river
Itch the artist has sought tor no iurther mo-
- ,,bcrcwith TO enlven his composition save
- ~ the floating steamboat stations which are
.,.csd along the bank and fisherman whose SIKH
!. brought only partially into the ioreSroun"
The picture adheres TO its title. IL aims 70 or'hs
an, the beauty latent in the Pont dies Arts ana
No, that in its surroundings or ASSOCIATIONS. ihc
,ov in which il attempts to do this Is suggestive
y, tho hald clarity of the atmosphere which leaves
o,hipc hid and metamorphoses nothing, III the
,ree elastic. vet very precise and thorough nan
ang Of the lines of the bridge, there Is the eaching
- tie typicai Partisan atelier in nutshell far'ly
from the choice Of the subject which is not poetic
!, itself hut more from the painters attituue
comes a sweeping comment on the temper oil the
average atclier aforesaid. II is objective, de-
cached literal Although fevcrishly eager Tor
,.cognition the average artist is entirely lmpcr-
sonal In n painting of such subject as the
Pom, des Arts by DelacroiX or GericauN In an
etching OF il by Charles Meryon, in picture OF
q, n, any OF the romantcists now nearly all evan
ishcd from French art, a touch OF seectiV" genius
..orla have drawn witchcry ont of the ausere
l,ol,t fbo Sln
.o,ld have bccn made 10 surrender some hint OF it's
.hodc,yv secrets its mysteries of gloom and suicide
An This 10 the Frcnchman of the present appears
,rno,hc,ical and barren Of serious interest. lie
.o's tho Point dcs Arts in the light OF a problem
>. limo irrespective and color lie sees II as fact
A naints il as "A fact Give him for subject
The Death of Archmclcs,' il has been Siv'n
.. rdopard Vmont, one of the exhibitors in the
rrench ,ection and he will treat 1t i'll exactly the
.am. shirt: scientifically and with not any OF the
spiritua passion which is the soul oil art
THE INDEPENDENTS.
r., identify this prevailing spirit in such work
rs fills most Of the French section Is 10 hhu WHY
tho latter is poor in hrcly tempered art AMI why
4, l. rich in art OF the sort which makes up III
cultivation what II lacks in inspiration IN"
Frcnch have the merits Of their qualities. Inc
self respect of the workman is with them car
dinal principle IL will remain Indifferent 10
the ultimate value of his productions II thcy are
VULGAR through and through. like most OF IN" ho'e
studies here. he docs not care. and possibly does
not ALWAYS know it, What he does know Is that
tho work must not I've scamped, and he obtains
therefore. as deep knowledge he can OF the
~svs and means of his art. This is tho point IRON
which all French art proceeds. whether II he oil
tho old or tho new Salon, and tins Is the point
which the leaders and followers of III" former
illustrate az Chicago. They illustrate other ana
equally interesting traits of artistic character DAT
the transcendent traits Of gifted individuality they
leave 20 minority The latter speaks. as has pech
observed before, for the Salon of the Champ de
Mars and for its most characteristic side bihe'
by the way, whose work has been chosen as rep
resentative of the Champ Elysees. is, as il hap
pens Socictaire" of the new organization. IL
would. OF course, bc sheer burlesquc TO describe
o.. latter AZ a depository of artistic might and
~, thing else II is necessary also 10 remember
that il is no stronger than its elder in IN" I'M
ooinative race of which some famous members
have been alluded TO above. The reaction which
the Champ de Mars represents is not aTains' iii"
of thought, but against routine and Grass conScr-
vatism in expression. II is in their NODES OF eN-
pressing themselves, in allowing those NODES 10
no directed by their own habits Of mind, that the
men composing the advanced wing of the French
exhibit nj Chicago have placed themselves on sop
arate ground Raffaelli is a specially convenient
case IN point Ills works will always br pri7ri
bv The historian as psychological documents NO
one has ever analysed the ouvrer with such SYM
pa.hy and success. But art his pictures arc
held in esteem for the now conception OF form
they present. conception resulting in method
that is pcrpetually falling back frank use oil
line without precedent in brush work, ana YET
never losing breadth. They are strong, because
they are colored by a style of unbounded original
ity and with their freedom and cccentrici'y are
still poignanty realistic. Only three OF them are
among the oil paintings at the Fair, for Kaifaeii
scms like many Of his colleagues. to have thonsh'
i, nor worth while TO send as important a gather
ing of his pictures as he could. The three, how
ever. including one large peasant subject, done az
far back as 1870. suffice 10 show tive quality OF
his touch Familiarity with the latter may DC
increased. moreover, by referring TO the Loan col
lection in the American section. where there Is
study particularly Abslnfhc Drilhcrs
teaching RaNaelli's highest level.
Ranaei is one of group whose differing tai
cnts are unanimous in prelcrrlng subjects OF
coarse grain. LlIermittc, painter oil peasants
lie perc, who treats both landscape and the hsurc
and Norbert Gocncutc, an observer OF Io"-cia's III
in Paris, have pictures at the Fair IN which INC
note Is one OF modcrnity stripped pitilessy OF
for the uncapturable beauties OF life - rare ~
Tic French section, even among In" quite eihancl
latcd artists. Courtois, i'll the portrait OF
noted Partisan beauty Nine Gautrar, ana III !
picture of woman lying In her death r0nesl u
almost alone among the figure painters III liIiuily
II possible 10 be very much his own n'"s,rI 1 INV
al the same time mcdita,ivc and refined lie l''
companions, les conspicuous, in Ain'i jean, .ii'
author of two Ideal heads done In inc sem
mystic mood lately popular in Paris, ana i,oui'
Giradot a symbolical designer of more mysticis: 81
and less individuality. There is a streak OF III
Prospective thoughtfulness In Bcsnard as mas peci
made known In New-iork by the recent cNnl
biton Of some of his studies Of female h,fiu.
I.c has sent only picture TO Chicago ana t n
brilliant study OF two ponies hara.srd ny ni' 10
lcaycs il 10 In inferred that with him the incll
nation toward something not merely oDvion,
takes the direction of atmosphere eNPIihl'n
and Tho apalvsls OF movement With IhaHcH' an