New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-28
THE CHRONICLE OF ARTS.
rxu1BIrIONS AND OTHER TOPICS.
.,n,rss,oxIsTIC ART-PICTURES Ply MONET
prsS,RD. rwAcnTMAS AND VERA MINOR
SIMMER sHOw-FoRM\TIoN OF
SOCIETY FOR THE PROMO
TION OF SCULPTURE.


SOCIETY FOR THE PROMO
TIoN OF SCULPTURE.
| 1mprosstonstic art is frequently regarded as revo-
,,,onorv So indeed. II Is In Il measure but Their"
T., o,h,nr in II. ut its normal stage. suggestive II
| ,ho violence ard suddcnneSs OF revolution II Is
,o al, the fruit OF logical process Of evolution.
Cha only break from tradition which 1t celebrates,
| ,ns,t,on from the light OF the studio to the light
y, IN. omen cir being in sense external TO the
,os~on of method. which is the question ut iSSu'
nrooalv sucaling. the aim Of modern landscape art
| &, tho reduction Of natural facts 10 onal symbols.
Tho synthetic faculty Of Constable Is heightened III
h art Of his irnm' date French successors In the
oours 81 time generalization is carried to what DIR
~, o,c n argument We may call II, highest power;
=, o,cerns itself less and less with details. with
linear effects and and more with masses. IL
would give not mosaic OF symbols. but the substance
", NIT symbols I'm one. AT last. In the work OF
f1oudc Monet and his school landscape art gives 20"
not necessarily what you have discovered to De- III
n,,,re through patient analysis. but what you see
hcre ot n glance. II eliminates. In short. in impress
e,o,,sm nm art TO which II Is pity that any mean
In, should be given (as Is often the caScl other imam
that contained In It's name. TIL" now effects spr'nS
Inv from ifs treatment 81 light argue change in point
NJ Vi W rather than chang" In method 'h'' "
w,s possic TO ignore sunlight. or 10 make II serve
an artificial end in schemes Of lighting. Now, II Is
ccncrally recognized that nature is best seen ana
n,,,ed undcr her own light In other words. closer
nj, crvatIon OF natures truths has revealed the la
sy OF the conventional representations OF them. >o'
oIonc I'm matters OF light and shade and color mas
change been wrought. but In IN" compleNiu"S VI
movement. Action Is u very different thihs III "''
now from what It used to be. In the STILL r'po''
f,I atmosphere f n simmer exhibition. the eNhp''io"
., IN. American Art Galleries. referred TO brlchy III
Tho Tribune short time ago. two American ana TWO
French imprcssionisis renew Independently TIC ""'"
| ., thought rolscd by a few men In nearly every eN
buton held during a season in New-iorh IL Is III
tcr,stlng TO observe In their detached Slgnhc"n' NV
| achievements OF NM Monet and BcSnard M'SSrS' "''
and Twachtman. All these artists. with tue cAc'p
,on OF pesnard. have been made thoroughly well
no,,, herc before but never In quite the same way
| IN making the distinction noted above. between
uotient ANALYSIS and rapid svnthesis II - not uh"'"
| raj I'm the presence Of an Imperfect 'N'"p'', "
| tho latter method 10 surmse that the sch"i '"
which he belongs l. disposed TO aacrlhc' ""'"
| which It's antthcsis would preserve Bu' 1t = Wv
| Won, I'm the work Of man Ike Monet ui"' ""
intention Of inprcssonsm Is to retain AL esS'''''
70 II + asserted. II NAV quit" truly Oc a'>cr',''
that he often misses ore thing when appears 10 "
essential fine full character OF texture IN h'rp'R"
and trecs the reply l. that from his point oil We"
| that Is not really essential. What Is Is ''c ",''
suous tonal equivalent. the color no'' anu ""' u"
| botanical explanation Of the obcc, depicted 'r"n'-
| inc
notur. I'm Monct's pictures. He may not convey
consciousness Of fibre. II the closely scruuhheu sur
fac. ~ turf or lcafacc but he leaves no DOUBT rs
IN fine general effect The broad tOna relations OF inc
| different parts In hIs composition. Tux" nun III any
OF hI, works In this exhibition. Int most oil A. Il"
! Is proper. at his bcst in No. 40. haNin W. !"
pe,lt. cr.n,o- In no. ~. los Irupli"rS' or III
NO. 1856 "Anthos.- ana the effect !, that 81 '"thi
unity which 4, also voracou-. II Is tru" that inns
unity f. only vlsib" after careful focusing oil inc
| picture but II surely most arbitrary l" ""''
that npr .,on.iic pcturs any more 'han any o'h'S
| should b. apprch,rldcd NJ on" fixed distance LIZ
mos, remorkobc OF Moncts charactcrlstcs. NOR" re-
| markable than his subtle expression OF suhhgh'' u
his management OF the values in his painting There
no has frequently 10 bc subtle also. as In NO u.s.
q curious and charming study Of ranstorm. ana
at other times. rs In th" view oi N"uo'N Jus
| noticed he balances sharply contra't'd bodies :"
color which involve difficult relations OF tone but
| In subil.y and dircctncss alike he works with Pc
culiar rrcclslcn tn rgltness OF effect VIII some
| tm.. I'm land,cnpe Tolorailon b. blLd principally
| nm n decorative instinct. Tho truth Of Monet pic
lures forces the conclusion that he owes his success
| 10 exact observation.
In Hcsnard figure painter Of tho school Of Monet
there arc observation and decorative feeling IN about
equal force. Ills seven or eight portraits OF l'm'
| mime models and among them Nos. l40 ana l0i par
ticularIy are extraordinarily clover studies OF the
| decorative
Ing Of the feeling which he, with moro than the
average Frcnchman's penetration, has d'cern'd De
hind the features In the group Of pictures OF horses
which accompanies his portraits H. exhibits us mo
| a gift for the expression Of movement rs c"Iori't
| Bcsnard f. He shares the tendency oil I'M
presslonlsts emphasize nnduly, and In on" OF MS
portraits. No. l4j. "Cyuc.' rs well rs In No. l'I'
"Unbridlcd,- n brilliant study 81 "A horse prahchS
I'm the water his tones both crude and unnatural
| ,rh. paintings
fines that number In the other, III, color has fresh
ness and beauty. Is harmonious, and In on" striking
instance n stable interior studied by lantern light.
| 80. 49, Is luminous and transparent THIS last
work especially good example. too OF b',haru
understanding Of structure. II" knows III" human
ne,,re we'll as may h. seen not only from the stable
| hoy in this picture but from the semi nude bust OF
| u woman IN No. 15j, sunlight which Is exceedingly
well modelled. But his studies Of horses show most
| effectively his skill In suggesting the vcrtle' OF an
| anatomical frame. Bcsnards most individual charm
f. not either his color. his mastery technique or his
STYLE but the element Of feeling In his work at which
we have already glanced 1t Is melancholy ana slightly
| morbid In No. l40. Autumn and No. lbs, AS
censlon Lilies both studies Of atcnuatcd feminine
types In every Of the portraits save the ely
| tie II Is unique and haunting.
| II & some time since Mr.. Weir and Mr.. Twacht-
| man whose STYLES remarkably similar. arrived at
atmospheric truth In their impresonisc landscapes
| IN This respect though they have not cssiycd rs
| brilliantly sunny effects as those with which Monet
| nrefers 10 occupy himself. they have applied very
| sh,lfuly and successfully the lessons learned from
| the source 70 which his example. directly or nii-
| rectIy sent them. Yet their work Is on the whole
| tyn,c,I OF a state OF transition. In addition 10 light
| md air both have scnsitivencSS To the sentiment
Of landscape which goes far 10 keep intact Tia" reality
| and IN. charm Of their pictures Both finally hay"
q style which Is attractive and which they owe To no
one Int themselves. They possess II In common. to
| lac sur. but It Is original Their work /, progress
slve artistic IN spirit and execution AMI extremely
Interesting Where II Is nevertheless greatly
ceptiile OF improvement Is In the direction Of clarity
Mr. Weir never has any difficulty In obtaining relief
| I'm his figure pieces Ills fulength portrait OF
| bnn,er-the same which was hung AT the Ecr 'sDcc-
| uv. ExhiIdion-and the two three studies of