New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-29
ART AT THE WORLDS FAIR
VII.
DUTCH PICTURES AND THEIR GOOD QUAIL.
TIES.
A NATIONAL SCHOOL THAT is WORTHY OF ITS
PAST-soME OF THE PAINTERS OF HoL
LAND WHOSE FEELING AND TECH
NoUE ARE EQUALLY STRONG
-ISRAELS AND NESDAG
THE BELGIAN
FROM A srAry COMMENCEMENT OF rnE TRIBuyE.

SECTION.
FROM A sTArY CORRESPONDENT TIE TRIBUNE.
Chicago, June 2i.-rle penalty which the pure
tonafst in figure painting pays for his tone. w!sen
he is not fully qualified. and the pitfall against
which even very accomplished men have to ne
on their guard, Is loose imperfect definition OF
FORM The faculty of seeing form In masses, ana
yet seeing 1t with an accuracy that extends to the
smallest details without appearing on the surface
Is of the first instruments of art. 1T Is. q
faculty which the Dutch have possessed for q foos
time. They had il in the days Of Halls ard Rem
brandt and many Of the painters in the Low Coun-
tries have IL now. II is national possession 80
also, in all its relations. is the modern school OF
Dutch art. II belongs TO Holland nv virtue OF ii
solidarity and certain artistic qualities which place
the exhibit of that county in the Art Brlio"s
here in the very forefront of contemporary paint
ing. The three full of oil paintings ana
the two alcovcs hung with water colors are among
the places at the Fair where there Is most pleasure
of An aesthetic sort to be encountered III II Is
inferred that flat pleasure originates first OF all
in the schools combination of a broad method
with a great deal of truth ii is because there Is
no other virtue Of which the absence would DC
more disastrous Feeling viii not atom" LOT
destruction Of outline AMI loss OF soidtN through
devotion to vague tone. Cbscar'tr, which doss
the footsteps of the Dutch artist. would undo him
II it ever overlook him. But he s,afcely ever II
overtaken by it, and the various good quaiiues ne
has are allowed to play freely through his WORK
They are all qualities which, he enjoys through
having been born in Holland Sincerity AMI
gravity belong TO his nature and they 'eiohg u
his art. In Holland the arts of dOmesticity are
carried TO a high pitch OF cultivation without
,os;no ANY Of their native homcflSe charm. and In
Dutch pantinc il is the sentiment OF rome, the
nathos and the happiness of home life. when
shares with landscape the fairly exclusive attention
of the artist Hi types are sought chiefly a"on4
the peosants and fishermen. And in painting then
ty the sea or on the sanly dunes with their HOOKS
of hardy sheep il is his habit to paint them IN
o low key.
THE DUTCH COLOR NOTE.
Color is one Of the very Interesting points IN
the recent development of the Dutch schooi
Though blitheness of tone is not characteristic VI
the country il has its seasons OF vhvid oiue shi'
rich. green pastures and blossoming tulip 'e'oS'
The latter alone might have been expected 10 Gre
? s@A q school of flamboyant colorists But IL Has
been left to an American, to George 1iltchc'ch ~
paipt the tulips, the peoples and the hS'c','ns
IN their glory. To the Dutchmen themselves
there has been more fascination In wha' Is rc'''S
more widely and continuously tyPicai Vi ,"'"
land. the gray and pensive mood OF the nor'ne'h
sea coast So generally fond OF tha' are '"es
that there is strong family hkens0' o''"I y,
,nost ~ the pictures in the Dutch eecton' IN
a;,Sr,,;tv Is not conspicuous among them.
Israels Mauve. Blommers and Mesdag, io"r OIL
49, ,"oa,nc mon have more points in common than
If difference. Yet there is no spirit oil CONVEX
.ior If stereotyped methods to be detected Inc
n,.nh artists have similar sympathies' similar
crave NJ looking at nature and employ siuiii"
modes Of technique. They do not pahe i'''A !"
rccine There is TOO much feeling IN 'Ne "oiN
g.. ,hot And il is possible also to reconcile wi'i
a.. o,most neutral tone of the school the eNls'-
ence of a number Of genuine coioris'S i"o
r;cber the tone the more brilliant anu more pas
s;onately musical the Colorist; nut III 'i'e "".''
.r;s+nr there are color notes Of extreme beauty
r, 80 +ho notes Of the Dutchmen at their
hest and not the least important clause Ill .i'
os.l,r.tion Of their choice of them Is that which
.nr;hos II 70 an affection for nature In ner l"as'
Inoorotive nbases The natural effects OF the PIC
- in the Dutch section are tho best Justpica-
ton of their existence. 49,.
Only one of the Dutchmcn. y i. l"h N"'c
seems TO haze that enjoyment OF Color .oi -
own sake which. legitimately apphed' VIII "e
ouently produce exquisite enec'' o. "
.;uriscart 70 remark has Partisan al'lilauohs
Tho delicacy of touch which distinguishes HE
.Lotcbes of the Thames and especially HIS id'e
nicture of Havre seen across the wafer "' ms"
;s the more comprehensive in Da'chinah wne'
=. is ,eorned from the catalogue that his heao
Quarters are in the French capital. mere n'
x,,uld he ant to a,simlate the lightness oil style
49, sonsa tbot pirments con he handled as 81
,,.rr ,otos in n scheme with which the painters
AZ homo would never make him acquainted Aho
,hAre fortunately, his Dutch temperament MAJ
rraaarva0 him from artiiciality and pose 1'
has lost nothing in gaining a miid' very i'ii'u
accent OF sophistication. 1t is not certain 'ha
mn accent of the same description might not oehe
A. his countrymen in Holland II 1t were aoop'e'
With caution and without the abdicaton OF any
.ho;r inherent authority 1t might Introduce
some brighter color, sOmc in the kew whici
willem Maris and w. Roelofs have been tmidil
approaching to the manifest increase OF the char'
- the;r work The landscapes of both thes
men. who are exceptional in their tendency haV
a biob coloristic value. look abroad. too. ant
:. .nolivoton Of the close attention which is helms
given 10 atmosphere in itself might spread tasf
o.. Tho lnc;d mir which the pictures here by tn
late Anton Mauvc are alone in reproducing. MANY
kre,v The charms OF the In0is. atmosphere tina
h.ras ovcr the bikes and dunes He knew ais
th. DAYS Of drer light. and one noticeable resul
~ his study in this regard is illustrated in tn
nictures by him which are hung IN the Hoiiah
section. They show disfinc:ness OF ou'iih
which Ia rare in his country. But 1t is only Z
rive the school greater variety not to aver
it's prevailing drift. that any innovations arc
no desired The works of the absolutely repre-
sentative Dutchmen are best left as they stand
JOSEF ISRAELS.
This is especalW true Of Josef Israels. who
"a the figure painters what Mesdag is to the paint
a.. of the sea. their leader. Before one Of hi
works the purist is inevitably haunted by the nj
ZION which has already been expressed. 1t is eas
To suspect that defects Of structure Turk behind tn
hazy tone which is difrused over the canvas. III
suspicion disappears when the picture is subjecte
49,. a,a thnrn il nothing left but reSnpf