New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-13
MR.. WNTTS'> WORK.


between himself and the student OF his pictures
in execution that is hnical, and color that is
thin and sugary. His only compccr, George F.
Watts, goes 10 just the other extreme His color
is heavy and even muddy He draws with
looscncss and frequent inaccuracy which. in n man
OF less genius, would be unpardonable Watts.
however. is decidedly n grrius. tho one English
man in this exhibition 10 whom the cpthot hn-
longs and his pictures salt 10 the British
ton. Nothing could b" finer in design, considered
simply as design, and nothing could bc more i'm.
aginafive than the stately Love AMI Death.
II is his spiritual significance which makes Watts
unique. His ideas are beautiful and purifying.
In this well known Love and Death" and in
two other works by him which figure AT the Fair.
tile Love and Life" and the Pnolo and Fran
ccsca' they triumph as far as IDEAS ever can
triumph in such a struggle, over the strncy
pigments and halting manner by which this
painters art is afflicted II is a manned art and.
although its defects almost invisible in the
remarkable series Of portraits with which Watts
has enriched us and posterity, il Is probable that
he will lose IN the estimation of postcri.y A. far
as his compositions are concerned AZ the same
time he can never be forgotten or placed among
men Of merely average gifts. With men Of that
description the British section is prntifuy pro-
dividuas that il Is preferable 10 he occupied
There Is section whore il is more necessary
than in the British 10 guard against being imposed
upon by reputation. ANY number OF moro less
great names are here. And they are aided and
abctted by that which has been described as the
leading virtue Of English art. They are all in
tercsiing in a narrative way. Yet il is safe TO
pass ny the archaeological rcconstructons OF Poyn-
/ ter the huge romantic compositions of Dick>cc,
the animal studies Of Brton Rivicrc, the .cnti-
mentalities of CalClcron, leslie and Stone. the
historical paintings of Val Prinsep, Sir James
Linton John Collier and even j. W. Wntcrhousc
though because the "Marannc' of the last is
of no great value il il not TO be concluded that
he cannot do better work. lie alone among these
lights shines not at his brightest. The thing
which benumbs every one of these painters is the
conventional inrastic technique, Of when the
perfect Towering has been pointed OUT in Sir
Frederick Leighton Like him they have IDEAS
Though not, to be sure, Of the same peculiarly
cultured nature. Unlike him they have remained
Oh the middle plane of their school Of execution
There are a few figure painters little lower than
the President. n little higher than Poyntrr, be-
fore whose work it il worth while to pause briefly.
Alma Tadcma, represented by three Of the
rect and laborcd Grecan studies through which
he has become celebrated, is one Of them, and
w. g. Lockhart is another. Historical paintings
by Seymour Lucas and John Petite, sentimental
genre by Phil. Morris, DENLY sadleT and ). +.
Waller, furnish the connecting link between these
and the paintings which are obviously the result
OF training in the conventional atelicr OF Paris
say Juians-Or under the influence OF some Eng
lsl reflection OF the regular Salon method There
is plenty OF work in this last category few names
are given as clcws 10 one phase OF contemporary
/ English art. the phase which is due 10 that sub
division Of the Younger element which is courage
Gus enough TO abjurc the prevailing ideas Of the
Philistinc, but has not backbone enough TO strike
out on wholly new lines. Solomon, Bramley,
Brangwyn Bourdillon, Forbes, Hacker, Overcnd
Titeomb and Glazebrook are the leaders OF this