New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-01-01

greater clarity Of atmosphere than Rossetu often OBJ
ained But the most perfect expression OF Rosse;tis
genius In this collection Is the Beata Bearix," tire
version with the predea, lent by Mr.. c. L. Huchn.
son, of Chicago OF all Rossettl's Dantesque designs
this Is the most exquisite and imp1lpabe In feellns
He painted II more than The first vers'.A
executed in the neghborhood Of 1864 and now y ~
London National Gallery, recall as few sl.c"~
more subtle In tone than the present work. nut :ht
latter is still In the artists finest key and stye.
1t Dante's mistress Is depicted seated in a Floren-le
balcony. her head raised, but with eyes dropping
expression In her face which. correctly Inter
preted speaks OF neither death nor life. but Of a
strange intermngling OF both. Rossetti's own words
describe 1t best 1t Illustrates" he said. "the
Vita Nuova,' embodyng symbolcaily the death Of
Beatrice treated In that work. The picture Is not
intended at all TO represent DEATH but to render Y
under the sembance Of trance. In which Beatrice,
seated in balcony overlooking the city, Is suddenly
rapt from earth to heaven. Dante d"eis
upon the desolaton Of the city In connection with he
Incidents OF her DEATH and for this reason have intro
duccd 1t as my background and made the figures Of
Dante and Love passing through the streets and gazing
omlnously on one another, conscious OF the event;
while the bird messenger OF death. drops the poppy
between the hands Of Beatrice This gives the
scheme OF the design. It's spendor OF color
cannot be translated into words, nor Is it easy to
describe the spirit which cnvclops the picture like an
exhaatlon. making 1t the mysterious, pervaslve In
hucnce that 1t is for the sympathetic mind. After
this work 1t Is futile TO turn the ncislve analysis
OF human passion in Found TO the details OF work
manshlp in that picture. 10 the medlacvaism OF tile
drawings for the Tennyson edition of 1859, and Of
that extraordinary work which Inspired one OF the
painter-pOet's l0Sellcst lines
Why wilt thou east the >.>es from thine HART
to the righteousness Of the Eccc Amelia Domin."
fI. nh CHM NJ ito
to lay ones finger the kernel of Rossett's art. 1t
Is in the Beaa Bearix," feeling impossible TO
formulate in language. II IS In all the other works
too. but IN this it is more sublly and more power
fully manifested than anywhere else, except In TIE
picture in London to which We have referred. With
out 1t the beauty Of his women would leave us cold,
the witchery Of his color would be in vain. With it
he is still morbid still melancholy but still poetic
and suggestive Most Of all it is the presence of this
feeling In his work which justiics his phrase: Il
OF those whose little Is their own
We have spoken above of Millais, Hunt, Ford MADDOX
Brown land Others" as sharing with Rossetu the
appclatiOn of PrcRaphacte. This exhibition does
not invite discussion of Millas and it Is well that
does not, for between the MIllas Of the Lorenzo
and Isabella Of 15i5 and the Millas who has been
popular for the last twenty-five years, there was
wide gulf digged by the artist himself when he seeded
early from the brotherhood Neither Is there much to
Illustrate remarks the art of Holman llunt-the
little photograph m his "Claudio and Isabella
gives a mcagrc enough account, after all, AZ
the painter OF " Tho Light Of the World Otcr Ford
MADDOX Brown also the teacher Of R0sscti, the beau
iiful water coor, The CorSalr.' with It's delicate
finish and its treatment Of the reclining figure, and
the plates from his Manchester frcscocs, inter
estlns as they are. do not warrant our lingering
We have fingered EosscttI. Ard to do 50
would have simply TO follow the development In
him. in Holman Hunt. OF the realistic impulse.
tic In
the strict sense, In either OF those painters. The
differences in th,lr are of less significance
than the "dferencosr Of R0sseti. But In the group
Of works representing BurneJones, group composed
OF four photogravurcs. a liolycr photograph. two
water coors pcndl drawing and an oil painting.
there ., production. The last We have mentioned,
which not only remains conspicuous In spite Of the
prcdominancc Of Ros,ctil. but holds IT, own wel by
ne Side Of that artists pictures and has "A peculiar
ati.actvcncss. II is painting five feet or more
long, b, gun In l72 and finished In the present year.
II gives Burnc Joncss FIRST composition for The Conn
III Chamber" ~ his series Of Illustrations to the legend
u tie sleeping Beauty one Of the phoogravurcs
(Which are Of this EHlr Rose series. shows the
scene ~ he finally preferred 70 paint 1t. but there
g, less Interest In comparing the two versions than
ln studying the earlier for It's own sake We have
only a few picture, by Burnc Jones In tMs country.
and tbs Is one Of the most important Of the few. II
exhibit, 10 the fur the beauty Of his color. color
tending 10 the slccharinc AZ times. but on the whole
refined aud pleasing II illustrates his skill IN the ar
raugomcnt OF figures. II Is imbuch with his romantic
feeling and the necessity OF representing all the
nsur., rs asleep has madc the cmasculation OF the
latter less apparent than wond have been had they
been painted awake and moving II shows also the
dcis, BurncJoncs takes In the careful representation
Of detail Ills manner Is vastly different thing from
the Of his master and idol, RosSeil lie la,
something In with RosSetti. However.
Mcdiacvdllsm, poetry kind Of hectic imaginative
ness these found In both these painters. William
Blake has little IN common with Ro~Sctti BurneJones
or any other Pre- Eaphncl", but there Is Il certain
fitness in showing number of lis works In this
exhibition. for " he does not make the senS'iouS
artistic appeal which Rossctti makes, at least he APP
pcal. rs Ros~,t does, 20 the Imagination. Indeed.
he appeals 10 tn Imagination almost exclusively, ana
Earring the plate, The Book Of job the designs
made for The Grave by Blake and engraved by
schayonctti. and two other works. there Il
nothing In the present collection to remind us that
Blake was an artist well rs II dreamer of dreams,
a composer Of designs, In the highest degree impress
sivr /, would b. difficult TO match the majesty with
which the single painting shown, Elijah in tho
Chariot of Fire Is invested But color and draughs-
manshlp leave much 10 be desired. II Is hard to get
together a Blake collection Of uniform value, and
large number OF works In this one have merely
curious interest
since wri,in the above. the list OF additions made to
the pro Rn phnellte exhibit has been completed Mr.
stcdman lends the series Of cchlngS which WiliiaW
Ben scott executed from his paintings Illustrating ihe
Kings QUAR- the quaint poem BY that james the First
Of scotland by whom Rossctt himself was inspired
upon famous OCCASION Mr. conway lehds wafer
color OF Rossctirs made for SCOTS poem. " Mary
Anne" the study in water color and oil made for The
bend OF Christ In the Mary Magalenc nj the Door OF
simon the Pbnr-ce.- and u picuc by Arthur hughes
Mr. Avery lends also "A miniature Of Rossetti, with
lock 81 hair ON the reverse, found IN London pawn
shop.
DANGERS on the ZIG BHIDGE.
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