New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-04-25

within the limits of his power, 10 Iorlhuide' iii'
peculiar merit s that he is continually feeling MS
way toward the analysis of that organic coih-
pleteness in art which every philosopher Is quich
10 perceive but tardy-such are the limits OF the
human rind-to set forth in concise ana lucid
definition.
saracious and admirable blending Of theory
with fact is to be discovered In the little volume
! entitled Action in Art" (Cassel Publishing
/ Company which Mr.. w. II. Beard has written
! He bases all his statements on close observation
and on scientific demonstration; but being an
! artist he is aware that neither science nor opucs
/ Is superior to the unwritten laws OF art ana he
| breaches the healthy doctrine that what art
/ should aim TO show is not what an action IS Dut
what II seems TO be- A knowledge OF the truth
/ Of nature is imperative If the artist wants 10
achieve the truth of art. but the latter requires
/ for its production the synthetic power the
power Of generalization. All this has been said
/ before. over and over again, but never until now
have we seen the principles of bodies in motion
so clearly and helpfuly stated in their relations
/ to art Mr. Boards method is of the simplest
| Writing for example, Of the contrast between
/ motion and inertia in art. he gives n very APT
! illustration: IF horse in full speed is placed
| directly opposite telegraph pole. he says tine
lines Of the pole will greatly interfere with the
onward movement OF the animal. seeming to I'M
| bue the creature with its own inertia. The horse
! being intercepted in the middle by the upright
line. the eye, seeing equal parts on either side
! IS prone to linger about the angles formed by
the intersection. briefly uncertain as to which
portion Of the body shall determine the direction
! of the movement" We will not follow Mr.
Beard through the interesting evolutions Of this
single problem 1t is sufficient TO note that in
IL, - ", hoe
simple lights his unpretentious text and careful
! diagrams make a difficult subject plain for many
who need his hints and explanations. Another
! book Of much practical value is Mr.. Frank Fow-
lers Portrait and Figure Painting" Gas
sell Publishing Company In this thin quarto
are presented the fundamental rules Of tech
nioue in the branches Of art discussed: there are
| colored illustrations showing the successive
/ stages Of a portrait and the amateur may accept
! the handbook az giving workable succnct ac-
| count of how modelling. color and construction
! may be fused in the preparation OF a pictorial
work. The elementary Metal Work Nlacm!lan
/ and Company. of Mr. Charles Godfrey Lee
| land is a welcome manual. The authors
| culture is obvious in every page Of the book,
/ obvious imparting a thoroughly artistic
| feeling TO his lessons. but quite as pre-
! cious is the sound common-scnse which
! goes with his instruction. making clear each
! step in the production OF repousse. stencil
work nail work and other forms Of the artistic
I handling Of metal The book is addressed 10
amateurs. and is also intended for use in schools.
For either class 1t is. in its field perfect
| There IS nothing more battling to the collector
than ceramic art. nothing that IS better calcu-
| lated to lead him astray and lose him In the
obscure byways Of the past a handy thorough
guide is Indispensable to him. unless he is an
/ authority OF vast experience himself Such
guide Is furnished in the new "Dicionnairc De Ia
| CGramique" macmillan & Coz. which VI. Ed
Guard GARNER has compiled from the "Libraire
de LArt." VI. GARNER IS conservator Of the
famous museum at S6vres He has done his
work out Of fun mind and wide experience; he
has done 1t with a Frenchman's artistic zeal and
engaging style and though the dictionary is
chiefly n collection and tabulation Of technical
and biographical data. 1t IS anything but dry
reading Its alphabetical enumeration OF scho Ia.
men and wares is full of entertainment as we'll
! as Of instruction. The latter IL made the more
| available by the inclusion Of many good plates
| In color. giving specimens OF decoration: and
! both in these plates and the text potters' marks
| are reproduced which must be of great aid 10
| the amateur. An erudlte historical Introduction
| Is prefxed to the dictionary. which IS beaut
| fully compact and seTviceabe guide. The
| sketches Of centres like Faenza. of individuals
! like Andreoli. the founder Of the "fabrique" at
! Cubic are models Of what brief, comprehensive
monographs should be.
Mr.. Edwin Atlee Barber has attempted 10 do
! something Of the same sort for America In THE
| Pottery and Porcelain Of the United States 90.
J p. Putnams sons that VI. GARNER has done for
| France in his dictionary. The American his
torian has much smaller field to explore than
the Frenchman who has embraced all Europe.
but 1t contains great deal Of interesting matter
In the early stages Of development Good work
was done here in the last century. and more ~
cent times have produced in the lockwood
ware quality Of work well worthy to be com
pared with English pottery Of the same period.
Mr. BARRIERS text is bald and is burdcned with
references that smack Of the advertising de-
partment. yet in stating a quantity Of facts he
could not help conveying valuable information
as to the condition OF growing art in this
country. His book IS fairly illustrated.
A very good biography Of the greatest English
portrait painter Of the eighteenth century has
been prepared by Mr.. Claude Phillips. His
"Sir Joshua Reynolds" (Chas. Scribner's Sons.
! may strike the purely technical student az dis
| cursive and even in some places irrelevant; but
| the truth Is that Reynolds was an artist whose
biography, as IT unfolds. brings back inevitably
| an uncommon amount Of personal and social
| "reminiscences His work itself is indssolubly con-
| nected with the spirit OF his time. 1t contains
| little that Is esoteric. His art Is worldly, ami
mated. trimming over with Intelligence, with
elements Of grace and social caste. The world
he lived in was one which is remembered most
! wildly as rich in the materials of anecdote and
gossip and such quotation from Fanny Bur
|
frequent references he makes to Boswell
| Johnson. Walpole and others Of their era are
really more excusable than they might seem at
| first, for they help to create the atmosphere