New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-04


DID, tx 232. Charles Scribner's Sons.
Mr. John Durand has told the story OF his
fathers life in a spirit that brings back quite
clearly the atmosphere In which that lie was
developed from obscurity to success. Inc oios-
rapher is plainly in sympathy with the CUSTOMS
and feelings to which Asher Durand was Dorm
lust before the beginning OF this century. both
were characteristic Of young word wi'h ts
artistic horizons only half explored yet one OIL
tho nleasantest things about this volume Is the
sense that 1t gives you Of high-minded gen
Grafton which made up in fine feeling what IL
lacked In familiarity with cosmopolitan stano-
ards 1t narrow society which neVer'he
less had more true culture than is often found
among people OF wider experience Inc schooi
OF that day has gradually receded, but the men,
DRY Of the men who made II VIII ever re"'di"
fragrant In the history Of our city.
Durand was one OF those early founders or
good tastc TO whom we owe much. He died
only q sh ort time ago in 1886, but he was ninety
then. so It will readily be seen that in his prime
he belonged to the Of pioneers. First as en-
graver then as painter. he made himsel1 pro-
fcent according to the conventions OF MS tihe
and figured one OF our strongest arusts. ror
wears he was president OF the Academy OF De-
sign To-day his artistic laures are 1aded' Out
the significance of his personality remains. Du-
rand belonged to the era In Whicn Bryant mar
leck. Kensett Greenough, Vanderlyn, Morse ana
others whose names will recur to OLD New
Workers gave the tone to literature ana ART
Some OF them were his intimates IL ~ 10 oe
reeret,ed that this fact has not added anecdotic
richness to the present biography, wnich IL pour
in ouo,able "reminiscences; but the general flavor
Of his environment comes out In the record OF
his life. In the beginning he was confronted with
few facilities for artistic development, FEWER
,a,rors and hardly any artistic society. by
and nv the Sketch Club was founded. small
society In which poets and painters mingled III
the merriest way At meeting we fnd MT.
Rrvant propounding a sage notion that the per-
lection Of bathing is to jump headforemos' i"'o
a snowbank' Scientific inspiration shows i'sei
in this question: Does heat expand the DAYS IN
summer?' MFR. Verplanck throws antiquarian
light 'on the precise form and capacity ol an
! tedil,vian butter-churns' This Is piaytui nom
sense but Mr.. Durand has no difficulty In con-
vincing the reader that the makers OF IL were
men OF peculiarly refined and dignned nature
Even in their larks the celebrities OF the DAY
shared that ndescrbable air OF gentility ana
wholesomeness which we remember wnen we
think of a New-York extending not far ABOVE
tho Ctv Hall a New-York in which the Bat
l u
,nps and kind OF distinguished commercial
ISM
It was at this time that Luman Reed arose.
,vnical business man Of the old school whom Mr..
Durand does we'll to include In his book LOT
Reed was not only OF service 10 Asher Durand.
hu, is interesting as a specimen OF the pubic
citizen early in the century. He began HE IN
country store at Coxsackie. and ended II IN one
OF those roomy old mansions Of lower newborn
which have almost all disappeared. the mohu-
ments Of the Battery and its neighoornood. heen
was apparently a charming man. sympa'heoo'
generous a Maecenas In small way 10 the
artists Of the period. He helped Durand ana
many others He bought their pictures ana
housed them worthily. His gallery was open 10
the public once a week. and became something
of an institution In a city where the Vaiue OF
art was only dawnng upon the minds OF us IN
habitants After Reeds death the COLLECTION
was established for a while In the Rotunda. van
derlyn's building in City Hall Park which was
demolished not many years since Inc his'orica'
Society owns the pictures now, ana they nave
faded practically from public knowledge. But
one can imagine from Mr.. Durands pages what
they meant to the few connoisseurs among Reeds
contemporaries and one calls up gratifying PIC
! ture OF enthusiasm and serious ambition
|
man. always studying and always bent on high
ideal II Is suggestive TO find his warm ar'suc
temperament gravitatng at once. on his WISH 10
| London in ls4O toward exactly the right ma"
| IN English landscape. u saw one picture ps
/ Constable" he said. "evncing more OF Simple
truth and naturaness than any English iahu-
scape have before met with. II Is sood 10 see
/ our American pioneer discovering wna' II mas
taken many OF his countrymen years TO ma out
! Curiously enough he came back to America I'M
} influenced nv his travels either In England or
on the Continent. He essentially an Ameri-
can painter, drawing his inspiration from the
landscape OF his native land. and sharing 10 the
exclusion of all else in the pure.y American Ire
OF his day His career was uneventful. and leaves
/ no marks OF picturesqueness upon the record De-
fore u.s. but for the quiet cclors OF HE IN New
York Atty years back this book is in an unassum-
ing way. a useful production.