New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-07

adj
the most prolific of the Venetian masters. Mr..
! Stearns pitches the KEY Of admiration Urine
too high saving that Tintoretto "resembled
Shakespeare in his breadth Of mind. his depth
and tenderness Of feeling. his seriousness his
! tremendous energy and disregard Of fame This
euloev sits uneasily on painter whose speclai
Gift was for Selling the external. purely plastic
and pictorial effects Of his theme. Shakespeare
built I'D his creations from within, ana causeo
the soul Of his inspiration to shine through the
construction controlled by his brain. Iihtore''o.
belonging to decadent school OF art, WORKED
from without and left IT. his great compositions
lust so much of spiritual life as was visible u
him. a man of sensitive feeling. on the surface
% things The architecture Of Shakespeare Is
penetrated with the energy Of organic HE. WIZ"
Tntoretto it is question OF structural ingenuity
not trivial or mere artifice. but nevertheless
grade Of formative power. not anything IKE 80
! exalted SO imperial as that Of the dramats'.
But 1t IT, perhaps, unfair to push very lar 'ni'
criticism of the parallel suggested by Mr..
| Stearns His judgments are generally mou-
crate his estimate Of individual pictures peing
o.,r, and trustworthy. And 1t is indeed good
thing for some one to treat Tintoretto without
tho patronage and depreciation he commonly gets
NJ the nresent time Nole Of his sins. no mat
ter how fragrant. not his hate nor his grossness'
can ever deprive him OF his essential greatness.
Nothing can ever rob him OF the distincuoh vi
being one Of the most mastery improVisatoreS
Of any age His sound composition. while SUBJECT
TO the qualifications alluded to above. Is ai'er
all so far as II goes. thoroughly instncuVe' anu
YOU enjoy in the splendid works or the "'uo"
di San Rocco or the Paradise or the pucai
poIoca tho snectacle of sane invention and saner
grouping keeping pace with a headiohs I'M
petuosity unsurpassed by the greatest prushileh
of art To the spontaneity of his master 10 the
almost turbulent life which animates every one
of his pictures Mr. Stearns does full justice ana
throughout the biography in fact. ne keeps
c,ose IN the elements of physical energy and
nronounced idosyncrasy which were among the
most powerful in moulding Tintoretto's genius
The aim of the book has been to show as ia' aS
nossihle the intimate connection between TN
toretto's life and nature and the paintings wmch
ara orr chief record of him. The task Is rem
dered exceedingly difficult by the meagreness OF
data relating to the painter Mr.. Stearns wouu
, have been assured of satisfying his readers ANU
Cether IL he had moderated his enthusiasm some
what had been a little less dinuse ana ha'
abandoned some Of his ponderous ahec'a'"hS
II Is a long time since we have seen anything
| in literature of this sort as solemnly comic as
Mr. Stearnss description Of Neronese as fau
| - vorora" He returns 10 that pedantic desgna-
ia, with na,nful iteration. and each time raises
| . emilia Tor his trouble Grant him his defects
however as in the main harmless. and the care
~, svmpathetic biography which he has pre-
nared will be given an honorable though tempo
rarv place among monographs of lis class
~ tho n,ges OF sentimentali;y and crude
Ercrsh Which Mrs Hda Gamln has mad
nr,nted and bound under the aluring title oi
/ "c.orge Romney and His Art" we have not
word ~ commentator. Why the book should
have been made by this author Is impossio'e 10
imagine. unless II is because. having written
volume on Lady Hamilton. she feels prop''c-
,arv interest In the painter who iguren LOT
while in that personage's picturesque ne "'9
! Gamlin has no other qualihcatlon ior hei '"SN
She knows nothing Of art. and while she ar
,,os tho facts OF her subjects career well
| enough she has conception OF 'he ahai's''
| a,d dissertation which belong TO such work
! as she has attempted. Her style Is ho'h'ns ''''
thu, atrocious Meaning to say that friend OF
| Ronnev's wrote a book about him, she opserNes
that the author "evaporated biography OF 'he
roir,er II Mrs Gamlin's biography could De
| "avanorated" without loss OF time. II would De
ro ,oss N Romney and 1t would be gain 10 net
r,. o,lv good things in the book are Few Oh
tho Illustrations and those are charming io'
no touch Of Romneys was ever without It's snare
! ~ gracious loveliness II Is to be rcere''eu "''
the text OF the present volume Is 50 "or''''ess'
hut II may inspire some capable writer u w
vha, Mrs. Gamn has tried In vain 70 accom-
plish
Professor Van Dykes text book Of the history
., tomous naintings Is the first Of three volumes
,,~h az. 70 nrovile .'concise teachable histories
~ ar, for classroom use in schools and colleges
Tho aim Of the series IS laudable and In perform
ance the opening volume sets n creditable stand
! ard so far as clearness and arrangement are
concerned In other respects It's value mas 10 De
recognized with large qualifications. IL IL """'
as Professor Van Dyke says. that not much uhe
Is given to art study In 'the average educauohai
institution" and the condensation to whch 'n'S
fact has driven him Is so obviously exponent
that one must approve lift expectancy ~ au-
m,tted as a law in literature. But In literature
even In school literature. what is worth DOING at
all is worth doing thoroughly. and the birds-eye
view Of art which Professor Van Dyke presents
seems to US Just trihc too brisk and laconc'
and IN be full OF pitfalls for the teacher and the
taught His method OF counterpaiahcihg 'ms
drawback Is even less praiseworthy. 1t consists.
az he intimates In his preface. In giving "A snort
critical Estimate" OF each painter, rather than
~. detailed facts OF his life" Following this
plausible way out OF the difficulty. professor an
Dyke profrers quantity OF Judgments to which,
in the main. we are not disposed to take excep-
ton. but which are OF the very essence OF disih-
tegration for the student 1t is this fluent. ready
made estimate which does damage In the schools
Pupils are dazzled by such cocksure opinions. ac-
cept them bodily and repeat them with very ILL.,
tie change in their compositions and conversa-
ton Everything Is done TO give the student a
stock OF clever conclusions and 1t IL odds tha'
he will never seek to make up his nina Tor MINI
self unless ne has an irresistible enthusiasm Tor
art Professor Van Dyke may retort 'hat II u
for tho otbers he writes for the students who