New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-28

lev Hitchcock. ID AppletoH On wa
OF all the features at the great Worlds Fair at
Chicago there was none that was more remark
ohio and unique than the Art Department The
collection of pictures in particular was without
nrecedent as regards size completeness and
,,, oil ouaIitv Americans enjoy abroad the
ro,utation Of being the most munihcent ana
uhara, natrons Of art 1t Is to this country that
,ho nainters of the Old World look for the most
nroftable market of their works; hence II was
only natural that the leading artists OF the East
ern Hemisphere should have endeavored to be
renresen,ed by what they considered to be their
masterpieces And. inasmuch as the wall space
altbough more than twice that provided AT any
former international exhibt!on-was inadequate
IN satisfy more than a third OF the demands from
abroad the standard maintained by the Foreign
art committees in forming the collection oes"heu
to represent the ar, OF their respective couh''e'
was necessarily very high
As many years possibly even decades are
likely to elapse before any sucn uhTlVai'e" CUE
lection Of foreign and native masterpieces II
gathered together again under one rool' WY
general wish was expressed by those III poS'''o'
a. ,,raci,te th. full value OF this part Of the
Worries Fair that some step should be taken to
devise a lasting memorial OF the exhipltoh ny
means Of pictorial record. This denlanu mas
now been fulfilled by Mcssrs. ApPie'"" III
manner that may be described as In every r'spe''
worthy Of the subject treated. In series oi Ten
volumes. simply yet tastefuly bound ana easy
TO handle In spite Of their foho SIZE McsSiS' NP
n,o.or nreeon, to the art-lov.ng public the most
striking masterpieces OF the coEectoh' the Sc"o''
IF oach country being represented. In an eX-
hibition such as that in the Art Department III
,ha Worlds Fair the task of selection was eX-
tall "a
since nearly every foreign picture shown was
chef d'oeuvre in its way Yet no one VIII Do as
posed to do anything else than find words Of COM
mcndation and praise for the choice 80 happhy
made by Mr.. Ripley Hitchcock whose name APP
nears on the tite-page Of the work as Its editor.
The go or more paintings reproduced III THESE
volumes constituted the very cream or the col
lec,ion and Of the labor involved In obtaining the
authorization Of the artists and in providing lot
tho protection Of their interests by means oi
snecial copvrights In the making OF negatives 81
the finest quality both here and In Europe '"e
painting Of color models az well as OF the months
NJ delicate work on the plates Mr.. Hitchcock
gives a graphic description In his introduction
The paintlngs are reproduced by photogravure
and photochrome. with delicacy ana success
rarely eoualled and never surpassed by any pun
fishing house On this side 0f the Atlantic; ana inc
,t..,,ras are occompanicd by the letter-press ~
,,.h rc,ownel art experts "a Charles Yriartc the
eclectic editor 81 the Paris "Figaro-Salon' Mr..
Humphrey Ward the art critic II The LONDON
Times" NJ Roger Ballu. the French Government
Commissioner for Fine Arts, VI. Hubert Nos VINO
occupied n similar position al the eNhio'uoh j"
connection with the Dutch Government. ana MI
Halsey Ives TO whom. as organizer 81 the At.
ronartmcn, # the Worlds Fair belongs the chief
credit 81 having brought together such coy
lection II the examples Of the art work of all
countries where art has nourishod. such az We are
no, likely TO look TO upon IN America again.
tn. school II each nation IS represented In this
edition de luxe Of Mcssrs. Appleton tonly 1000
comics - which have been printed. cheaper ana
nonular edition being IN preparation. Among
,b, mos, successful reproductions are those x the
French paintcr Henri Gcrvalss head 81
"Nienon" in color: the Dutch marine painter
Nesdag's AT Anchor. Madeline Lemaires
"rarlng Ioavcs": and Jerome's well-known pie
,,ro entitled "Ocdipus" showing Napoleon on
horseback at the foot - the Pyramids gazing up
=, tho face ~ the Sphinx n II en9caVornS -
s,lve that granite riddle ~ countless generations
Particularly worthy Of note are the reproductions
~ the tIciurcs ~ tn japanese painter. emulate
ando whose work contains a striking nanlies'h-
ti,n ~ foreign influence on native art IN" result
IN this instance being lay no means dispensing
q, equal interest, to Americans mt any rate are
the photogravurcs Of the paintings oi TT"
Zmurko and other Polish artists whose "orA
was entirely unknown I'm this country uhui uie
Chicago Exhibition where for the iirs' time 'neS
exhibited. II not as country. at least az ma
tionallty.
Rut to many the chief Importance Of this monu-
mental work Of Messrs. Appleton Company
u.u consist in the excellent opportunity winch
I, affords Of efectlng "A comparison between Tor
e,gn art and that Of America. At Chicago TINS
vas rendered difficult by the hugeness OF the eN-
hihitlon and vastncss OF the number 81 paintings
which had the effect ~ confusing the inihd anu
dulling the powers OF judgment But In me
Az, ~ the world" where only go Of the best Of
the many thousand pictures exhibited AT 'he
Worlds Fair are given the task II comparison
Is relatively easy the reproductions bcihs "i
such a successful character az 10 leave little
roou for regret that one has not before ones eyes
the originals
According 10 n general consensus ~ opinion. inc
American section Of the Art Department was con-
.,,orod IN he the most brilliant display OF the
whole Exposition. and the examples chosen by
Mr. Ridley Hitchcock for publlcat ton In The Art
=, tho world" contribute 10 support this convc-
,ion dIsplaying undoubted originality, craftsman
shin Of a very high order and truly artistic
embodiment Of the realities and Ideals Of our own
American life They help To- show the progress
made by American Art since the great Centennial
Exhibition Of 1876. and that tho criticism then vi
tered to the effect that American art Is not Amer
lean. but a mere reflection Of foreign schools. Is
no longer true.
Although some 81 our younger artists OCCASION
ally manifest n disposition to repeat their Pari-
sian. Dutch and German masters there Is dis
,inct individuality and genius among the lead
ing palnters Of the United States; and while there
is no American school. so-called. to represent our
artists collectively, there IL number OF groups
Of artists which, having renounced thcir foreign