New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-26


count at all He has added to the representation
of every other Continental school and mas IN
creased the number of English and American
drawings Never was there so valuable picture
book For the practical illustrator its stimulus
must be very great and the mere lover OF me
art will find unending pleasure In turning over
It's pages Mr. Pencils selections have not al
ways baen of the best; have seen more IN
teresting work by Wiette, Gorguet Bernard
Partridge and J. y. Batten. to name only
handful than he has chosen for reproduction
And mechanically the book Is somewhat below
Mr. Pencils standard In the blocks ne
now gives. the beautiful decoration by Mr. Par-
sons and the portrait Of Jefferson as BOD Acres
nv Mr. Blum are not anything like perfect as
,hev are in the photogra vures OF the first edition.
/ Nor d. we submit without murmur to the substi-
tuition on page GO OF the sketch by Cazanova Tor
the mastery production by the same hand whlch
he was content to publish in 1889. why was mat
/ withdrawn? In the photogravure which Mr. Pen-
/ nell saws the artist considers the only fair re-
production Of his work. the former Illustration
| was much more Impressive than that now used.
| Eut criticisms like these could not affect the
general verdict on Mr. Pencils labors. which
have been praiscworthy to "A degree. To nave
assembled between two covers the work Of as
! Grasset and Caroz Schwabe. Klinger and stuck
| Rearcislev and Aiming Bell. Church Brennan and
Abbey ana scores more Of brilliant artists, all
/ into one portfolio. Is to have rendered an I'M
mense service to the student.
! or all the new men Carloz Schwabe seems 70
us to be the most remarkable and most worth
/ studying. for h.. more than any other recent
draughtsman. seems to possess unblemished ar
/ tistic rectitude. Pcn-drawing has its limitations
/ on the principle that "whatever is, IS right
beautiful effect gained by all sorts Of thickness
/ and clever expedcnts justifies the style of any
/ draughts man who elects TO be his own law. But
pcn-drawing rs much etching. is, on its own
confession a linear art and such an art must Of
necessity be Jealous Of the purity of It's line.
The great men all prove this. Verge. the great
, est IF them all greater even than Mcneil. in the
last resort never degrades his line. With many
/ II the younger men the tendency Is to wreak
j anv caprice upon II that seems fetching" Car
loz Schwabe working In Paris under the banner
Of the Rose Croix group has been reviving with
authority the very test style known to the his
tory Of his art. The first plate from him which
Mr. Pencil gives is a peculiarly happy demon
s,ratlon of Schwabcs fine character as work
man II IS the design made by him for the
/ cover Of Flammaror's edition Of Zola's lie
R1ve" The original Is in the Luxembourg. ami
figures the more beautifully there because it
bears the washes Of color which Schwabe APP
piled with q view 10 the decorative enhance
mont II the cover Bu, here shorn Il such aid
As The color might give II. the drawing fasc-
mates by the strength and integrity Of rs line by
/ the perfection II pure technique which 1t eN-
c,nriIr.e Ii is medlaeval work In feeling ar
+ ch,ic. almost. In sentiment But as draughts-
nlauslip in the strict sense II IS among
IN. great achievements 81 the century. And II
ought :, be- more and more effective In winning
converts 20 the belief thlt pcn-craw!ng has pos-
slhAtios as d!rnincd. monumental as any
ming in art
There is.dAugcr It may also be added. IN the
yr-y mastery n Irc which Schwabe possesses
arI must iepI other men t. seek. with him
th.r.. D. nothing t. fear. His abundant work
proves The sanity Of his temperament and the
. f.lu!u-ss - his ideas But take. on the otner
hand Mr Aubrey Bcards!ey the most striking
addition IN some ways 10 thu English section II
Mr. Pencils book. Bcardsey IS an eNtraords-
nari.y capable draurhtsman In the first heat
~ the irritation tina, his silly ecccntic!ties and
anr.tltion. inspire. that fact runs the risk Of
being forgotten Ills technique is brilliant in his
purely decorative borders and initial pieces he Is
.u, ~ ID. first illustrators living In them he
handle. pur. lnc In u way that might almost bee
calicl magnificent He could hav" been de-
+ yc.opod iuio a really uuiqu" and desirabi" artst
II be- hal com" into the word with - ru'n IN
tcillgeuc- and balance ~ he has manual facility
Eur hc has chosen 10 bc a mountebank Instead Of
an artist. 10 produce trash for the applause n a
hand II Young mon a. c)nce!ted and as feather
Drained as himself, instead Of appealing 10 Guilt
waited people 10y adhering 10 the lofty standard
reached In his "Mortc d'Arthur" work He Illus
tratcs the dccadcnce ~ linear art. the period ut
which its practitioners pay with their material
and their tools and reduce themselves TO the
functions ~ a momentary fool. II Is encouraging
to note in the American pages Of this book that
no equivalent of the rcioub:able Mr.. Bcardsley
has as yet appeared. our own draughtsmen are
doing excellent work. and doing Il on healthy
llncs Mr. Pencil can turn to no more sat!s-
fvlng monument TO the honor Of his art than that
formed by his countrymcn. We make no pre-
t.ncc ~ reviewing ind.yidulliy the hundreds ~
drauch,srnen represented in his book. our pur-
pose is t. signa.ile only those who possess spec
ciaI significance AT this time. carloz Schwabc
ana loarlslcy can for express comment, as per-
haps Forain does also. But Forain. are
;,ad to see Mr. P,nne admit. employs an I'M
perfect line: moreover he Is one Of the most In
tcnscly personal # modern draughtsmcn and l"ss
rich in technical suggestion than in mere delight
In not one ~ his recent novels has Mr. iIowels
surpassed I've might even say equacD the
humor and charm II his earliest books The re-
appearance of on" 81 those IS an event fun Of
pleasure. The holiday edition Of Their Wedding
Journey" Illustrated by Mr. clifford Carleton
and published by HouEht N. Mif'lin & Co. brings
back the freshness and sparkle ~ the novclis.s
literary art a. it's best. The sunshlny FUN In the
book its delicate and always kindly satire. It's
vivid pictures 81 a perfect tour cndcar the work
T. many reader who does not follow MI
towels in his later moods. The new edition Is
well made. and Mr. Cartoons drawings. though
sometimes crude. are satisfactory on the whole.