New-York tribune., 1895-05-12
NEW PICTURES.

GALLERY IN REGENT-ST.-MR. WATTS
SIR JOHN MILLAfs MR. HOLMAN
uuNr-MR. Ar.MA.TADEMA--sIR
EDWARD BuRNE-JoNEs-MR
SARGENT AND HIS poR-
TRAIT or MISS ADA RE-
HAN-rHE ART OF
THE FUTURE
London. April 10.
Ont OF the tumult and glare OF keseh''s' 'h'o
these cool. quiet halls huns with some OF 'ne
,oo.t beautiful art work Of the day.-'hc change
90 .csre "a the AFFAIR OF moment. but the world s
oro,her world. The large hall out OF which the
,hr.o o,hers omen seems remote indeed from Lon
aor with its light galleries. It's statues and busts
a, nasv intervals Its fountain overfiowing into
ha.,r ~ forms and lilies It's cushioned benches ana
.haaaa corners. and the rustic OF silks as score
or two OF pretty women move softly about. There
=. n murmur OF talk subdued to the tone OF the
Mace The effect OF the whole is as unlike as pos
s,h,s % the usual crush and glitter Of the Royal
Academy No wonder that artists who are not
thinking first OF market prefer the New Gallery
as the spring and summer resting place for tneir
nictures The pictures gain. and we all gam
Whoever has wandered through the less ire
ouented galleries OF Europe-and some OF the love-
Hest are among the least frequented-must nave
felt the subtle influence Of quiet and OF half hgh's
al predisposing him to like the pictures. IL IL 30
brre. You come with a tranquil mind The pict-
ures themselves give you welcome. anu "he''
YOU go away-for in London there Is none 100
much time for anythng-you are certain 'ha' W"
will return and perhaps you do.
Vet the .rue note OF the New Gallery IL not
neacefulness nor calm. but vitality. Originality
Also no doubt, but what IL originality other thah
a form OF vitality? The place In alive win EVIL
dences OF vital energy, whereas the note AZ Bur
lington House II TO be n not dead. sleeping.
There the conventional prevails. Here 1t II disre-
gard Of the conventional which impresses you AZ
every step This remains true although some Oh
the exhibitors at both galleries are the sa'"e'
They work IN n different spirit and with diHer-
ent aim when their pictures are destined Tor fe-
gent-st. from that which animates them win
Piccadlly In view. The young men dream dreams'
as they ought: and the old men have not forgot
ten the days when art to them also was Dream
and when inspiration came to them out OF the
watches OF the night.
Here are Sir Edward Burne-Jones ana DIT
John Millals: two painters who have httie ''
common except the ability to paint. The
former. of course. young or DID, has dwe'' ever
in fairyland and dreamand and romanceland;
his technique and by the loose rein he gives 10
imagination; and still looser. perhaps. to fancy.
His poetry is we'll set of oy the prose OF o'r
John Millais: a prose which Is vigorous
rhythmical and does as much as can be asked
from prose Here too. Is Mr.. Watts win
p.cture of Charity which is blaze OF coior' Dut
OF color seen through mist and haze. Mr. Watts's
atmosphere is always much the same. and 10
IL is due in measure the impression OF unreahty
which so many Of hts pictures produce
The exact contrary is to be said or Mr. Holman
Hunt who paints in a blaze Of something that
ia more like limelight than sunlight; each line
intensely vivid each shadow intensely darK'
each tint glitterng: and the whole canvas where-
on the painter has sought to express himse1
with uncompromising truthfulness leaving on the
beholder the ineradicable feeling OF artihciaity.
His portrait OF Miss Gladys Hunt Is just as
characteristic OF him anything he ever did,
with something ingenious and naive amid all It's
technical brilliancy and Its undeniable but mis-
directed and wasted force. 1t is nothing to
sneak of Mr. Holman Hunt as Pre-Raphaeite
The earliest Italian Is In some respects later
than he and more sophisticated.
Here again Is Mr. Alma -Tadema with a small
picture which is simply dazzling. The lustre Is
almost metallic; the flowers are as II IN enamel
vet have none OF the hardness which belongs TO
those more mechanical processes; and so OF the
sea and sky and marbles and stuffs. Mr.. Alma
Tadema Is a Dutchman. and lneal heir to the
great art traditions Of his race. Their limita-
tons also are his. 1t Is not by their sense OK
what is most lovely in women that the great
Dutchmen are immortal. beautiful woman on
a Dutch canvas is the exception. 1t is so with
Mr. Tadema often as he has painted from one
model whose attractiveness In real life Is be-
no heau 40 4
the beauty Of sea and sunlight. the cleaning
surfaces OF costly marbles and brocades,-of
aesh-tints also though preferably Of men-and
most OF all the fresh lovelness Of flowers. These
last he paints lovingly. and the more brilliant
the flower the dearer 1t Is to him. In the ad-
mirable little scene which he calls Loves
Jeweled Fetter" he has flung into the fore
ground tange Of crimson azaeas which are
something more than blaze OF sunighted crim-
son. Look at them through magnifying glass.
and the petals Of each bloom detach themselves;
they are painted as II for a botanist. The fasci-
nation Of them, whether you are botanist or not,
Is Irresistible. Not so the portrait groups, with
the heads Of a bgness and bulk out OF all pro-
portion to the size Of the picture Each head
Is admirable: the three together are less ad-
mIrable. and both pictures are wanting In that
very breadth OIL atmosphere and space which
Is the charm OF his more characteristic p'c'uies'
Sir Edward Burre-Jones's Fall OF Lucifer Is
an expression upon canvas OF purely magma
tive conception. 1t is not in the least Miitonic'
and. though Milton is our chief authority on Lu-
c;fer see no reason why this artist or any other
may not treat Lucifer independently OF Milton.
TIE noet has imposed himself long enough on
MONS minds Sir Edward has freed himself from
this and all other authority. His Lucifer is one OF
a steel-clad company descending in grim compo-
sure and stern array from the gates OF heaven,
out OF which they have been thrust 1t may be
said that Lucifer is rot conspicuous enough among
his followers, but when you have discovered him
Won will be In no doubt as to his chieftainship.
albeit his superorities are more intellectual than
military 1t is not especially the heroic In which
Sir Edward excels. The scheme OF the compost