New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-16
A CRAFTsMAN's DEVELOPMENT

CRAFTsMANS DEVELOPMENT.
Enough has been said to Indicate the pre-
dominant characteristics Of Rossetti as man.
Environment confirmed in him a preoccupation
with what might be called professional inter-
ests. Az the essentials OF his life are dvested
Of the thousand trivialities In which william
Rossettis assduty as n bographer has swathed
them as his nature is studied in his CORE
spondence this preoccupation Is seen to place
him on the eminence which he holds to-day
largely as a psychological phenomenon az
curious and almost fantastical figure. He was
ca turated in mediaeyallsm to begin with. And
with this exotic strain at the roots of his ma
ture he p, oceeded in both painting and poetry
to take the step most perilous for a man OF
such intense personality az his own OF working
from the outside Of things, of producing, not by
virtue of an overpowerlng inspiration. but by
the cultivation Of ideas and feelings remote
from the normal intellectual impulses OF his
day and place. Because he had profound artis-
tic constituencies. because he was Of sensuous
nature with n passion for color and a painters
instinct. because he Inherited n mind Of South
ern complexity and early drawn to the
study Of Dante poet full Of medieval sug-
gestion: because. in word. Dante Rossetti had
a streak of genius In him. what he did, whether
certain distinction and a certain originality.
But these letters do not show painter musing
upon high thoughts and drawing from n world
of jmaCInation full formed the noble visions OF
poetic seer.
On the contrary the most characteristic
vein IS that which Is typifled by the en-
suing extract from letter written to the
painters mother at tho time he was engaged
upon his picture called Found" In that plct-
ure 1t will be remembered woman Hes beside
a brick wall while the man who has discovered
her and exhorts her has left his cart little
distance off. A calf is bound in the cart i
believe | shall be wanting To paint brick
wall" writes Rossctti. land white heifer tied
TO a cart going TO market. Such things are,
suppose. to be had at Frome and it has oc-
CURED to me that I should like. If possible. to
come and paint them there. There Is cattle
market, Is there not? Have you ever seen such
an article as the hefer In question. and have
YOU or Christina any recollection OF an eligible
and accessible brick wall? l should want to get
up and paint it early in the mornings. as the
light ought to be that Of dawn. II should be
not too countrihed yet beautiful In color) as II
Is to represent a city wall. certain modicum
of moss would. therefore. be admissible hut
no prodigality OF grass weeds. ivy, etc. Can
suppose Christmas pictorial eye will by this
time have some in1ight into~~ihe beauties OF
brick walls-the preferability Of purplish pre-
vailing tint to yellowish, etc
Now this may be taken rs a good specimen or
the Pre- Raphacli,e in Rosseiti. Az such It may
indeed serve But IT is also expressive OF
quality in him. the quality II craftsman deal
ing with wholly ponderable things, which 1t IS
hard t. overlook. For Mr.. William kossctti 1t
apparently does not exist. He even goes 80 :ar
N 10 say that 1T H. worth noting that he speaks
Of q he!fcr' mot calf): one might infer that he
Intended the hefcr. bound for butchering 70
have symbolic analogy with the outoast woman
OF his picture" This quick concentration upon
the subtler side Of Rosset;ir art Is not unnatur-
al I'm an anectionatc critic and In the presenc"
Of many u his pictures one is apt - think Of
scarcely anything else. But the peculiar sig
nincance OF the passage quoted above Is this.
that it stands In It's purely material weight
quite unconiradictcd. or. rather. unbalanced 10y
any passages IN the whole correspondence when
would speak FOR those sub;ler, more poetic. more
spiritual forces which are conceded TO the pie
lures themselves.
Is 1t not remarkable does IT not indicate
an unprecedented psychological condition.
that a man should paint pictures and write
poems drenched In Imaginative qualities and
then make sign In his letters that he ever
alt In ideas at ALL that he ever approached
his poetic and artistic tasks on any but a crafts
mans level? II Is not intended here 70 bettc
Rossettis work painter or as a poet by the
citation OF letters which seem TO place him on n
lower plane than that TO which his productions
plainly belong But To show the difference le-
tween the man and hts work IL To enforce The
estimate Of him which regards him chiefly as a
bizarre and puzzng psychological phenomenon.
These two volumes will not be valued because
they deepen the sense OF Rossett powers.
They do nothing Of the sort What they do ac-
ccmplish is the stripping from noted personal-
ty Of many Of its most picturesque embellish-
ments and the substitution therefor of a man
morbid in essence and divided in his gifts. Here
the analysis Of him returns To- the point upon
which william Rossetti has been quoted lie
says his brother self-centred. This is true
up to a certain point He followed his own in
clnations. He lived his own life. He became a
recluse and exactcd from his family and friends
a good, deal In the way Of social adjustment, 80
to speak, which contributed TO the atmosphere
OF originality in which he lived.