New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-11
,,prNCH AND AMERICAN ART.
CLAUDE MoNET's PICTURES OF RooEN
CATHEDRAL.

a
ono expects 20 form an absolutely hnai esti-
anu II" h,s art until his llfes work is ended.
m MAJ no &c strong or weak Is generally obvious
W. hernnIng but his full measure is only to be
Ian mon the completion OF his career mat Is
-. If the commonplace facts OF art history. But
o and then a will round out his artistic
w." mage in 81 cycle OF productions and span the
He' >, bic DEVELOPMENT in one conclusive stroke.
-. Monet has done this in his series Of paint
~ ode in celebration Of Rouen Cathedral and in
,,onstration of his impressionstic faith Inc
.rce NJ studies may be seen In practically COM
80 form at the American Art Galleries one or
200 are missing, but from the character OF the four
..r naiptings shown it may be doubted as 10
,o,her the omissions vital 1T seems neither
s,ncult nor unjust to extract from this collection
,,s sum and substance Of what NJ. Monet mas TO
GOV II any doubt on this point fingers in the mind
:. the beholder his m!sgivings are set at rest by
.hs nature Of this painters deliverance. 1t is not
cumulative in effect NJ. Monet has simply taken,
~. essential principle and applied it to the treat
,ent Of one theme under slightly differing condi-
inns He has painted Rouen Cathedral from much
,,e same point Of view. over and over again, at
,.rous hours of the day OF evening, with view TO
,onderng so many stated atmospheric effects Four
teen pictures show Complementary enough 'ne
virtue Of the principle.
This collection deprives NJ. Monet of great deal
.hlch a more varied set of paintings might place
:, his credit 1t narrows his range 1t SHOWS MN
On enc phase alone. But 1t also shows concsey
rhat his Imagination can do. how resourceful 1t u.s.
ar Is not in the TRANSPORTATION of a theme rich In
,nspiraton. Furthermore II puts his art once Tor
oil 10 the test illustrates to the full his powers in
a nurely technical way. This latter side of the
question may be approached first. In all MS preVi-
rus work NJ Monet has revealed capacity for the
synthetic handling of his material ana 1or the
subtle expression Of elusive effects of light and air
The significance of local color has undergone a
change at his hands. He has emphasized the I'M
portance of visual truth, so to say: that u.s. the
truth which is not matter of analytical Demon
stration but wholly matter Of the eye ana us
swift comprehension of all that subject contains
T,is his landscapes have not been distinguished
by any of the poetic and meditative qualities which
were included in the scheme of the Barbizon
school. and which have been sought by every great
naturalistc painter from the time OF Cohsta"e
down-nay. from the time of Hobbema ana the
other predecessors of English and French land
scape art Monet. starting from the same point OF
,ndependence and sincerity which belonged to men
like Corot and Daubigny. threw overheard all the
IDEAL -, mpedimenta OF such masters ana re-
solved to stop at visual impression, pure ana
simple II may be retorted that visual impression
IS offered by every true landscape painter But
behind the eye of such painter there Is magma
ton there is sentiment. there is passionate feel
ing Thea, are a thousand things which are part
and parcel Of the painters conception OF artistic
beauty To the impressionist. to Monet these
things obscure artistic beauty. The truth OF an
unth.nkng gaze at nature is the essential thing
he says, the goal to be desired. In SO FAR as the
painter thinks at all he must reckon with optical
Illusion the value OF so much color so much light
and shade, to his eye.
There is some plausibaity in the impressonistc
theory so much, indeed. that 1t has been impos-
s5le to deny to some Of Monets landscapes the
authority of truth and beauty But his art has
huctuaied between convincing and unconv.ncing
poles and now. In the Rouen Cathedral pictures. he
swerves Enthusiastically in the wrong direction
lie has his familiar power Of synthesis AS COM
POSITIONS as pictures in which the linear vivacities
o. Gothic architecture are broadly and truihfuiiy
set upon canvas his studies are striking!y sue
cessful His brush has failed him IN the cunning
ar Of suggesting a form, limiting profile with
such tact and eloquence that its structural relation
Is Immediately felt, and the vision takes In the
whole monumental facade as one imposing mass
His drawing is instructive and as true as ever
Ard for certain vsporous atmosphere. these
paintings are frequently remarkable. Note the
foggy density Of the air in No. and In NO H.
Something of the soft cnging mis-, which we know
IN nature IS transferred with peculiar suoiety
10 the canvas In each case. But where is the
verismilltude which NJ. Monet has achieved SO Oft
en- In his landscape work? Where are the lights
and colors OF Rouen? The sem-moist feeling OF
foggy day is realized in the two pictures to when
slluson has been made but when the eye IS asked
10 recognize the hues Of nature In the remaining
sudies with their iridescent wells OF rose, yeho",
purple white. violet and gray, the whole impress
s:oAistic plan is within hairs breadth OF BENG
Itoren Cathedral az he has here depicted IT, In
times past he has made the same claim Tor ms
landscapes and In many instances he has persuaded
his public that ne was right But II ne saw Rouen
Cathedral az the mass OF IRON gray whicn ne a nd
yellow which he presents in another then he has
You'd their ken There IS no correspondence be-
tween these pictures and nature. 1t may be as
. no o
spectator is as near the object as NJ. Monet was
e he h ss Ia hs he ha
hem the color of Rouen Cathedral? 1t would be
building by people who have seen II in NJ Monet's
fsa pictures in the present exhibition have been
much praised in Paris But they fan to command
Of the painters more familiar productions. and II
they are to be taken. as they undoubtedly may be
taken. represent the art Of NJ Monet at It's finest
fashionable taste may sustain his vogue. Cool
criticism must refuse to accept his evange as set
forth in his latest and most authoritative works
There is point Of view from which 1t might might
painted Venice in mirage OF color which ,i Jew
should e% not c' H. Monet do the same Thing Rouen
The question Is easily answered Turner took me
he wrourh, them into a fabric which was partly
based on nature and psrty on his pGe b 81 ,Se s
and the light that never was on sea or land. meet
IN his art and are fused in creations 50 suPremey
coed the standa rds of our own experience that they
are accepted at as mperishabe records Now /
~ Monet will have nothing to do with any such !
idea as this Imagination. 80 these paintings seem
q say. is a faculty OF no consequence whatever
which he has attempted TO portray II there u.s. II /
Is the mere mystery of mass OF stone partially |
obscured by atmospheric conditions. The poetry OF
the thing. the fantastic charm OF this won5drops
structure the indescribabe potency which leads the
Imagination from base to pinnacle and prepares IN. |
observer to accept almost any marvel OF plct oria
tion--these elements he misses |
Altogether. He cannot avail himself OF Turner's |
license. because he does not possess 1.-THE OF Iur-
ners power.
In the upper galleries of the American Art Asso-
cation there is arranged large collection OF Orien-
tai brc-a brac prints porcelains and other objects
Tae rooms offer wide choice. and though 1t is |