The record-union., 1897-11-28

tea,chanee": Anton Won Werner, the
director of the academy for the fine
arts in Berlin, took occasion recently,
at the distribution of prizes at that IN
stitution, to define his position In re-
gard to the new course IN modern
art The speech was printed in full
next day, and met with severe critl-
cism. Werner's significance as court
painter Of Prussia should give him a
hearing here as we'll as in his own
country, and a resume of his address
seems in place. Werner looks upon the
are exhibition at the Paris Exposi-
ton of 1889 as the official announce
ment of the new gospel" The pam
acea offered with much praise for the
decay in art was the new course in
which Rembrandtian individualism and
style now appear once more. Won Wer-
ner declares that in portraiture he has
not been able to discover any work by
modeInS that was noticeably better
than the productions of Holbein, Van
Dyck and Rembrandt, Reynolds and
Anton Graft. Bonnat and Gustav
Richter. Nor has he been able to find
anything Of the penetration into the
depths of the human soul' which
might be considered an advance upon
earlier performances.
In landscape painting" he contin-
ues, ''the points of contract lie still
closer, unless, with the desire of be-
ing quite modern, one should cite only
those landscapes in which a particular
ly dull or ugly bit of nature has been
reproduced, such as neither Rysdael,
nor Claude Lorraine, nor Preller, nor
Ssol~s h. Aa1,
bachs would ever have chosen. 1t
seems decidedly questionable whether
the effort of the masters named, to
sound as full and melodious chord
as possible from nature in their works,
is outweighed by the moderns in
striking one note only and endeavoring
to deepen it by mood (Stimmung),
which we do not undervalue. l shall
say nothing about the childish lisplng
and lstammering in the manner of rep
resentation, the JapaniZation and
pseudo nativete, which usually cover
either a fashionable craze or incapaci-
ty; it might best be designated as
dudishness in art. In animal and still
life painting, those most realistic and
positive of all artistic branches, the
new course has least of all succeeded
in discovering anything new in nature,
or in effecting noteworthy improve
ments on the work of the old Dutch
man, of Rosa Bonheur, Troyon, Land
seer and other masters no matter how
many of which artists in this domain
may swear allegiance to this new
course. In one branch of paintin g
Germany was once not only admired
but envied, even by our interesting g
nelghbors beyond the Rhine-I mean
that domain in which the soul of the
German people has found its most
striking expression, and has spoken
impressively and clearly to heart and
mind and in which Knaus, Vautier,
Defregger, and many other excellent
artists will stand for all time as mas
ters, and remain the pride and orna-
ment of German art. Now, what and
whom has the new course to set op-
posite to these artists and their crea-
tions? a dreary, empty nothing, and
the hollow phrase about the pulse of
modern life or that the object, the
contents of a picture is not the real
purpose Of artistic representation, but
the how of representation has to take
its place, because it is immaterial which
what is in question"
That confession, amounting to an
artistic creed, aroused a veritable storm
OF indignation. Though much of it may
at first sight seem like local polemics,
in reality this controversy is of much
wider interest. We have here simply
local aspect of a general conflict.
Says writer in the "Tageblatt: LAS
we read the speech of Mr.. Won Werner,
we ask ourselves: Where has the man
lived during the last twenty-five years p
Modern art has the failings of its
virtues. The newest discoveries are
sought and exaggerated, and individ-
ual manner as we'll. But in its whole
ii offers a beautiful and elevating
picture, and he who lovingly follows its
development is sure of rich joys Mr.
Won Werner makes criticism difficult
for he associates artists In a manner
TO make ones hair stand on end Be
sides, the artists whose work he cites
are all men whose activity is closed,
whose work lies completely before us.
And then, comparisons of living men
with old masters are a somewhat deli
cate matter, and ii is best not to make
them. / cannot follow Mr.. Won Wer-
ner here, nor is 1t necessary. for he
himself cites no modern name He
finishes off religious art by referring
TO that picture by an unknown Nor
wegiar and to one by the Partisan
sensational painter. Beraud 1t is the
same in all branches. We perceive how
he sees the only ugly things in exhib-
tions, constructing his modern artist
in the spirit of the comic artist of the
'F'liegende Blaetter.' Every one who
has gone with open eyes through the
art exhibitions OF recent years knows
that the seed sown by Manet has
brought glorious harvest among all
peoples: that there is a great and
glorious art which rests on modern i'm
pressionism. however it may differ
from It to-day. and knows that the
best work of this period may Well bear
comparison with that of any past one
and stands a world above that which
went Immediately before"
Hamilton W. Mabie and George
Wharton Edwards intend to make US
their debtors for still another delight
1ui volume of old verse. Some time
ago the same editor and artist colab-
GRATED in very beautifully illustrated
and well chosen selection of .'Old Eng
hsh Ballads." To those, whose imag-
inatton viii carry them back TO the
Gays of the virginals and the spinet
ana IN addition, who have caught the
priceless outlook over the range of
EiIzapethan and Jacobean literature
TINS new book of "Old English Love
songs Is a more than welcome arrival.
Even though We be too busy. TO read
Sne verse, IT does us good lin coster-