New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-12

xix, H. u. Il. Putnams sons.
Mr. Berendson Is brief, and, on the whole, crit-
cally sound. Hence there is place for his
which has already appeared in unlustrated
form, but gains, an introduction to Venetian
art through the numerous and beautiful repro
auctions which expand the present edition.
When we have accepted his criticism as sound,
however, we have approved only his interpreta-
ton Of Individual painters. The general outlook
Of the work suffers from a curious niisappre-
hension. 1t sprang evidently from that desire
to establish a formula which is at the bottom
of all the sins Of the often extremely sinful
Morellian school Of criticism. Mr.. Berendson
has been taken captive by the Renaissance. He
has, at the same time, felt more keenly the
beauty in Venetian painting than the beauty
Of F1orentine and Central Italian art. Accord
ingly he decides that the Renaissance eliminated
in Venice and offers ingenious theory 10
prove It. As a matter of fact, Venice stands
apart from the central spirit Of the Renaissance,
and 1t was the decadence Of Italian art not
its happy elimination, which was reached In
the city the Adriatic.
Mr.. Berendson overlooks point which has been
overlooked by many writer's before him. nancy
that while the chief characteristic Of Renais-
sance life was rich, full-blooded personality, tne
most personal, and therefore most vital, element
IN the characteristic art Of the Renaissance was
almost austere and ascetic In significance
Noting that the men Of the Renaissance were
disposed to throw of the trammels Of medieval
ism and enjoy themselves to their hearts con-
tent, Mr.. Berendson assumes that the most e4-
pressive art Of Italy is the art IN winch inns
enjoyment is reflected. This assumes too much
One of the most interesting phases or the
Renaissance is observed in the tendency OF men
addicted to all sorts Of personal license 10 MAKE
their art refined, fastidious, spiritual. The DOM
inant note Of Venetian art is note OF the nesh
The best art Of the Renaissance on the other
hand. the art Of the FlOrentnes and Central ltal-
ians. was essentially an art Of the spirit We
do not quarrel with Mr.. Berendsons interpre-
tation of Venetian art as a reflection of Vene-
tian life. 1t was that In the fullest sense Of
the term. But it is misleading to view the work
of Giorgione, Titan, Tintoretto and Lorenzo
Lotto as marking the apex Of Renaissance art
On the contrary its very reflection Of the venetian
idea kept 1t from being this Mr. Berendson
overlooks again. the gulf that divides venetian
from Florentne, and even Roman, culture we
know that in Rome and Florence the SEEDS OF
corruption were sown in the golden age OF the
Renaissance, but We know that some ihsuhc'
Of taste some intellectual force, kept the ar
tistic development of those two centres from
ef1orescng into quite the materialist1c blossom
that made Venice famous. When the force OF
F1orentire and Umbrian art was spent it died
nv the time the Renaissance had borne Its best
fruits In Venice, by the time the movement
which is expressed in the names OF Vivarml Ut
vel and BeIlini had accomplished its purpose the
natural tastes of the city had settled themselves
and art was moulded to suit them. They were
decadent tastes tastes far removed from the
philosophy the poetry, the literary ana meta
nhysical enthusasms which had brought about
such magical things in Tuscany and Umoria'
and even in towns as far north as verona
They were the tastes OF a people loving sumpt-
Mons feasts and gorgeous pageants las mr..
Rerendson himself reminds u.s. and the JOY OF
mere life was the Joy that Giorgione, his conte-
noraries and successors, strove to put into their
work. The great painters Of Venice SOUGHT as
Mr. Berendson justly points out, the beauty VI
life The painters who adorned signify earner
yeneration and whose work our author mis'ah-
civ calls academic were In love with the beauty
of beauty.
u ,s the old story Of realism and ideaIisH-
nh. Renaissance receiving so much OF It's I'M
,.tus from purely materialistic ideas, ana from
.no,ions az the most elemental sort, was, never
,h.,ess IN It's literary and artistic relations an
idealistic movement. Venetian art, IN the hahuS
:, oil hut the earlier painters, was realistic
movement. if ever there was one. Having stated
,h,. fact let us admit that Mr.. Berendsons
rbansodes if mistaken in some Of their prem
,.oo arc at least justified so far as the mere
nictures In his catalogue are concerned The
Venetians were lovers of concrete thlhes' yes'
and are therefore, beneath painters of far less