The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-01-27
ras = Es.
rirs, se.,os.

be considered an event OF prime Importance In
any of the great art centres Of Europe, IL 1t were
held in ono OF them, not only because tho col
lection contains many celebrated pictures by
modern masters, but also because the sale Of
these works Mt auction will fix the valuo OF the
works Of Mariana Fortuny compared with
that Of masterpieces by painters Of the
BNrbizon group and such other famous
artists OF the French md other European
schools as have been sold and resold hero and
abroad during tho last twenty years. With the
exception of the celebrated Spanish Marriage
which Is owned by a lady in Paris, and two i'm
portant works. Tho Beach at Portici" and
Tho Snake C%harmer.' sold in tho A. T.
Stewart sale in 1887. about all of Fortuny's
most notable pictures are in this collection.
They are we'll known to the general public by
reproductions in black and white, and tho pic.
lures themselves have been seen by many anna
tours and students OF art in their owners homo
in the Cours-la-Reine, for the distinguished col
lector was always generous in giving oppor-
~tunitics TO look at them to every applicant
that could possibly be received in a gentle
mans house. These pictures have thus been
pretty we'll known to the art world. and their
fame has spread wide and far. The exhibition
of the collection in its entirety at the American
art galleries, however, makes 1t possible to com.
pare ones recollections and impressions of the
pictures with their actual appearance at the
present time. to take note Of their technical
characteristics with tho new developments and
tondenci es in mind that have marked the later
painting In Europe and at home, and to form an
opinion of the place to be definitely assigned
to Fortuny in the art Of the century. The
work Of his friend and companion, Zamacors,
four of whose works are in this collection,
may be said to be definitely placed already and
that at q very high rank. but as We shall eco
when we come to examine his "Checkmated
and Tho Infanta." this exhibition Of the
Stewart collection will force his position up still
higher. Madrazo, Rico. and Boldini. other con.
temporaries Of Fortuny. the first two closely as
sociated with him in his artistic and social rela-
tions with Mr.. Stewart, and all three with
ZamacoYs grouped by the brilliancy and gen.
eral style Of their work at the time In a coterie
sometimes referred to as the spanish.Italian
School Of the Seventies. have continued to
paint since Fortuny's death and have achieved
%triumphs in new fields. The presence Of Messrs.
Madrazo and Boldini in our city at the present
time, both engaged In painting portraits. and
the visit Of the well-known American painter,
julius L. Stewart, son Of the collector and pupil
Of Madrazo, constitute an interesting coin.
cidence. In short, New York is at this moment
the scene of the most interesting and important
event hat has come about in tho world of art
for several years.
Among the twenty-five works by Fortuny in
tho collection the picture that has been most
talked about here is "The Choice of q Model"
No. ia. Very much In tho same way that
Tho Angelus," by Millet, was spoken Of as
that great painters masterpiece. to the exclu-
sion of other more sincere and moro truly poeti-
cal pictures, Tho Choice Of q Model" has
acquired in the popular mind the reputation of
being the work that best shows the brilliancy of
Fortuny's technical methods and his finest color
qualities. 1t Is distinctly a very brilliant pic
ture, and in many ways one Of the most charm.
ing manifestation of his talent. 1t is full of the
most astonishing bits Of cleverness in painting
and sparkles with gems Of delicate color in a
dozen places. The delightful little nude figure
Of the model posing on a great marble table. the
gilded figures that form tho supports Of the
table magically depicted with breadth of touch
and exquisite finish. the satin and velvet coats
Of the powdered a~cademicians, who stand in o
row looking at the model and making com.
ments. presumably. on the grace of the move
ment and the beauty OF the figure, their silk
stockings. their gold and gem-topped canes,
their chapeauN and lace 5abots, their hands and
their faces are painted with q lightness and q
surety that bear witness to the SURPRISING skill
Of the artist. But the picture as a whole 10
over-decorative and it is lacking in that unity
of tone and color which are to be found in some
of the other works in the collection from the
same brush. The luxurious apartment in the
Palazzo Colonna. which forms the setting for
the figures. Is sumptuous and elegant In its pro-
portions and appointments; it is richly fur
nished. and as the eye wanders over the canvas
the glance is met by rich draperies, costly
marbles, fine metal work. and detached
objects Of art. The whole scene is a glitter
of polished surfaces and the sheen of stuffs. 1t
would scarcely be possible to represent such q
scene with any scheme or reserved. s~elf.con-
tanned color. A painter whose sympathies lay
wholly in the quieter aspects of life and nature
would not venture to take such a motif for q pic
ture. or. il he were compelled to for any reason,
would SO modify it by his treatment that what
ever it might gain, 1t would lose in the lighter.
gayer. more superficial aspects which Fortuny
has hero fixed on the canvas with such
exuberance of tint and such overwhelming
virtuosity of playful handling. The fault lies in
the subject more than the treatment, and it is
only necessary to turn to some of his other
works to see that where the conditions of his
subject appeal to the moro sober and moro
cstimable motives in the art of painting, his re-
markable technical equipment serves him in
equally good stead for his expression and i'm
presses the educated art sense with a more pro-
found appreciation of the aesthetic balance of
his temperament and the staying quality of his
style.
In the Court of Justice. Alhambra." No. 81.
tho squatting figure OF tho guard in the red
turban and white burnous. the manacled prison
ers with their feet in the stocks and tho little
figures in the background are put down with
the precision of drawing that marks tho best
bits OF painting In 1.-THE Choice of a Model. !" but
in color they are moro in harmony with the
other parts of the work. In the rendering of all
the accessory objects in this picture. the saddles
and trappings hanging on wooden horses in the
left of the courtyard as the spectator sees the
composition. the lamps pendant from tho arch
ways. the colored tito border Of the circular
fountain. and in the treatment Of the elabor-
ate fretwork and carving in tho Moorish
architecture. detail. though accurately depicted.
Is subordinate to the broad. general effect which
makes tho picture an impressive one Mt first
glance. The manner in which the white walls,
partly in cool shadow and in other places glow
ing under brilliant, but not eyc-cracking, sun.
shine, are made to play the principal part in the