New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-11-12
ART EXHIBITIONS.
OLD AND MODERN PAINTINGS AT THE
UNION LEAGUE CLUB.


The best thing about the monthly show al me
Union League Club Is It's general enect o'''y es"
teen pictures have been hung, and this gives eicn
one its full value besides creating that atmosphere
OF simplicity and repose which Is the oh'y t''o'-
phere an art gallery ought TO have. one oo mas
ter is included In the collection, fuh lens''i VI
man in armor. Count dAlligre," by Van Dyke
II IS not a portrait OF tho highest rank III the
background. with it's effect of old spanish iea'hef
We miss the golden glow which a Van Dyke or
the first quality would exhibit. Also the palhuhs
Of the armor is lacking in the purity and radiahce
Of his best manner But the distinction OF the
artist is present: the head II not brilliantly paint
ed IS, on the other hand modelled with the easy
precision characteristic Of the Fleming Ato-
gether the place of honor in the room Is ade-
quately filed. TWO figure pieces command atten-
ton Just after the Van Dyke The first Is For
tunys picture Of an Arab guard posed against
an Oriental rug. with a richly decorated coner
on the floor at his right and huge. glistening
plaque leaning against the wall his left The
subject Is purely picturesque The style and treat
ment generally those Of A technician rejoicing
in his control over the instruments Of MS ART ana
winning a sparkling, sensuOus kind OF beauty
thrugh his effortless egerdemain. Such Work Is
never charming when II stops short OF aoso-
Lutte finish Fortuny is dazzling when he is complete
as I'm a picture Ike the famous "ChoIce Of the
Model He is quite as dazzling and a little more
personal. little richer and more Interesting
when. as In the present canvas, he leaves MS I'M
proysation in mdair, sketchy but true. There
Is atom Of sentiment the work, unless
1t be the indcirable sentiment Of beauty That
is abundaltly present and makes the picture
masterpiece in lis WY.
The Jeanne dare Of Rossetti. which hangs
near by has, of course. unusual significance.
Americans have few opportunities to study the
originals Of this painter. They know his work
as a rule in the fine IIollyer reproductions. Para
doxica as 1t may sound RossettI is really seen
to better advantage In reproductions than In his
colors The great charm OF his "orH the
charm which has made him famous, is an andr
Of romantic feeling He reveals his genius most
eoquontly I'm his curious, melancholy conception
Of the human face Rob him Of the curve OF
check the poiso of a head, the tender. mysterlous
expression Of an eye. and you rob him OF an thar
makes him important TO English art As color
list he Is often sumptuous. always individual Dut
rarely pure and delightful As a painter III 'he
s,rictest sense Of the term he is batting. unlearhed
and not seldom bungng. This Jeanne dare H.
lustrates his defects perfectly. The flesh tints
are unhealthy. They suggest that the artist mas
kneaded his pigments over and over again. STRIVING
for the right tone and missing II through Els I'M
certainty Of aim. The weird Rossettian magic Is
visible in the characterization. which IL fuil or
poetry and emotion. But. after having satisfied
a curiosity as &c the painters methods. one feels
that a reproduction Of the picture would be much
pleasanter TO live with Rossetu was an incom-
plete painter all his life long He had lucky mo-
ments I'm which hc went fsr toward concealiiS
his faults bat those moments rare. 1t was not
In one Of them that the Jeanne dArc' was paint
FL. II rs interesting 10 tu.n from this picture,
the work Of inspired amateur, to the woman
ana Mirror Of Courbet. a also often sadly
deficient. but the whole, a more skilful work
man The Jeanne d'Arc" has a soul and haunt
Ing one. too The courbet is a piece Of fiat ma
terialisrn. But Courbet handles his brushes with
more SAVIOR fare he is more at home. and for
this reason the Woman and Mirror compares
favOraby with It's English companion. despite It's
inferiority as a work of Imagination. Lest the re-
action against poor execution carry the observer
too far however. he should look noXt ~ Ger6me's
"Rue au Cairo.' There lind workmanship -
a very mastery sort. bat II is 50 painfully right
80 conventional IN its merits. that returns 10
Rossetti's undoveloped style with downright relief
Two Americans, the late George Inness and Mr..
D. W Tryon. figure among the landscapists' ana
both count heavily In the exhibition, the lnness
picture especially rising high level Of poetic
loneliness and solid truth through a delicate scale
of color; but except for good specimen OF Anton
Aiauve the bulk Of the work in this field Is by
the Barbizon painters. Instinctivoly one goes 10
the two Corots. Their refined quality Is more pen
etraiing than the richer note of Daubigny IN ms
characteristic Evening the Disc" and his
looser more attractive coast scene, III der the
Cliffs" But the most distinguished Landscape IN
the room. the one OF greatest rarity. and there
fore. most interesting to see, Is the small Rous-
seau lie Sor' IS example OF his tighter
more closely analytic manner. II has non" OF the
biz qualities of his later work but he was never
more completely himself than in this. II Is small
the color is a shade too hot the treatment wants
breadth but it gives us the very Rousseau OF
Rousseau. the something that is most precious IN
his wonderful art Decidedly TINS Is without
being the important landscape in the snow
the one over which it il most tempting 10 linger
our list may be completed with the names OF
Fromentin Zicm. DGpre and Troyon 1t Is not
long. but the Union League Club has never had a