New-York tribune., 1898-11-15
ART EXHIBITIONS.
TTsSOTS ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE LIFE
OF OUR LORD

ing In harmony with the devotional spirit OF their
religious contemporaries produced pictures which
to the latter as statements OF belief made in
everyday speech. but which impress us as deaiistic
abstractons. at once poignant and conventional
Thus n Tissot being Of a more inquirng turn OF
mind than his ancient predecessors being hardly
less devo,ioral but infinitely critical than any
religious painters from Fra Angelica TO Rubens.
depicts the life OF Christ in designs that find
intensely modern. but that our descendants will
proba bly, look upon no less sacred than Tian's
Assumption" Raphaels 'Transfguration" II
prophesy with any confidence about the next
generation It Is because the spiritual
quality Of NJ. Tlssots work penetrates his
fu reproduction OF the commonplace objects in
Saviours environment that We ourselves very near
~ take the latter for granted. very nearly allow
them to aid unconsciously in the reception OF
tho painters message. That We are acutely sensi-
tive to the facts he delneates. that We accept his
pictorial aids somewhat as we accept the new
light Biblical texts offered to US by an exponent
Of the Higher Crcism-with vivid feeling that
we are looking AT an old subject from terribly
novel matter of fact. and possibly auoacious point
OF vlew--s due to our own habits OF thought
than 20 ". Tissot. We. taken more or less by
surprise must adjust ourselves with some search
ings Of heart to his conception OF the civilization
OF Christ's time. He having attained attitude
OF complete faith In his conception. realizes
the latter In a manner amazingly spontaneous and
sincere.
There are more than four hundred paintings and
drawings In the exhibition a; the American Art
Galleries which opens to the public this morning.
You come upon Of the rcstorations OF Biblical
scenes with positive shock hut In moment the
truth OF the thing begins 20 make itself felt, and
you accept the archaeological scheme-as you nre
at first inclined 10 cau it-as an authentic vision
Of actual facts. Here how well NJ Tissot
strikes the balance between the physical and the
spiritual elements in his designs. 1t may seem
strange to US when we see The Magnificat"-a
picture which obviously much Of its reality
to having been made from living models In a scene
still exsting-that artist should Illustrate thus
the organ-like words In the first chapter OF St
Luke: "And Mary said. Ny soul doth magnify the
Lord and my spirit hath rcjoiced In God. my
Saviour For he hath regarded the low estate of
his handmaiden for behold, from hcaceforth all
genera lions shall call blessed" For centuries
these words have been saturated In the atmosphere
Of another world. the mood I'm which hear them
IL mood keyed to the ritual OF the church and 10
he sound Of solemn prayer. But VI. Tssot asks
you 10 recall the actual ifa Of Mary. ;he kind Of
garments she probably wore. the kind Of garden IN
which she talked with Zacharias and Elizabeth.
the kind OF types those Individuals likely 10
have been and The attitudes Of the three
os them poured her awe-nspiring Invocation.
Let the Imagination travel back in this way the
scene. not TO something remote and supernat-
ura but as 70 something that actually happened
in jus; such q garden as that in which he has
painted Mary and her two companions In short.
get at NJ. Tlssots point Of view. and then look at
the picture TO which referring. At once
all sense Of obtrusiyc reality vanshcs and Mary,
painted frankly a woman of her time. takes on
a concreteness that she does not often possess in
purely imaginative studies OF her personality and
her surroundings The point TO remember IL that.
while VI Tissot has studied his types. his costumes
his architecture and his landscape the spot he
has not been merely photogra phic His researches
HcfJa ~ sid tsf fhprD h1
gone the ardent faith Of msn to whom Palestine
IS truly holy ground. We call II faith We are in
cllned. too. call 1t Imagination. But IT is per-
haps more Just 10 say that these two qualities have
been fused. so that the painter seems 10 have
worked simultaneously out OF his brain and his
heart
In examining few months ago one OF the vol
umes In which these illustrations have been repro
duced. had occasion to observe In this place
that from strictly artistic point Of view they
possessed a very high value. We must still add
as we added then. that NJ Tissot is not an impec-
ca bic draughtsman. and that his work is, by that
much imperfect There some figures Of his
which are weakly constructed The outline Of an
arm will occasionally be nabby and meaningless.
and the touch will seem hesitating We find. too,
on studying the pictures in their original FORM that
tho color is often lacking in quality that 1t Is nat
and Opaque where 1t ought to b. transparent and
full Of vitality. We realize. finally. the repro
ductions do not often allow US 10 realize. that pro-
fusion of detail now and then lands the artist In a
vertable chaos. disturbing the relative values OF
his scheme to a point fairly disastrous. The large
painting called THE Inward Voices. showing two
miserable wretches minstered to by the Christ in
a ruined building offers apt illustration. II Is
impossible to get this into focus. One plane In the
composition quarrels with the next and confused
impression Is the result Yet we encounter Few IN
stances Of artistic mismanagement and obscurity
comparable TO this. On the whole. NJ Tissot Is
remarkable technc'an In his handling OF the cos
tunes alone he reveals exceptional power NOT
often have ancient draperes been treated IN
pictorial art as he has treated them. He never
loses sight OF their Utilitartan character ne re-
members that they clothes he Will not accept
them merely decorative motives. but over ana
over again the grace and dignity Of those stately
robes flow through his brush. The work has
seusuous beauty added its force as Illustration
Linear nnesse ho canno; always control. his many
details puzzl!rg hirn-and the spectatoras we have
said from time TO time but certain breadth and
nohllitv dependent much upon line as upon
mass will get into his work when he has SUIT
able theme as witness the superb treatment OF the
hills I'm the background of THE Calling Of SAINT
Andrew and Saint John" Behind the play OF hght
and shade behind the solid color. the structural
limos of many Of these compositions tell with some
thing very like grandeur.
NJ TlssOt is master Of picturesque effect the
effect OF which is gained not only through choice
or subiect but through invention and grace of de
s,eu I'm the picture OF Christ Minstered 10 by
Angels" the recumbent figure is surrounded by the
,,uuous lines of innumerable hands thrust out from
the gloom beneath vague angelic faces. Aside from
tho orIeinality and imaginative power OF the com
ros,tion this Is a brilliant study of form All
through the long panorama one Is coming upo"
iapdsc,pes exquisite In themselves ana sun more
raacin.,,ng because OF NJ Tissot's mastery work
monship Though he sometimes mods. he Is In gen
oral nowerful and conveys the idea of man with
a loar understanding OF what he wants TO say ana
an authoritative way Of saying IT, Two qualities
ronain tn be noted in survey Of his art. lie prac-
,ss a no,able simplicity. and at the same time Is
Intensely dramatic. Consider the picture or the
49, ho Iaid IN treasure catalogued under the