New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-11-26


OPPOSED. His aims and ideals in art were also
widely different from ours. and IL not long
before he drifted away from us 10 follow his
own peculiar fancies. What they may t,-
seen from his subsequent works They were
highly imaginative and original and not with.
out elements OF beauty. but they were no,
Nature. At last, when he presented FOR our
admiration the young women which have since
become the type OF Rossettianlsm. the public
opened their eyes In amazement And this"
they said. "is Pre-Ra phaetism," II was moth
ing Of the sort. The Pre- Raphaelites had but
one idea-to present on canvas what they say
in Nature; and such productions these were
absolutely foreign TO the spirit Of their work
The only one Of my pictures that can think
Of showing what is called the influence Of
Rossetti is the isabella" in which some Of the
VestmentS were worked out in accordance with
a book Of medieval costumes which he was
kind enough 10 lend me. It was Hunt-not
Rossetti-Whom / habitualy consulted in case
Of doubt.
These words in effect would seem 70 relieve
Millais Of the stigma Of having ASSOCIATED him
self from the movement with which Rossetus
name has long been justly identified MY pict-
ures would have been exactly the same II I
had never heard Of Rossetti." This
need not be questioned. Mlllais spoke in good
faith we may be sure But he was sgty-seyen
when he uttered the words. The exact signih-
canoe Of those earlier years may easily have te-
come clouded in his mind by the long period
an entirely new kind Of art. What he gnored,
and what his son now fails % appreciate, is ;hat
in connecting his early art with that OF Ros-
setti the critics were-in possibly III chosen
words-driving at the statement Of an ndIbi-
table fact around which cluster some o. The
most interesting elements In his career Jas.
how much Miilais may have thought be derived
in a direct manner, did not derive. from The
work of his famous comrade, is not the 'rlln
point at issue The important thing is that
Millais lived for number Of years In certain
IMAGINATIVE atmosphere, a certain state OF
mind. which caused him TO produce art Of
certain sort This atmosphere, this state OF
mind. YOU find also in Rossetti. There can be
M greater mistake than to test ali the works
OF the English Pre-Raphaetes by the verbal
formula which may be extracted from the rec
ords-never very lucitly set forth-of their ann
as a brotherhood" Their stated pr!acipies
their formal resolutions TO do this or mat nave
value and interest. But the student sEou-c ps
familiar with their works, paying compara"FeV
little attention TO the formula so o'teh u'o-
cussed by the artistic historians the "orks VIII
show him that what constituted EAsHsh rIe-
Raphaelitism a matter or feelh5 qui'e do
much as a matter of minute realism; that num-
Rossetti Burne-JOnes and Millais IN MS carrier
work arrived at the production OF certain e'-
fects by virtue OF an inspiration that was IN
tensely poetic and romantic. They paiA'eu YIN
an excessive fidelity to nature when "oulu ""'e
ranked them with the Photographic reahs's -
thew had not TRANSPORTED their minutia by SUD-
tie qualities suggestive Of idealistic thoughts
noetic enthusiasm and beautiful Dreams
AS we traverse the illustrations IN the'e
umes we observe that Millais, uhoer inc
Raphaelitc spell. painted pictures Which nave
a peculiar charm, pictures Which suseee' "'"'
IL he had remained faithful 10 'he sp"'' ny
nr,bodv he would have obtained unique reno"h
He had a technical equipment superior 70 u'A.
~ anv % his fellows in the movement But
,nsersibIy his art changes. He continued u
main. romantic subjects. but the youthful emo
rio, subsidized. the rare enthusiasm waheu' LIE
works of his prime are broader In style IN some
respects more powerful than their predecessors
but the charm is gone and more prosaic III
s,irotion takes the place OF the old mysterious
magic AS may be gathered from the "ords
citod above. Mllas had no Unborn taste ioe
r,vstArv The poetic strain Of his youth was
ftful thing When he settled down to the "orH
If his life he cared most for tangible sentiments
and made himself famous by pictures IN WHICH
the pathos and passion OF human nature were
celebrated in poignant but not especially I'M
aginatiye terms. The world gave MIN fortune
and fame 1t could not conceal the iact t"a'
for a little while the divine spark OF genus mao
inhabited the frame Of John Everett Mh'a''
and had then faded out leaving him CapaO''
but not a great painter Of portraits and popular
anecdotes.
Let it not be thought, however, that there
was in this transition anything Of the mercenary
motive which some writer's. more impulsNe
than courteous have attributed to him. Inc
loss Of the early fire was a matter OF tempera-
ment and Fate. Millais never for an instant