Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-06-17
broken !. and shattered pine which has in

broken and shattered pine which has in
1t the spirit of the rock cleavages which
1t accompanies and adorns. Oddly
enough, too. certain trees which he
loved to paint he seemed to have stu
| died less minutely than he had studied
those which he less often used In mis-
art. Thus the Italian stone pine, taken
| up In later life and used as a Character
istic piece of the Turnerian localized
Italian landscape. Is not found often in
his careful and minute studies.
as for sea forms, many artists have
STUDIED the breakers on the beach and
on the rocks since Turner's time and.
therefore, he is not quite alone In know
ing what broken water Is like and what
~ VIII 40. moreover. many and many
an artist has set down In color his view
Oh the blue Atlantic over the side of
| an Atlantic liner. And yet Turner
seems almost alone, still, in his free
use or the open ocean in storm. and
even of the open ocean with its long
,ohins waves OF afterstorm. But odd
~ enough, for man who so loved the
grandiose and the emphatic, the one
Phase Of ocean which is peculiarly his
own is the shelving beach with the
summer sea stealing up its gradual
slope, children wading half-leg deem to
show how shallow and how innocent II
Is. and easy going employment of mon
| and horses around the boatsides. Even
the broad stretch of wet sand. safe
enough for travellers for an hour or two:
but to be overwhelmed by the tide. even
mat seemed in some way Identified
with Turner's sea painting, and his
stage wagons seem like outlet merchant
! ships under easy sail.
1t is unfortunate for those who 500
the pictures exhibited in America that
the TWO large paintings by Turner
whicn nave been shown here of late
| are OF Il rather absurd kind; for there
was an absurd kind of picture of which
turner was capable at times In his
determination to produce a certain Wig
orous effect ne allowed himself at times
10 be all vigor, without form and with
out taste. In his eagerness TO EXPRESS
a. great artistic thought he allowed
himself to become ridiculous in the eyes
ol persons who did not look at the pic
ture in the same frame of mind which
ne, the painter of 1t. was in when he
painted He seems to have been born
without that valuable balance wheel -
sense oil humor-and his lonely life in
Guiding but little association with his
brother artists and almost none with
ii III, men or other pursuits than
ART, made him more open TO error wear
ny year. The errors which make of
some of his large canvasses really fool
ish compositions in spite of their great
power The errors which have led one
intelligent critic To speak of the "Porio
saint Martin" character of his worl,
inc tendencies which compel even his
100 understanding admirer. RusIin, to
call inc pictures in which they occur
nonsense pictures:" the composition
winch another excellent critic rightly
calls Srotesquc." and the general char
acteristlcs which have led the same
| writer 10 say that his paintings arc
more frequently grandlloquent than
Srahu, al these regrettablc peculia rifles
are to one who has studied his career
ana moro entirely successful works hu,
tribes. Such blunders and such blund
erlnS works as are limited at nbovo arc
put as the lines OF Shakespeare which
Matthew Arnold calls "de 'estable.'' 1T
being always assumed that Shakespeare
wrote those lines, they have to be taken
as the ih-considered work Of n very
great man surrounded by world OF
stimulating intensity, but not refined
IN laste-at les st. not severe in taste
IN like manner Turner's errors-and
| 'neS are many and Scrious-arc those of
very great : rtist feeding too much
upon the unchecked thoughts of a mind
uncultivated except for his art and SIR
rounded by Il world which. rs he saw
glimpses OF 1t here and there. could not
IN any way raise his mental STANDARD
| IL Is fortunate. however, that the works
% art wnich are exhibited in our Amer
! icin pubic galleries. few in number do
not include any bad specimens of this
pad side of Turner's art life 1t is also
fortunate that there are in private hands
| ~ America few Turner pictures OF
the very highest class. unsurpassed by
ANYTHING in the National gallery. Again
IL IS fortunate that so much of Tur-
| ner 8 artistic power can be Judged from
ms own multiplied work-t.ie I.iber
Studlorum, the little zzotints, and to
a less extent. but still appreciably, by
me accessible prints fror, cngravings
a!teT ms work, such rs those mentioned
above and the engravings of the Riv-
erS OF Franco. SCOTS Poems, ana the
NE, especially the Rogers Italy and
Poems. \ monograph on Turner's wor!;
and critical account of its merits is
o. inter nut OF a Few pages. but of
volume. All that can be 81 ID here is IN
<lnsist upon the praaigous ability OF the
man ana the unsurpassed charm OF his