New-York tribune., 1901-05-11

a habit CT studied simplicity and unconscious
ness Nelasquez did not seek 10 analyze char
acter Yet emphasized what was essential He
was content with the evidence OF his eyes. and
brought HIS figures out OF mysterious back
ground, giving 10 them air space for breathing
and leaving them yitalized for all
time. The character is there. and the methods
of the painter pass without observation The
relentless. inscrutabe Pope: the vain. luxurious
empty minded king; the calculating methodical
oardi5al; the naughty. INSCRIPTIONS prime min
ister the brave, light hearted prince the stately
frivolous court ladies; the degraded beggars and
the rollioking peasants stin have the breath Of
HE; yet they have become permanent classic
ngures by subtle processes Of ideaiism too refined
10 be analyzed. So few are the coIors used
there is hardly trace Of blue in this room and
only little green-that one wonders how VeIas-
euez has ever been considered a colorist: yet
what marvels are accomplished by gradations OF
tone. few colors suffice for costume and
ermor. and the metal CLEANS and blacks and
whites are fused into grays. with a silvery
sheen. Air spaces ara deepened and light Is diff
fused by the most slilful toning and shading Of
colors; paint becomes transparent on the rouged
face OF princess; and the art by which these
wonders are wrought is without mannerisn.
affectation or device.
Nelasquez was a court painter. and the women
whose portraits he sketched were seldom
beauties. The royal portraits in this collection
are without charm Of costume. feature or ex-
preston. He painted thesa great ladies as he
saw them with the rouge on their cheeks and
the vacuous EXPRESSION IN their eyes. When
there was lovelness in the face he did not neg
lect 20 reproduce II. The Lady with a Man
tilla" on these walls is the Lady with the Fan
ot the Wallace collection, and as she holds her
rich lace kerchief her handsome face lights up
with glow Of restrained passion. There is also
a beautiful face in a Portrait of Lady" the
dark brown hair being adorned with curious
white feathers under a red curtain and the
silvery white lace collar and pearl necklace
cleaning above the black dress. Very sweet
and tender also is the Portrait OF a Girl"
owned by Mr Arthur Sanderson. The men are
tall and stately. except in the tavern pieces. and
their heads often seem small in proportion 10
their long, 1.-the bodies This must have been
a characteristic Of the Spanish grandees Of his
day. for Velasquez was faultless as a draughts-
man AID perfect IN the symmetry of form. The
dogs in these pictures are as wonderful as the
men. They have not been dragged in for an
artistic motive or painted in 10 help the
pose OF the figure Ike the collies in Mr. Sar-
gents portraits Of the Duke OF Portland. In
The Sleeping Boy" lent by Mr.. Leatham the
black and white dog seems to have slipped into
the picture almost without the painters knowl-
edge, and in two OF the portraits OF Don Balta-
zar Carlos the greyhounds and large dog are
there because they belong in the picture and
not because any special use is made Of them in
the color scheme
Alack, In my enthusiasm over the Nelasquez
room l have rot reserved space for a detailed
reference TO the eleven Murillos and the splendid
series Of Goyas, Grecos. Coelos and Zurburans,
and the twenty Fortuny's must be passed over in
silence. although equal number OF them has
never before been exhibited under a single roof.
Possibly may hnd another opportunity for de-
scrbng the gallery filed with the works Of liv
ing Spanish artists. That collection Is a revela-
tion Of the power and range Of the modern Span
ish school, with Prada's historical canvases OF
the reigns OF Ferdinand and Isabella; with
Checa's Invasion OF the Barbarians," pulsating
with action; with Madrazos portraits. Zama-
cos's interiors, Salvator's state concerts and
festival scenes and AlvareZ's glow Of color The
Spanish exhibition is we'll worth q voyage across
the Atlantic as the American tourists will find
out for themselves when they go TO the Guild
hall Mr. Temple deserves a decoration from
the court for his zeal. intelligence and labor in
organizing so complete a representation Of Span
ish art and in ministerng 10 the pleasure and
education OF nultitudes season after season.
l. y. f.