The sun., 1902-10-19
EXHIBITION OF DRAWINGS ny
EDWIN A. ABBEI,

lhey are the originals from which were
made the reproductions that appeared in
Hdrper's Mdoa-,no from February to
August. inclusive. Of the present year.
There are vast number Of illustration
that do not illustrate. in the sense Of she'd
Ding light upon and giving further pun
2"ncy 20 the thought of the text Too
often they merely obtr,ide between the
author and his reader an inadequate and
therefore disquieting suggestion. which
th" latter, u lie have any Imagination Of
his own. resents. Surely the faculty of
Illustrating another's tex. is rare gift.
and no man living shares il in a greater de-
gree than Mr.. Abbey. Within the limits
Of period and subject TO which he has ad-
hered-the authors of Elizabethan and
eighteenth century England-he has
worthily secured reputation, which, a.
Mr.. Joseph Pennell says. establishes him
mot only "a the greatest English-speaking
illustrator, but tho greatest living illus
TRAITOR
Mr.. Pennell, at once pen draught sman
Of dexterity and charm and an able critic
is primarily thinking. no doubt, of the
technical side Of Mr.. Abbey's art, which
will claim our attention presently. For
the moment we are concerned with it In
relation to the subject matter. With truly
exquisite sympathy, Imagination and pene-
tration it protrays the feeling of Gold
smiths beautiful poem. To enjoy these
drawings fully one should reread Il, and
have tho tender sadness Of its minor key
OF melody lingering in ones brain. It's
burden is so gentle, loftily restrained even
in the bursts Of earnestness; imprcgnated
with the wholesome freshness OF the country
ideal, the simple SAVIOR Of life close to
and comformabe with nature. and redolent
also OF a delicate humor, like the faint
odor Of lavender III a housewives linen
press We shall find that these drawings.
one after the other. echo back the varying
phases Of the poets sentiment; tender
while II is robust, by turns genial, heart
searching, gracious and melancholy; always
pure and fragrant. And they reproduce
the atmosphere Of the poem, its unaffected
realism, slightly idealized. They take us
completely out Of the hustling, tumultuous
present and lead us back into rooinier,
quieter world-the world of the poet :
creation, where everything is not all sweet
ness, but where joys and SORROWS, even
sin, are adjusted to the poets plan. With a
,
Mr.. Abbey has conceived the series.
Like every true illustrator he has added
something to the text. Ones quarrel with
the average practitioner il that. at his best
with dry precision, or, at his worst, with
almost impudent insufflcicncy he addresses )
himself to the litera lness OF the text The
letter killeth, 1t is the spirit that maketh h
alive" The spirit Of tho author is what
Mr. Abbey assiInilates, then giving out Of
himself. reinforcing II with his own
fancy and invention, Turn, for example, TO
No 10 Ia drawing apparently not repro-
duced in the magazine). 1t represents the
village pastor
AZ church with meek and unaffected grace,
HIS looks adorned the venerable place.
The sermon il over ana the old man has
come down from the pulpit and taken his
stand at the end of the communion table,
reading out the sentences a. the collection
Is made One might all,ide 20 the cut of
his black gown, TO the uncovered table, his
position at the south end Of II, to the wooden
chair. footstool and bare chancel walls.
all points Of significance in relation To the
church history Of the period, which testify
to Mr.. Abbys extreme accuracy of the
subject and grasp of its externas a. well
us pl It's INV III ')l' L tOIllIIIt 1lNSeI
10 the attitude and expression Of the min
ister. He has just read The sentence. The
Lord loveth a cheerful giver." and he turns
to his congregation with gesture Of hum
bleness and look of expectancy. partly
plaintive, little eager and none too conf
dent; "a ninglng OF emotions full of gentle
comCalitv.
There is here an Independent creation
e, |,
the poets thought just as in the wash
drawing. No. 20, we not only SEQ the count ry
girl when near her b,,rayer's door. she
lays her head but the b,tTaycr himself,
an old man. alighted from his sedan chair
escorted up the steps by bowling link-men
met 10y an obsequious ma jor -domo with
view beyond Of waiting footmen and the
genial welcome Of lighted hall. What
a wealth of added suggestion And so
throughout the series in an equal or less
degree, We shall find an expansion of the
poets thought; even one so noticeable as
that in the last drawing, where. in inter-
pretation OF Godsmith's apostrophe to
poetry, Thou source Of all my bliss and
all my woe" the artist has represented
a man in a garret with a violin across his
knees.
So these drawings illustrate, illuminate
and interpret the text with force of imagi-
nation, added TO the sufficiency Of their
local truth, that places the draughtsman
alongside the poet as n follow Of kindred
spirit and creative charm, To love the
poem is 20 love the drawings, and 10 put
the artist In a niche OF our affections bes idc
the poet as his artist -comrade Really,
this is point that needs emphasis, for tho
accuracy Of Mr.. Alleys research il very
generally admitted: but il it were only in
the matter OF eXtcrnals or even of that gen
eral rehabilitation Of the past, which we
vaguely sum up as securing the atmosphere
of the old time, it would be smaller matter,
in which we might find that he has many
rivals. But he las penetrated 20 much
further, reaching an intimacy of kuowledge
and feeling, which makes him live and nov
and have his being in the period that he
has chosen.
When the result is 10 pc rfcct it is almost
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