New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-09-24
FATNTTNGS o. THW IOVVRN ItaIian


from is foundation IN 176s to 1901 By AlgernOn
Of the president and council Of the Royal
"a The Macmillan Company.
The best thing about NJ RreaFs little essay on
veIasquez is what we can only describe its
simple good faith He does not attempt to read
aIl sorts Of esoteric mysteries into the work of
the Spanish master. Neither is he dogmaticaIly
sure Of that masters secret Rather is he in
cIined TO face the fact that genius is a law unto
itself, 10 take Velasquez as he finds him. and to
pay his tribute by writing in a kindling fashion
about the masterpieces in the Prado. II he at
tempts to lay bare the painters soul, It is only
70 the extent OF placing him among those for
whom the visible world exists" He says OF
VeLasQuez that he was wonderful eye open in
a country OF Light" and he constantly develops
this idea, his whole view Of the matter being
fairly well represented by this passage:
n the earliest works Of velasquez che already
fees the pleasure ne had in seeing the outer world
and reflections without thought Of what might
BE hidden or evoked Until The last It was t ms
ike faR-Iess mirror OF unrivalled deHcacy and
s h gg6s s M5h 3aya Y The i 56ter
Of The early ~bodegones' has made himself master
OF his implement making II express delicate Faues
acd fleeing shades, which al first we're Dey ond ne
so[neFE4t CRY pIe-I t 0e he cToscr he keeps
10 the surface OF things He IL not tempted 70 90
below il /
OF course NJ. BrezI does not arront the mas
ter BY looking at him as though he were pho
tographer He says Of the portraits for ex-
ample that If it Is true that our fnInost feel
fnss and character transpIre in our faces, then
me can decfpher the secret souls OF Velasquez's
personages for he painted their outsides with
g truth and frankness that no one has equa1ed
But NJ Breai is careful not to claim too much
for the Spaniard and In his moderation he man
ages to give a better idea Of his subject than
is conveyed by many a critic who goes to Ma
drid and falls upon his knees with an abandon
nent which would only be justified If there
were no other shrine Of art in the world We
wish we could quote In full the passage in which
he compares the Venus at the Mirror" with
similar pictures by other painters He arrives
most skIfuIly at the conclusion that Felasquez
PAINTED the picture las If to convince Us that
in no circumstances and on no subject viii he
tel Us more than the light tells him. The book
has the usual small but interesting Illustrations
We ought to note here, by the way, that IN the
current number Of The Pail Mall Magazine"
there is al article by Nj. c. L. Hind on a visit
he najd To Rokeby to see the Velasquez Venus
L ts worth reading because It tells how the pct-
ure got there, and what its surroundings are
like, matters not generally familiar
# was = good idea to include monograph on
Hogarth IN THE Makers OF British Art" MI
Dobson's Life" especially since its reproduc-
ton IN finely illustrated volume with Sir Wal
ter A+rngtrongs essay is Indispensable. but II Is
bulky and expensive place has been waiting
for Nj Browns volume and 1t fills it very well
Eosarth's personality is drawn with sympathy;
the main details OF his career are set forth
with sufficient supply Of apt anecdote and the
authors critical views are tudicious. He holds
the balance true. He knows that II is for good
reasons that Hogarth has latterfy been welcomed
into the ranks Of the masters Of oil painting. but
he rightly observes that "the tendency now VIII
rather be 10 exaIt unduIy his technical dexter
fly" and that this would be a mistake as great
as the earlier depreciation He has an anus
ing note on a point in the criticism Of HOgarth
which has caused any amount of argument, say
ing:
There Is or popular notion thaL hogarIn
fncauabIe Of depicting beauty rms Is as
or7ndess as the idea that he could not paint ttls
nercT US ant enough delineating beauty but
II must be beauty according TO his own canon he
ID his type Of feminine coITeilnesS ana
%tfs vas Of a robust and fui-bOoded kind so trat
= SINGLE one OF his rnilkunaids actresses could
rout AZ hockey whole team OF Inc an<eI1fc c46-
r-antes OF the Burne-Jones or Rossetu school
This fs 2 cornmonsense view OF the subject.
and Mr. Brown, all through his book, writes
with plenty Of the same quality. His biography
and his criticism are well arranged, and he
naclzs much useful information into his ap-
pendices In addition to many good half tones
Fl