New-York tribune., 1905-07-23

=. COmUlled na nj
tne President and Council of the ROYAL Aead-
eny Vol Abbayne to Carrngton 40 pR
TX. Sn The Macmillan Company
CATALOGUE OF THE GARDINER GREENE
HUBBARD COLLECTION OF ENGRAVINGS
Presented to the Library of Congress by Ms
Gardiner Greene Hubbard. Compiled by Arthu,
Jeffrey Parsons, 4to. pp. xiii JI7 Washington.
Government Printing Office.
DR.. Won Mach's Greek Sculpture is a simple
and useful study of a difficult subject The
plastic art of antiquity ought not to be. as I
matter of fact. an esOteric mystery for the or
dinary human being: but like so many beautiful
things. it has fallen into the hands Of the pro-
fessional expOsitOr. with the result that it has
been sTnothered in jargon and theory. Dr. Won
Mach has had the good sense to see that nothing
Is TO be gained by Indulgence IN obscure
solemnities. He analyses Greek sculpture with
some metaphysical subtlety but with more
directness and both in his Interpretation of its
spirit and his statement of its principles he is
Straightforward and luminous good flustra-
ton of his method is provided in his chapter on
the relation of Greek sculpture in relief to
architecture. Speaking of the Parthenon frieze.
he says:
On yhe southern frieze in front Of The cavaI-
cade and ahead Of the chariots. IS he slow pro-
sacrifice Men and chariots proceed az IN speed:
cows naturally walk slowly. The difference in
pageant would have been nOticeable. ana probably
painful in its effect. if easy transitions had been
as boiting. She has almost broken away from
thToI1 rms man ~, VINO IS holding her by rope lie has
put is irresistiby swept along. when suddenly
5i rsa NJ too1 strikes oowider in the road against
@ulch % ne can brace himself The heIdWay OF the
cow rs broken: the rext minute she vii, oe under
splendid human skill matched aga57sf bruts
force and victorious II! without the ssht
have been Impossible The entire srou5 IS so fuIi
OF life that one forgets the device Of tie artist.
The note is written in a natural practical
fashion, and it is sound. Throughout his vol
ume DIR. Mach uses in general. the same
good Judgment First examining the broad
poets of his subject. and then going into detail
with reference to this or that masterpiece, he
provides both the layman and the student with
an admirable survey of Greek sculpture. The
halr tones from photographs. with which be has
freely illustrated his volume. form just The right
accompaniment to the text since they have
been aptly selected and we'll reproduced In
treating of bronze statues the author remarks
that IN modern times the models for them are
composed OF many pieces. all Of which are cast
separately. and finally joined together" adding
that "the ancients on the contrary seemed to
have preferred casting their figures In as few
pieces as possible" The passage should have
included an allusion to the fact that the casting
of bronze in one piece is not unknown to-day.
times bronzes are often treated with acids to
give them an artificial pGtiRa." the search for
fine effects through the manipulation Of alloys
has not been reelected
DIR. Won Mach's Handbook OF C,reeL and
Roman Sculpture" discloses the same merits
that We have found In his other volume II fol-
lows rational plan. II is suggestive In criticism
and It contains an abundance Of solid informa-
uon. This IS associated with The University
Prints" box OF five hundred half tones from
photographs. The collection is excellently
framed. and. indeed. with it's aid the reader OF
Dr. Won Maeh's manual could obtain an ideal
preparation for higher study in the galleries OF
Europe.
In both OF his volumes Mr.. Russell
SturgiS. even more than DR. Mach. adj
dresses himself to the general reader. The
Appreciation of Sculpture" affords a rapid and
notably clear examination OF the subject from
Greek. Roman and Egyptian sculpture down
through the work of the Middle Ages and the
Renaissance 20 that Of our own epoch In
book of this concise and popular character II ts
necessary to cut to the bone and thus We ind
MIR Sturgis disposing OF Michael Angelo. for
example. with a terseness that Is little start
ling Nevertheless. within his narrow limits ne
manages To convey vivid and instructive I'M
OF u he zeER md