New-York tribune., 1908-04-08
FRENCH ART IN BOSTON.
Memories Of an Exhibition Held
Forty Years Ago.

The loan exhibition held in Boston this
winter by the Copley Society was devoted 10
the French school of 1880. The event has
drawn from Mr.. Frederic p Einton, the dis
tinguished artist of that city, very interest
ing letter recently printed i'll The Transcript"
He recalls the time when the first collection of
Barbizon pictures was brought to Boston. His
impression is that William Hunt induced NJ
Cadart, the well known expert and art dealer
of Paris who owned the collection to show
it in Boston after his unsuccessful venture
with it in New York" He adds that the
hibition received with enthusiasm and
that the reputation Of the city as an art
centre probably dates from that time. The
Barbiz0n works he continues. became known
in America as Boston pictures and were
generally sent here to be sold by the New
York dealers But ere long there was great
demand for MilIets Corots and the rest Of
the artists OF that group now classed as the
Men OF 1890 The hasty dealers, who had too
lightly considered these pictures. now offered
to repurchase them at such an enormous ad-
vance over the sums originally paid by the
Boston collectors that a considerable number
changed hands small 'Shepherdess.' by
Millet, which Cadart sold here for 500,
figure which was at the time regarded as ex-
travagant brought $4,000 twenty-f years
later"
All his life long Mr.. Vinton has been watch
ing artistic DEVELOPMENTS here and abroad
He has studied them dispassionately and there
is matter for reflection in the just observations
and conclusions which he thus sets forth:
A half century ago the artists who are in many
cases well represented in the present exhibition
IN CoPley Han We're CONSIDERED iindepeLaents M ana T
radicals, and they won their hnaI success on-y Dy
tndomitabe courage and PathetIf persona sacTI @
ward new thing ad e youngsT 'o5 b6u
-1 hat he
highly esteemed. IN this decade OF swiftly chang
ing ideals and standards in all the arts, presume
it is inevitable that the form of expression in the
painters art viii change-sometime possibly INTO
something rich and strange,-but change i Will II
eGarfe & Wan s2izon ~ 0ict9res appear brown co2ver-
tional in composition and generally unworthy OF
Has the great light of impressionisrn utterly
obscured the constellation that arose in 1899? ts
so offensive that it is uncndurable 10 those accus,
his followers? II this be true and TO this belief We
must sooner or later al come tnen , most neons o. 15
be Telegated to storage warehouses Where sIec1 Ia
may 90 to stud them as poor Haydon sought out
the Elgin marbles In an obscure ceILar IN Lon i
the birth Of impressonisTn, which is fairIy lons
period Of time TO pass in order 10 tfst ,e tside
the science of astronomy, and yet the art @WnrId @
watched the rise and development of this nove,
ment since 1875, when was student IN Paris ana ana
and in later years came to know Pissarro Degas
am glad that 7 enjoyed the privilege of hearing
from them the story Of experiences, and their
art theories. I learned to appreciate and to ad-
rnire these admirable painters and to yield myself
10 their spell when in the pre- sence OF their WORKS
10 believe for the time that nothing in art is worth
doing but that alone. But in cooler moods l re-
fleet that the old masters possessed many noble
qualities not be undeTrated. nor would they be
bv anv Of the real leaders Of today. It appears,
however be the pose Of SOME of their disciples
"r1essieurs lest impressionstes le savoir,
Boudn called them IN one Of his letters 10 me
to a beigerent attitude toward the past.
in France and elsewhere
I believe the pendulum is gently oscillating
in the other direction that tints of brown are be
ginning appear in some of their pictures. Is Ii
delicate indication OF the autumnal season? In
Paris, hear, black is coming in again, and echoes
of il have already reached New York. The Brit
tany school is rather in the ascendant just
understand and. with their modern Dutch allies.
they may be able to put quite a struggle for
existence Beatty. after all, Is all in your eye!'
said Douglas Jerrod therefore love what
pleases us and console ourselves with the assertion
OF Mr. Whistler that. whatever happens, the STORY
OF Is already cornplete.'