The sun., 1909-05-23
FORTUNY.

breeding name. The motto OF this lucky
Spanish painter might have been For
tuny Fortunatus' Even his sudden death
at the early age Of % came after he had
executed number OF masterpieces. an
enormous quantity Of watercolors. etch-
ings, ceramics. damasoene swords and
chased ornaments; 1t followed on the
heels Of sudden glory. His name was
in the mouth OF artistic Europe, and the
sale OF the contents OF his studio at Rome
in 1876 brought 1000 francs. Yet
30 slippery is fame that Fortuny's
name TO- day 10 seldom withouta brace
OF epithets. such az "garish.' or empty
His work is neither. He 10 virtuoBo.
So was Tiepolo. He 10 q romantic;
90 the generation preceding him. The
Orientalist par excellence, he has some
how been confounded with Meisso-
nler and 0erome. has been called glitter
ing like the former. hard as was the latter.
1t is true there are no emotional under
tones in his temperament. the brilliant
overtones predominating. but 1t Is also
true that when he died his manner was
chan ging. He had said that he was tired
OF the gay rags" Of the eighteenth CEN
tury, and his Strand Of Portici" shows
a new line OF departure. Edouard Manet
made special appeal to Fortuny; Msnet,
who had derived from Goys, whose Span
ish fond is undeniable. Perhaps the
thrice brilliant Fortuny's conscience smote
him when he saw a Frenchman so sue
oessfully absorbing the traditions of
Goya; but it was not to be. He passed
away at the very top OF his renown, truly
q favorite OF the gods He was admired,
initiated. above all parodied; though.
jealously as are his pictures guarded. he
has been put on the shelf like one Of the
amazing painted bibelots in his work.
The injustice OF this Is patent. Between
Fortuny and Meissonier there lies the gulf
that separates the genius and the hard
working man OF talent. Nevertheless
Meiesonier's statue is in the garden OF
the Louvre. Meissonier is extolled as a
master. while Fortuny is usually de-
scribed in patronizing terms rs a facile
trifer. The reverse 10 the truth, No one
has painted sunlight with moro intensity;
he was an impressionist before the word
was coined. He is a colorist almost as
sumptnous as Monticello with a precision
Of vision never attained by the Mar
settles rhapsodist. His figures are a. de-
licious as Watteau's or Debucourt's-he
recalls the latter frequently and as an
Orientalist he ranks all but a few. Gerome.
Guillaumet. Fromentin. Huguet are not
to be mentioned In the same breath with
Fortuny as to the manipulation OF mate
rial; and has Guillaumet done anything
savoring more Of the mysterious East
than Fortuny's AT the Gate OF the Ser
agfo-? The magician Of jewelled tones,
he knew all the subtler modulations. His
canvases vibrate, they emit sparks Of
sunlight, his shadows are velyety and
warm. Compared with such picture as
-The Choice Of Model the most labor
iously minute Meissonier is as cold and
dead as a photograph -Meissonier, who
was capital fan painter, patient minia-
turist without color talent myopic
delineator OF costumes. who, as Manet
called the machine battlefield
The writer recalls the sensations once
evoked by close view OF Fortuny's
Choice OF a Model at Paris years ago,
and II we mistake not at that TINA in the
possession OF Mr.. Stewart. Psychology
lie not missing in this miracle Of virtuosity:
the nude posing on the marble table. the
absolute beauty OF the drawing. the COL
oring, the contrast OF the richly variegated
marble pillars in the background. the
eighteenth century costumes OF the Aca-
demicians 40 scrupulously yet 50 easily
set forth, all made a dazzling ensemble.
f,,r Nal ha trtn h1o >f
spurious pictures has come over seas,
and we now say -Vibert' at the same time
as -Fortuny.' just as some enlightened
persons couple the names Of Ingres and
Bouguereau, In tho kingdom OF the
third rate the mediocre is oonqueror.
Listen to this description OF LA yicaria'
cThe Spanish WeddingD, which first
won for its painter his reputation. Begun
in 1888. it was exhibited at Goupil's. Paris.
the spring Of 1910 (some say 1861. when
the artist was 81 years old. Theophile
Gautier- W bose genius and Theodore do
Banville's have analogies with Fortunys
virtuosity-went up in the air when he
saw the work. and wrote feuilleton that
is still recalled by the old guard. The
following. however. is not by Gautier,
but from the pen Of Or. Richard Muther.
the erudite German critic: "A marriage
is taking place In the sacristy Of a 100000
church in Madrid. The walls are covered
with faded Cordova leather hangipgs
figured in gold and dull colors, and mag
niacent 100000 screen separates the sac
risty from the middle aisle. Venetian
lustres are suspended from the ceiling.
pictures Of martyrs. Venetian glasses in
carved oval frames hang on the wall,
richly ornamented wooden benches and
q library OF missals and gospels in spark
ling silver clasps. and shining marble
tables and glistening braziers form part
OF the scene in which the marriage con-
tract is being signed. The costumes
are those OF the time Of Goya. An
old beau Ia marrying a young and
beautiful girl. With affected grace and
skipping mdnuet step. holding
modish three cornered hat under his
arm. he approaches the table to put his
signature in the place which the escribano
points out with an obsequious bow. He
Is arrayed In delicate lilac. while the bride
is wearing white silk dress trimmed
with fiowered lace and has wreath Of
orange blossoms in her luxuriant black
hair. As a girl friend is talking to her she
examines with abstra acted affention tho