New-York tribune., 1910-01-23
WHISTLER ONCE MORE.
4 Famous Painting of His, and
BOldinis Portrait.

rwn in the recollectons of those VINO arc inter-
ested in Whistler. 1t will give u.s. before very
long the important exhibition OF his worhs
which has for some time been in preparation at
the Metropolitan Museum, and, meahWille' oh0
notable incident after another has come up to |
nrovoke discussion of his art. His portrait OF
his brother DR. Whistler. has been shown at
the Oehme Gallery; the painting that he MADE
of Irving as Philip" has lately been exhibited
at the Blakeslee Gallery. and, through Mr.. Mac
beth the Worcester Art Museum has acquired
"The Fur Jacket" Now, at the Kraushaar Gal
lery there may be seen The Coast Of Brit
tany," a picture dating from 1861, which is one
of the most beautiful things he ever produced.
Looking at this canvas one recalls the stage
in Whistlers career at which he was feeling his
way toward the mode of expression best suited
to his genius, making experiments and at the
same time exercising remarkable power. When
he went to Paris in the SOS, he entered the
studio of Gleyre, but while under the aca-
demic influence OF that painter he made friends
with Courbet and profted by his example. The
extent of his Indebtedness to the French realist
is not easily computed. The points of contact
between specific works produced by the two at
this period not by any means to be taken as
indicating an initiative bent on WhStlerS part
What seems most probable is that he received a
broad and wholesome stimulus from Courbet
presently developing a certain simple force
in his work the more naturally and happily just
because he had been in the company of vigor
and honest painter The subtle delicacy and
the decorative grace which ultimately to
distinguish him coming to the surface.
That much may from the famous Piano
Picture" which he painted in 1858 or 1859 and
from The Music ROOM which dates from 1860.
But at this time the characteristic Whistlerian
"Ilarmonies" had not got themselves conclusive
1y invented. He had begun to devise arrange
ments" of color, but, confronting a scene out of
doors, he was moved to paint it with something
of the robust simplicity with which Courbet had
made him familiar. Thus he painted the beauti
full Thames in Ice" and, returning to France
in 1861, THE Coast of Brittany and The Blue
Wave" Place either of these pictures beside
one of his later "Nocturnes' and it is plain that
both were done out of the same genius, but the
differences to be noted striking.
In The Coast of Brittany" you have the clear
statement of ponderable things The painting
of the almost unbroken stretch of sand in the
foreground is by itself a fine bit of realism
Then, in the rocks beyond, Whistler is equally
careful to give the fact its full value to draw it
with almost painful care, and in the figure of
the peasant girl introduced into the composition
he shows the same solicitude for accurate repre-
sentation So too, he paints the shining blue
sea with bold fidelity to nature. In a word he
gives you here the portrait of a place That as
everybody knows, was hardly what he sought to
do when he reached his artistic prime He
transmitted nature then into gcal pattern
of color. But great painter cannot keep his
essential spirit out of his work, he cannot sup
press his instinct for style Whistler's original
lty IS writ large over this painting. 1t comes cut
III the beauty cf tone and texture it comes out
above all in that indefnable quality of touch
Which turns clay into gold. 1t is doubtful if
he could have painted The Coast of Brittany"
without the inspiration that he absorbed half
unconsciously through his relations with Cour-
bet 1t is equally doubtful if Courbet could have
painted The Coast of Brittany" though to save
hlnself from the stake. The exquisite lneness
or the color in this painting, the air of distinc-
ton 1t possesses, were Whisters own EspeciaIlv
does he make you feel his sense of beauty Cour-
bet might have treated the theme with eoual
truth and even, it may be admitted, with more of
brusQue authority. He would not have left il
as whistler left it, an example of sheer charm
The Pennells record in their biography of him
that lie himself once called it "a beautiful thing"
lie could not have used juster phrase
In the life of Whistler cited above there is a
reference to the portrait of him painted by
BoldIni in 1897 and he is quoted as bestowine
these words upon it: They say that looks like
me- but l hope I don't look like that" The
truth is that it is a most veracious portrait and