The Topeka state journal., 1911-08-01
ABBEY IS DEAD.
1continued from Page one.l

took shape in the company. of sycn
cana.bIe men as John w. Alexander,
Howard Pyle and Joseph Pennelii
First, for the good of his artlstlc sOul; s,,
or otherwise. the art editor COM ipeliou p'ti.,.
him to exercise his facile imaglIisd d 1ioH ~
by drawing pictures OF places anu
cidents that he had never seen,
Then. as he succeeded so Wen a.
his task of overturning the NehuoiilS
column and of creating DATES
his Dencil he was speeullS 81 az
sI~etol,ina historic bits between Z MIA
Jo57,1ia and Boston. And, 1lna1iy'
upon his again producing most SUI
,eeef,,I results his chief declueu 10
send him to England to ABSORB coloI
for Illustrations which he shouiu
make for the poems OF FaeIl , - +1,,
Accordingly, when he crossed lne
Atlantic in 1878, his career first as
surned its tangible form, since thS
serene beauty of the Mldlands o.
england. the woods, the copses, the
bedpes held him fascinated mere
In to England, America surely lost
Mr.. Abbey since. though he was .
men, her Of the National Academy OF
Design in New York. the Royal Acau-
ernv of England laid claim to him IN
1895 and ever since has held MS
.The Hesperides and Noble yum
hers" by Robert Herrick. work on
which brought about Abbey ueseI
ton of the United States, was pup
lsbed in 1882: and with THE quiet
life" +" published in 1890. and "Ihe
Comedies of Shakespeare. publlshed
in 1896. it forms a. series typical OF
his virile but tempered pen-anu a. u-lIlh Ila
drawings His illustrations reject
that charm of English detail which
tempted him across the oceah
dream-filled, bee-drowsy gardens
rooms alive with freight, time worn
roofs about tagged courtyards, the
fragrance Of spring pinks, of cherry
trees. OF July hOllyhocks and the
sounds Of pulsing water
His First Picture
Mr. Abbey exhibited his first picture,
"a Nav Day Morning" at the Roy ydl
Academy in London in 1890. Among his
other most noted works are;
"Fiammeta's Songs Richard ~
and T.adv Anne" Hamlet" 20 Mis-
tress Mine" Who Is SYLVIA in 1899
The Trial of Queen Katherine Ahe
Penance of Eleanor Duchess "
Gloucester" 1900; Crusaders Slghting
Jerusalem 1901; Columbus Slsn'ins
the New World" 1906: the Reredos Tor
the American church in Paris. 1907;
paintings for the dome of the Pel'l'sN A.
vania state capitol 1908
II was in 1890 that the trustees OF the
Boston public library commissioned NJ. NJ
Abbey to undertake the paintings i tut
the delivery room, a Dadly HSHIGU
chamber finished in dark WOOD. re
was to cover a wall space lSOx6 rect
and in casting about for a subject ms
fboict- finally centered upon the theme
of +be ouesr-fnr the Holy Grail. He
6elved deeply into the legend ana
evolved therefrom a cycle wherein Slf
C,aIahad. IS a medieval knight, rises as
the hero of the entire Arthurlan TO
nance and displays a convincing 1orce'
faith and noble courage that typlIy lne
progress of the human soul
1, Mr. AhOpW TGac0eO I'M
full development Of his art. ana II Wa9
NO surprise that the reputation ms
Holy Grail pictures gave nm was lo'-
lowed bv commission to paint the
coronation of Edward VII. He did. bus
he absolutely declined similar COM
mission for the coronation OF George
y With his first coronation picture II
was necessary to obtain slttlngs lroih
more than one hundred persons beIore
+be work was completed and hung 1T
RucI<tnabarn Palace. With the klnS
himself he had little trouble. but with
loss exalted personages there was noth-
ing but trouble and he resolved a1tet
that experience. to undertake no more
such commissions.
Nr. Abbey's especial merit hes IN
his unmatched feeling for character
and for art In the explanation OF
character he is we'll represented py tl'''
diversity and personality OF ms women
,,,bo are filled with humor and grace.
His works are distinguished by careful
archaeological accuracy and fine senll-
1nant and his strong feeling for color IS
1.enarlsable in one who passed so many
Years as a worker in black and white
a HEAVEN FOR HORSES.