New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-10-11


full paths of Renaissance diverge from
those Of the impressionist school in
that they do not all lead to cafes. but
rather TO the museums. to the offices
of architects and the homes of great
collectors. The magic of mere paint
ooes not more sing to George Moore;
but he holds to the larger idea of art
ITO the beauty. woven of many
threads, which is made not by tech
nicians for their comrades. but by men
for mankind" His stand is with the
masters who invented pigment and
exploited it with inmitable success"
For them. he calmly says. the human
interest was Of profound Importance"
1t is singular point that the men by
whom the modern painter swears were
all peculiarly human creatures, who
interested themselves in familiar life,
and. TO be frank. put on no airs" And
IL is so, without airs" that Mr.. Cor
tissoz interprets the old painters and
tests the new. For, beyond all. his
outstanding virtue, the thing which
gives his criticism its constructive and
destructive force. its illuminating in
terpretative value, and something very
like a unique position. is that nomely
quality which is its salt SAVIOR and
makes ii free of all men. and which,
doubtless, many good people are not
aware has any status in art-shrewd.
| hard-headed common sense. he re-
fuses TO be bamboozled
The opening essay Of this volume.
which contains the writer's articles of
faith, with much pungent humor ad-
dresses in turn: the professionalism
| contemporary artist. "wofully narrow"
segregated in cliques. obsessed by tech
nique C'sacrosanct word'D, full Of en-
nifty toward rival artistic sects and Of
scornful chuckles al the benighted pub
lie; the PROFESSIONAL, deep-sea critic,
| eXaggerating minor issues. throwing
dust in the eyes OF the layman, and
getting generally between beauty and
her votaries; and that harried mortal,
seeking 10 be fed whose name is Le-
gion, alias the general reader" and
who answers 10 the name of "layman"
in the presence Of work Of art. II
/ throws a good deal Of bounce" right
| into the rubbish heap, and presents a
natural and essentially social concep-
I tion OF art the work OF human hands,
great art, for human natures daily
! food" Then, having cleared the air,
our bracing critic proceeds to exercise
in it.
, Whether we get any forrader or not,
he observes, there is no greater happi-
ness than that which is to be found In
disinterested talk about the things OF
/ the mind. Such. indeed is his. With
I him, we feel to the quick, the interest
| is in art itself Fret and foolishness
fall from US and we are concerned with
the things that endure. And unless we
are an immovable body we certainly do
get "forrader." Charming critics there
are who talk all around picture with
out once touching IL. Mr.. Cortissoz's
function is to help us TO see things as
they are. He has d notion that the
! commonplace of biography are useful
lin checking swelling ardors. So had
Fromentin. who very probably knew
as much about technique as any man
going. The colossal genius was also
man like ourselves. And across the
ages II is meet 10 look at leonardo:
7
masterpieces out Of the Vastly deep by
1 the waving Of wand, but a very NOR
tai old Italian, taking the days work,
with its practical duties and its petty
vexations, in simple, man-like mood"
/ SO Mr.. Cortissoz mixes art and human
| ity He makes pilgrimage to Mont
/ auban, "for those who revere the name
Of Ingres a shrine" He tells us quite
humanity Just how he longed to go,
what the landscape around about looks
\ like, and Of the row he had in obtaining
admission TO the museum. And, with
tender sympathy, he brings us close TO
Ingres, a master of line II there ever
was one, not only as a painter but as
man. In his tale of long, peaceful
hours in contemplation Of beauty IN
the museums Of Europe, his touch is
/ tender and musing, warm with sensu-
Gus tones. In the presence OF his cher
ished masters he breathes an air Sc
rene. Rembrandt and Velasquez and
I Halls pass before us, warm and great
and living. but not infallible. We are
| not TO believe the nonsense Of all the
acolytes. For as a monument OF COM
mon sense one time said, "A fallible
being will fail somewhere"
Our critic talks Of the Little Masters
OF the Low Countries. OF Chardin and
Alfred Stevens. of contemporary Eu-
ropean painting, secular types in Ital-
ian mural decoration, French military
painting and Spanish art in Spain and
elsewhere. He gives a full, though
tudicious appreciation Of Sargent.
Fortunate is the generation that is
privileged to be painted by him."
There is a pertinent and captivating
essav on Whistler; and the reputation
Of Robin, and the achievements on
which il is based, are dealt with in d
spirit of impartiality, novel, we think,
| sx..tanca If Mr. RrOu npll'S