New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-05-16

AIAOb WIG iN'
here comes IN the curious paradox oil
Holbein's career. Though certain OF his
subjects have unquestionably a hiGh
personal and historical interest, they 90
not possess, taken in their length and
breadth. a fascination at all in proper =
ton to the gifts that Holbein wreaked
upon them. 1t is a point 10 which Mr..
Chamberlain would demur. but the EVIL
6ence, we fear, is against his view of
the matter.
II is through the cruel caprice OF
fate" he argues, that Holbein is known
to-day to most people merely as
great portrait painter and, in a lesser
degree as a designer Of woodcut Illus
trations Of remarkable power and i'm
agination." Wistfully he dwells on the
thought of the masters numerous
mural decorations. which long ago dis
appeared; he traverses with all posi-
BILE appreciation Holbeins minor per-
formances in decorative art, in designs
for painted glass, jewelry and so en-
and he makes the most, OF course, OIL
the few religious compositions. The
opinions of so good a critic cannot but
carry weight, yet in the long run tney
leave us unconvinced as 10 the effect
upon Holbein's fame of any cruel
caprice of fate" The truth is that
without the portraits his imaginative
work would never have placed him
where he now stands in the hierarchy
of the masters. The imagination shown
in the woodcuts may have in it some
power. but ii does not drive at beauty
The famous Darmstadt picture. the
Never Madonna" noble as it IS
touching as it is, is still hardly to be
regarded as one of the truly sublime
affirmations of spiritual emotion in pic
torial art. II is, after all, the work OF
an essentially realistic painter, ana
when Mr.. Chamberlain talks about tine
direct and striking veracity of Its por-
/ traiture and the splendor Of its rich
diffused color" he gets nearer TO tht
root of the matter than when he pays
tribute to its feeling. In short, wher
our study takes us outside of the
sphere of the portraits we admire Hol-
bein with reservations. II is siglifi-
cant that the most impressive painting
by him bearing a religious title, The
Dead Christ in the Tomb" is not
strictly speaking, a religious painting
at all, it is only magnificent study OF
Holbein's supreme virtue, apart fron
his technique, considered as such. anc
il is the physical truth. the truth 'hat
can be touched and weighed. There
as it happens, the portraits leave u:
with no need to temper enjoyment witt
vain regrets.
There are, to be sure, deductions e
be made from the value of the por.
traits-if one chooses to make them
Mr.. Chamberlain quotes-to disagree
with 1.-THE observation Of NJ. de wy
er deals in "half-confidences," not re.
vealing TO us, even though he sees
them himself. the Utmost depths Of the
I characters of his stters. For our owr
part we find the French critic admi-
rably suggestive in this. matter. Look
! ing up and down the long array oil
Holbein's portraits we feel very
/ strongly the reserve in them, the diff
| ference between their almost colorless
serenity and the intense dramatic
quality of a portrait. say. By Rem
I brandt. On the other hand. the dis
/ tinction, though not TO be ignored, i:
/ easily subordinated to what one APP
/ prehends as the great outstanding
merit Of the painter, his grasp of the
phenomena of the visible world and
! his power of denoting them through
| the medium OF sheer painted surface
4 There is nothing esoteric about this
/ art OF his. II is. simply, the art OF
| the impeccable draughtsman and col
orist. Early in his career he went fol
a time TO Italy and yielded to the in.
| fuence OF the Milanese school. He did
not quite recapture the exquisite suav.
! ity and tenderness OF Leonardo and
/ his group, but there can be no doubt
\ that the experience steadied and re-
/ fined his taste. For a master OF his
( linear force and purity Holbein is
amazingly urbane. His draughtsman-
| ship is firm, but never hard or cold
Beside the austerity OF Durer he
seems. sometimes, almost Southern In