New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-01-15

even heavy. charm OF tho English couh-
tryside He painted trees and foliage
with real grasp upon structure and. oi
course. with his characteristic instinct
for color The landscape I'm question, run
Of rustic sentiment. Is by virtue OF tha'
very fact historically significant. II shows
how Gainsborough drove AZ truth ana
forcshsdowed our whole modern land
scape art. II was good idea TO aou
to the exhibition large group OF ms
drawings Among these there are te"
interesting sketches from the figure. Dut
most OF them are landscape notes, pre-
clous for the light they throw both on the
surencss and spontaneity or his style ana
the modernty OF his point OF view. lie
sketched landscape as il was sketched by
Constable or Rousseau, or any OF the
great pioneers How artless, how fun OF
atmosphere and Of he true SAVIOR Of the
soil. 90 these drawings seem. after the
academic paintings OF Richard Wilson
with their charming bat thin echoes OF
Claude.
There is a hint. a touchstone. IN these
drawings Of Gainsborough's for the OBJ
server passing from them TO the paint
ings by Turner. The latter was great
artist. but those who are sealed OF his
cult biissfully ignore the fact that his
greatness was but fitfully expressed, and
that there ran SIDE by side through the
development OF his genius for nature
prediction for effects exceeding her
truth. Gainsborough's sketches, little
black and whites, which, within their
limits, are nevertheless profoundly vera
ciOGs, warn IS TO keep our heads ana
interrogate Turner with open minds. IL
is foolish to be absshed By great name
and the clamor OF the pundits. Look, for
example. at the immense "IIarbor OF
Dieppe.' or course the scene hangs to-
gether OF course il is full OF the teen
meal adrotness Of mastery painter
But il contains nothing to justify lis pro-
digious scale. on the contrary, the picture
Is empty OF any real artistic glamour.
This is not an impression of nature. 1t
is d map, painted for the sake Of the
light tone with which II IL sunused.
Turner had demon. In his happier
hours Il stirred him to the production Of
masterpieces. At other times II made him
d bore. lie cOnyinces just In proportion
10 his fidelity TO nature When he pre-
serves that ne may let himself 20 in
never so romantic A rapture OF sensuous
Improvisation and still he will reach his
true artistic climax.
There are two OF his marines here which
illustrate his realism in a mood of cool
restraint THE Pilot Boat and the
Fishing Boats Entering Calais Harbor"
might have issued from the old Dutch
schoo., with their skilful delineation OF
the waves. with their quiet srays and
Ruysdaelish solidity. But the Turner's
10 which We al last come. making his
true share in the exhibition, are The
Wreckers. The Golfers and the Rock
cts and Blue Lights" In these he is au-
daciousiy pyrotechnical, but keeps all the
time close 10 his facts, surcharSing them
with d luminous color which sprang from
the secret recesses OF his genius. but MAX
Ing Us feel that, like the poet he is doing
violence TO the subject he adorns. lie II
artful, no doubt, when he lifts above the
gray rampant OF clouds in The Wreck
ers a great stretch OF golden sky color
Dul Sutn dItl uillcNS hdN al tAiADp'4HS
power Does the moon shine almost too
brightly along the broad path OF waters
separating the ships I'M The Golfers .
Is the torchlight cleaning mere and there
among the vessels d shade too assertive =.
II does not matter Nothing matters
when the central spirit OF the scene is 50
magically interpreted. In the Rockets
and Blue Lights we witness Veritabie
explosions Of color over the tormented
sea, but in some strange way they flaw
lessly adjust themselves to the tragic
impression OF nature herself that the
whole design conveys. Turner's uneven
ness his caprice, his arbitrary forcing Of
the facts into formula OF his own.
may be only TOO well apprehended in this
exhibition. The Venice" and the Clau-
dian Italy and Pluto Carrying Off
Prosperine' may cheerfully be left 10
those who think that the king can do no
wrong And il is only as a biographical
document. as a souvenir OF his mistaken
excursion into an unaccustomed field that
the interior. with figures. "Rembrandts
Daughter Reading q Love Letter may
be noted But il is our rare good fortune
that the group embraces the three flaw
less masterpieces which have been es-
pecislly indicated in these remarks. They
are among the priceless Turner'S. the
greatest Turner's known anywhere, the
truest monuments TO his art at its best