New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-01-09

i'm this picture the distraction, the
beauty. which alone lift "a piece OF
painting out of the rucki And this Is
what we have 20 reckon, ln the mass
OF Ctzanuc's work. as really nothing
more than q deviation into something
Ike SUCCESS. A. "a rule he founders.
Far more CHARACTERISTIC ls q picture Hkc
"Trc Francois lola Dam which We
reproduce. Obscs-ed by some vague
thcorr OF 40 earthly interest 10 the
sDcctafor until 10 ls justified nF re-
suits tc gropcs among ms ground
FORM and strives painfully 10 bIng
them into some sort of pictorial UNITY
The effort fails. The canvas DIS crude.
unlorcIy. d. IS the same with the
skctchy water cOlOrs. DE Hnis at
form which they contain have Do ar
tistic charm. They arc but the @hfc"5
and patches OF am uncertain purpose.
I'm those 'umbings of his around the
secrets OF nature Cczaunc may nave
had rlimpses which did make him less
forlOrn. but he transmits 20 Us nothing
Of the low he may have derived from
them. Partly this is due TO bis hmlta-
tioue as "a workman, 10 thc iarsh %, un-
insured technique which excludes all
hone of style, of linear felicity But
even more IL is due 10 the humdrum
nature Of his vision. From the knoed-
Ter show we reproduce his picture OF
The Two Sisters That absolutely
representative example follows u de-
sign the routine Of the Salon. The
lcaden folds in the dress OF the lore
most figure Owhy didn't he take leaf
from TOraiu'1 book seem calculated
10 get the utmost possible dulness out
OF a banal motive. The drawing is As
heavy handed i'm detail as 10 Is IN the
larger contours Of the scheme. In the
color. where tczlnnc is supposed 10 be
"magisterial." this painting Is uchably
dreary, iuefably lacking n quality. u
is. In short. dolor0us performance
Which brings US TO the Cult.
Celebrities like Cczannc are the
products of mistaken enthusiasm. Their
vogue in Paris is eXphcable on the
ground OF an amiable weakness. Art
is the completely absorbing interest OF
thousands there, and participation M
am historic moment. nay, even % casual
relation 10 the affairs Of some mem
orable period, VIII secure for quite un-
important individuals certain meme
Then the literary man IS always CRATE
ful for a topic. In London ord in Ne"
York CtZaauc IS douoly welcome
theme. He Is new and strange. There
are romantic implications ~ his an
nails. lie was one OF the generation
that knew Nauet, and so on and 50 on
His whole atmosphere is favorable tC
the development o. his art in an ESQ.
teric mystery. Born, reared and long
neglected in, say, Philadelphia. there
would be no special excitement about
discovering MIN. But II You can Ca!
a man the great AiXois.' you've got
something 90 20 or with. So we have
dithvrambs on C6zanne by rhetorician
who know that he is wonderful and
feel that he is sublime, and even s.,
clairvoyant critic as Nj llunehci
will sen,cntiously remark: Think OF
Houguercau and YOU have his antthe
Sis i'm Cczannc" Why drag I'm Bou
guereauo To suggest that, IN the an.
t-thcsis. there u.s. something TO be pat "a
Cezanne's credit Why not Claude
or Corot. or Deeas. or lngres. or amy
master. comparison with whom eN
poses the mfcriority OF Cczannc with.
out uncovering any uakedncss OF bus
own Well Mr. lIuneAcr. who mas
written .hrewGly IF not aitogcthe'
convinciagl ODD Cczauuc. mu have
his wi.ty @ayctIcs. But there i
really mprc occasion for sorrow than
! for mirl DO the facility with which
these Spcclous repu,aiOns "i'