The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-06

his work had none of the artificial ar
rangements and embellishments that
even innovators like Rousseau or Corot
felt called upon to make in their more
ambitious pictures. In this, as in all
his practices. he seems merely to have
abandoned himself to his preferences,
with no idea Of establishing a new
@xtheticism. until the idea was sug-
gested to him by theorizing friends.
Realism was in the air and was maxi
| ing itself felt in literature as we'll as
| in painting.
Under these circumstances II is
hard TO understand the abuse that
greeted Courbet's pictures when they
appeared as a force about 1850. His
history was no different from that of
other painters Of original genius.
There were few in the middle of the
hubbub who believed in him, and the
number slowly increased until general
recognition and official sanction came.
| But the time Of triumph in his case
was cut short by the political events
in which he had become cnmeshed.
leading to his decline and to his death
In exile.
He came OF a peasant family in
comfortable circumstances at Ornans,
Franche- Comte. He had no gift for
classical studies or literary culture,
only for painting. The artist revealed
through his pictures Is an energetic,
eauberant person OF enormous appe-
tites, filled with the Joy Of life and the
love OF bis work. His genius lay in
his susceptibility TO the power and
fecundity OF nature and his marvellous
power of expressing these in his art.
HE had bonndless admiration for
himself both for his person and for
his abilities in all particulars. Joined
to an ever increasing hunger for celeb
rity. He remained always as impulsive
and as Needless as a schoolboy. His
latest biographer. his friend Theodore
Duret, makes these facts clear. Duret
tells an incident that is significant.
When past 80 Courbet surprised his
friends at a party that was celebrating
his final successes, by walking at noon
through the main street Of Bougival
clad only in bathing trunks, bath
towel thrown over one shoulder, with
the object of shocking the townspeo-
pie! 1t was a similar devil-may-care
spirit. seemingly, that prompted his
activities during the Commune.
Among those who in the early days
applauded his work were intellectual
people who saw IN It the manifesto
ton In painting OF what they them
selves were preaching. Proudhon,
the social reformer. was of the num-
Der, and Courbet frequently served as
text in his book, 'L'Art ct sa Desti-
nation Sociale' The Stonebreakers,
for instance Zone of the early pictures
OF the same time and sort as The
Grinders Of this exhibition). Proudhon
pronounced as precious morally as one
Of the Parallels. 1t Is a picture Of two
men working at the roadside-one
old and miserable, brutalized by his
monotous labor. and the other young.
Proudhon found in the painting many
statements; for example, that the
young were victimized; that slavery
was preferable to the social order Of
the time because slaves as assets
were protected from overwork as
were beasts OF burden; that no one
could be certain of escaping misery
, and poverty: that the condition OF
the stone-breakers was that OF six
million souls in France. His con-
clusion was that the picture should
, be set up as an altarpiece in some
! church. OF course Courbet, in its exc
cution, had thought only Of setting
, down a familiar spectacle, but he was
quite ready, nevertheless, to consider
himself the Messiah OF the Social
J Revolution.
$50 he assumed the position. 1t is
Z time to regenerhte humanity as have
t regenerated painting; this was his at
t titude. After the fall of Napoleon III
his opportunity for action came. He
: stayed in Paris during the siege, ant
was named the president OF an unoffi.
D cial commission OF artists selected tC
E take charge OF the works OF art be-
longing to the people. As such h,