Evening star., 1939-08-06

quickly they stir the emotions of
the observer and manifest, even 1t
would seem to the uninitiated, the
fascination and delight to be found
in and felt through the work of
the great print makers. Like that
aroused by violin sonata by a
great composer, eXquisitely rendered
by skilled and sensitive musician;
It is inexplicable, but in reaction
very positive. Words cannot convey
lt-only through seeing can compre-
hension come.
In this choice assemblage Durer,
whose dates, it will be remembered
were 1471-1528, is represented by
three prints which illustrate his
gamut; his famous "Melancholia, II
his portrait of Erasmus, and little
Nativity
OF Durer, John Taylor Arms says:
"By temperament he was the perfect
engraver, for. though deep in feel
ing and not uninf1uenced by the
freer Italian spirit, his art always
retained its basic, studied stability
and expressed itself with a fullness
and explicitness that are true to the
inherent formality of the medium
With an unsurpassed technical mas
terry he did not allow his skill to
blind him to the meaning and
significant Interpretation of his sub
jects. In his work he achieved
remarkable union of medieval
Ideas and modern thought"
"Melancholia," which is ranked
among his best plates, is compll-
Gated composition, purely allegorical.
Melancholy, grim, winged figure
is represented as seated among
those things which have brought
sorrow. Obviously it was meant to
! warn the observer, to teach lesson,
but its artistic supremacy is due
to the manner of its handling, the
transcription of supernatural light
and the arrangement of the several
units which make up the picture.
Likeness of Erasmus.
The portrait of Erasmus was exc
cuted to order and is not thought
by some critics to be his best-but
comparing it with painted portrait
by Holbein it would seem to be an
excellent likeness-and it is seen
here in an exceptionally clear I'M
preston. 1t was ordered by Eras-
mus upon seeing Durer's portrait
engraving of "Willibald Perkhei-
mer, which was simpler in treat
ment. But perhaps Erasmus wanted
the symbolic detail with which his
own portrait is rather overcroWded.
"The Nativity" is one of many and
transports us to the era of its pro-
duction when all art was dominated
by religious purpose and teehng.
There is something very naive and
vorshipful about all Durer's tran
scriptions of the Holy Family and
especially the Virgin and Chlld,
which makes itself felt and must be
revered. Obviously Durer was an
tllustrator-as for that matter was
Rembrandt-and the book which he
and his conferees chose to Illustrate
was the Bible-which, because OF
It's profound human as we'll as splr-
ttual significance, provided unex-
celled material for artistic express
sion. In those days, furthermore,
the illustration was addressed to the
manv who could not read-it had
a mission to fulfill which 1t most
clearly and simply expressed. Now
that our artists are trying to recap
ture this spirit of the past 1t would
be well to go back to Durer and
strive to learn his secret. Certainly
his works are wrought with loving
care and desire for truthful express
sion-in his art the artist completely
forgets himself.
Rembrandt Quality.
Next comes the greatest OF all
-Rembrandt-son Of a Dutch
miller, practically all of whose works
are of supreme artistic quality. And
how great was his range! Three
hundred years ago he lived, 1906 to
1869, and as vet none has surpassed
him. Four of his great etchings
are in the Dumbarton Oaks loan
collection-the Hundred Guilder
Print" C"Christ with the sick around
him, receiving little children~
'Three Trees" Landscape with Hay
Barn" and portrait of Jan Cornell
ius Sylvius' The last was presum-
ably done in 1645 on order. Be-
meath it is inscribed the following
tribute-initialed but not signed:
"Without flaw! Beautiful as a
Greek marble or canvas by Tin
toret. A masterpiece in all its ele-
ments beyond which there is moth
ing"
OF no work could more eXtravagant
praise be given-and yet undoubt-
edly it is deserved. How is 1t, one
asks oneself that without intellec-
tual training or heritage, and to an
extent untutored, simple millers
son could have climbed to such diz-
zy heights of achievement. The
answer must be-because of spe-
cial and inexplicable endowment
pure genius. And furthermore, this
genius found expression in spite OF
poverty and the most untoward con-
ditions. Nothing was made easy
for Rembrandt, no one encouraged
him, he created under compulsion
from within. 1t adds nothing to
the artistic merit of his work to
know the prices such prints as these
bring today in the leading auc-
ton rooms, but 1t does evidsnoe ap-
probation of their rarity and sur
passing excellence. In London a
couple of years ago one of his etched
portraits, that of his chief patron,
Jan Six, sold for $12250, and in
New York in April, 1887, at the sale
of the Leonard L. Stein collection,
q fine proof, second state, of the
Hundred Guilder Print" brought
$l0,500.
The fact is that Rembrandt is al
ways in the art market one of the
"best Sellers" prints by him, rea-
Quality