Evening star., 1939-05-07

little Victor Guye is seen standing f
in his hands, looking rather queS-'
tioningly toward the observer The
uniform he wears is heavily braided
in bold, the material is black vel
vet; there is high collar OF white
open in a "v," attached to a white
vest, which gives the high note OF
the composition. The background,
against which he is seen, is warm,
mottled brown, very simple but atmo-
spheric. The lines of the collar are
repeated in those of the open book;
the little hands claSplng its covers
are determining factors in the COM
position, with the white socks show
ing beneath the long, close-flttlng
trousers, and the spot of clear white
on the chest. Nothing seems forced
or unnatural, but everything artis-
tically is just right. And, above all
things. the spirit and soul of the little
lad looks out of this canvas, painted
so long ago, with undiminished vital
ity. Yet with all, this is supremely
quiet picture-it has repose as we'll
as great dignity-and, despite the
stiffness of court regalia. brings to
us, unequivocally, the essence OF
withdrawal and open
eyed wonder.
Victor Guye was the nephew OF
Gen. Nicholas Guye, aide de camp
of Joseph Bonaparte, member of the
Legion of Honor of France, COM
mander of the Order of the Two Sic
lilies, and commander of the Royal
Order of Spain, whom Goya also
painted with surprising skill. There
is a certain resemblance between the
little page and his stern vlsaged
uncle, as we'll as similarity in the
uniform they wear. Happily both
of these paintings found their way to
this country some years ago and into
the Horace Harding Collection. The
portrait of Victor comes to the Phil
lips Memorial Gallery as loan from
the Horace Harding Estate. Both
were included in the great loan eX-
hibition of paintings by Goya held in
the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
New York, in April, 1884, under the
patronage of the Spanish Ambassa-
dor, Senor Don Juan Francisco de
CardenaS.
This leads to mention of other
child portraits by Goya-such for
example as that of Don Manuel Oso-
rio, dressed in red, playing with his
pet cats and nagpies, holding the
latter by string, which it will be re-
called was one of the masterpieces
reproduced in color in The Stars Art
Appreciation campaign more than a
year ago; and those of Pepito Costa
Y Bonello, with his hobby horse and
drum. Don Vincente Osorio, Count
of Trastamara, and Don Luis Marie
de Cistue, both with their little dogs,
and, equally we'll known boy on
Ram"
It is an extraordinary thing that
this painter who came as it were
from the soil, was tempestuous as
well as adventurous, law unto him
self. acknowledging no school and
founding none, loyal only to his art,
should have been able to so sympa-
thetically interpret children and the
spirit of childhood. But Goya was
many-sided and keen of vision. Car
roll Carstairs has said that his work
in mass and variety is equivalent to
that of several men-that, in short,
he was several men. Goya claimed
as his only masters-"Nature, Va
lasquez and Rembrandt per-
haps the greatest of these was the
first. Profoundly he studied what he
saw and was moved by it. This in
painting was what he transferred to
canvas. He is quoted as having said
"My brush ought not to have better
eyesight than it's master"-but the
master saw to it that his vision was
correct. Thoroughly understandable
but utterly inexplicable is the work
Of such a master.
The Phillips Memorial Gallery ac-
quired In recent years painting by
Goya-a mans head, done presum-
ably in his later years and said to
represent st. Peter. This is to be
lent to the Masterpieces of Art
Exhibition" at the New York Worlds
Fair, the opening of which has now
been officially set for May 26. There
is also a superb Goya in the Mellon
National Gallery of Art collection
a portrait of Sonora Sebasa Garcia,
besides which, it will be recalled, a
comprehensive series of his etchings
representing the miseries of war,
bull fighting in Spain and other sub
jects given to Mrs. Roosevelt by the
late Loyalist government was ex-
hibited in the Corcoran Gallery of
Art as loan during the past sea-
son. 1t has been truly said that not
only was Goya adventurous, but to
study his art is in itself huge ad-