Two Rooms, Of Old German And Dutch Masters, Are Curious, - As
Exhibiting The Upward Struggles Of Art.
Many of the pictures are hard
as a tavern sign, and as ill drawn; but they mark the era of dawning
effort.
Then a long corridor of Dutch paintings, in which Rubens figures
conspicuously, displaying, as usual, all manner of scarlet
abominations, mixed with most triumphant successes. He has a boar hunt
here, which is absolutely terrific. Rubens has a power peculiar to
himself of throwing into the eyes of animals the phosphorescent
magnetic gleam of life and passion. Here also was a sketch of his for
a large picture at Munich of the Last Judgment, in which the idea of
physical torture is enlarged upon with a most revolting vigor of
imagery.
Then a small room devoted to the Spanish and Italian schools,
containing pictures by Murillo and Velasquez. Then the French hall,
where were two magnificent Claudes, the finest I had yet seen. They
were covered with glass, (a bad arrangement,) which rendered one of
them almost entirely _unseeable_. I studied these long, with much
interest. The combinations were poetical, the foregrounds minutely
finished, even to the painting of flowers, and the fine invisible veil
of ether that covers the natural landscape given as I have never
before seen it. The peculiarity of these pieces is, that they are
painted in _green_ - a most common arrangement in God's landscapes,
but very uncommon in those of great masters. Painters give us trees
and grounds, brown, yellow, red, chocolate, any color, in short, but
green.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 361 of 455
Words from 95802 to 96063
of 120793
