Identifier: americanartamer01mont (find matches)
Title: American art and American art collections; essays on artistic subjects
Year: 1889 (1880s)
Authors: Montgomery, Walter
Subjects: Art Artists Art
Publisher: Boston, E.W. Walker & co
Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: Smithsonian Libraries

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I notice this cut, not so much for rebuke of his apparent tenden-cies, as to point out what may fairly be expected under the present unintelligent regime. Onthe Old Sod (Harper s Monthly, October, 1879) will do more justice to Mr. Miiller. But thoselazy perpendiculars again! And in A Sing on Monhegan Island (p. 345, Harpers Monthly forJuly, 1880), why are the walls and ceiling plastered with cobwebs? Is it characteristic of theMaine islands? I must hasten through my task of criticism. There is no use in multiplying instances. Mr.J. P. Davis, like Mr. Marsh, is one of the older men. But his style has changed with thetimes; or, rather, he has lost his earlier style through following the conceits of others. Cradling,Tiffany (Scribner, Vol. XIV. p. 529), and Roxy, Walter Shirlaw (Vol. XVI. p. 792), sufficientlyindicate his recent work. Mr. Charles Coghlan as Charles Stirface, Abbey (Vol. XVII. p. 777),may show how far he has wandered. One of his best landscapes will be found in the August
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THE WANDERING WIND BOUND OUT. 526 AMERICAN ART number of the Art Review.Color and general form seem excellently kept; but the fore-ground lines are meaningless,and I can see no reason forthe complication of lines inthe sky. The tone of thewhole is, however, of admi-rable quality. One thing tobe noticed in all this super-fine work is, that, however di-verse the original genius ofthe men, when they are drilledinto superfineness their workis scarcely distinguishable.This utter subordination ofthe engraver destroys his in-dividuality. Having no indi-viduality of his own, will hebe better able to appreciatethe individuality (the real per-sonality, I do not say onlythe outer clothes) of thepainter? J. H. Whitney doesa perfect piece of patient fac-simile in his cut of Joe (Scrib-ner, Vol. XVIII. p. 491, andPortfolio). In endeavoring toreproduce The Morning Stars,after Blakes wonderful etch-ing (Scribner, June, 1880, p.237), he has simply attemptedan impossibility. For his veryfailure, however

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