DOI Heft:
Nr. 46 (January 1897)
DOI Artikel:Little, James Stanley: Maurice Greiffenhagen and his work
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.17298#0258
Maurice Greiffenhageh
deny that Maurice Greiffenhagen has devoted and of nature about it. That was all." That he
himself with some uniformity to the painting of succeeded in this, a by no means limited ambition,
beautiful women. Portraiture can be, and com- who can deny ? In his Eve he has painted a woman,
monly is, the lowest form of art; it is as a rule massive as she should be in that she is typically the
" pot-boiling " naked and unashamed. But for all mother of men, the warm flesh harmonising with
that, it can and does take the rich background, as
its place with the highest, admirable a bit of panel
when the portrait painter painting as one could
possesses the power to wish to see. The genesis
make the subject subserve of The Mermaid was
the requirements of a fine simple enough. Mr.
scheme, evolved in the Grtiffenhagen saw a swim-
mind of the artist. The jj* — J ming girl in a tank at a
great landscape painter music-hall, and the germ
is in exactly the same of his picture was ab-
position. Of Mr. Greif- sorbed and bore fruit in
fenhagen's art it may be % due season. In my mind
said that he flys to land H^' » "^""3^ * l^Jls t,]^td artist has pro-
scape instinctively to ^ Jfc^^^iB duced nothing, however,
supply the setting of his ^flfc to equal The Judgment of
classic decorations. He JT^^^M Paris, a picture which,
uses the lines of landscape wf \ JH despite the fact that it was
to compose his picture; a infamously hung at the
the colours—the blues, ^***A*W^ Royal Academy, attracted
and greys, and greens—as \ \JM as much, if not more at-
foils to glowing flesh and i \ w^Kfl tention, than any picture
diaphanous drapery. He 1 // V by an outsider in last
always has before him the \ f , dm year's exhibition. And
one idea : to paint a i^J we^li deserved this atten-
decorative picture, a tion. Sensuously beauti-
charming addition to a ful in colour and satisfy-
room; something which ingly strong in drawing,
shall give grace and \ Mr. Greiffenhagen's addi-
beauty to a wall, recon- \ tion to the many versions
cile the caged mortal to \ of this time-honoured tale
his imprisonment, and \ justified itself, and is sure
waft back to him his lost to continue to do so.
Eden days. v J One of our richest cor-
It would be a work of K^rmr mi \ 3 porations has done itself
supererogation to expand || the honour to procure it;
this general assertion by R v L M it may therefore be said
giving a detailed account SjL ^-J to have become the pro-
of such of Mr. Greiffen- iv. ■■t*ffl>'rm Wtit*jtk perty of the nation.
hagen's works as have n^^^^^r^USti__ A word on Mr. Greiffen-
seen the light. I remem- hagen as a man, Simple
ber once asking the painter portrait of miss Stanley wilson jn fo[s personal tastes he
i.i 1 j • 1 . • j by maurice greiffenhagen , . , r
what he had in his mind to has an intense love 01
achieve when he painted beautiful things, and de-
An Idyll. His answer was eminently characteristic, lights to surround himself with delightful bits of
and I give it because it throws a light upon the old and new furniture, Persian carpets, and dainty
moral personality of the man, in contradistinction bric-a-brac. Whimsical and almost nervously
to his artistic personality. " I wanted," he said, modest, few men can talk more wittily or pertinently,
" to paint a picture of a young man and maiden and his conversational equipment is by no means
embracing in the fields, with the sentiment of youth confined within the limits of his own art or of art
242
deny that Maurice Greiffenhagen has devoted and of nature about it. That was all." That he
himself with some uniformity to the painting of succeeded in this, a by no means limited ambition,
beautiful women. Portraiture can be, and com- who can deny ? In his Eve he has painted a woman,
monly is, the lowest form of art; it is as a rule massive as she should be in that she is typically the
" pot-boiling " naked and unashamed. But for all mother of men, the warm flesh harmonising with
that, it can and does take the rich background, as
its place with the highest, admirable a bit of panel
when the portrait painter painting as one could
possesses the power to wish to see. The genesis
make the subject subserve of The Mermaid was
the requirements of a fine simple enough. Mr.
scheme, evolved in the Grtiffenhagen saw a swim-
mind of the artist. The jj* — J ming girl in a tank at a
great landscape painter music-hall, and the germ
is in exactly the same of his picture was ab-
position. Of Mr. Greif- sorbed and bore fruit in
fenhagen's art it may be % due season. In my mind
said that he flys to land H^' » "^""3^ * l^Jls t,]^td artist has pro-
scape instinctively to ^ Jfc^^^iB duced nothing, however,
supply the setting of his ^flfc to equal The Judgment of
classic decorations. He JT^^^M Paris, a picture which,
uses the lines of landscape wf \ JH despite the fact that it was
to compose his picture; a infamously hung at the
the colours—the blues, ^***A*W^ Royal Academy, attracted
and greys, and greens—as \ \JM as much, if not more at-
foils to glowing flesh and i \ w^Kfl tention, than any picture
diaphanous drapery. He 1 // V by an outsider in last
always has before him the \ f , dm year's exhibition. And
one idea : to paint a i^J we^li deserved this atten-
decorative picture, a tion. Sensuously beauti-
charming addition to a ful in colour and satisfy-
room; something which ingly strong in drawing,
shall give grace and \ Mr. Greiffenhagen's addi-
beauty to a wall, recon- \ tion to the many versions
cile the caged mortal to \ of this time-honoured tale
his imprisonment, and \ justified itself, and is sure
waft back to him his lost to continue to do so.
Eden days. v J One of our richest cor-
It would be a work of K^rmr mi \ 3 porations has done itself
supererogation to expand || the honour to procure it;
this general assertion by R v L M it may therefore be said
giving a detailed account SjL ^-J to have become the pro-
of such of Mr. Greiffen- iv. ■■t*ffl>'rm Wtit*jtk perty of the nation.
hagen's works as have n^^^^^r^USti__ A word on Mr. Greiffen-
seen the light. I remem- hagen as a man, Simple
ber once asking the painter portrait of miss Stanley wilson jn fo[s personal tastes he
i.i 1 j • 1 . • j by maurice greiffenhagen , . , r
what he had in his mind to has an intense love 01
achieve when he painted beautiful things, and de-
An Idyll. His answer was eminently characteristic, lights to surround himself with delightful bits of
and I give it because it throws a light upon the old and new furniture, Persian carpets, and dainty
moral personality of the man, in contradistinction bric-a-brac. Whimsical and almost nervously
to his artistic personality. " I wanted," he said, modest, few men can talk more wittily or pertinently,
" to paint a picture of a young man and maiden and his conversational equipment is by no means
embracing in the fields, with the sentiment of youth confined within the limits of his own art or of art
242