Studio: international art (16.1899)

Reviews of Recent Publications

amiable, vivacious. Clara v. Rappard, of Inter-
laken, exhibits a female portrait which she calls
In Summer-time. E. J.

BRUSSELS.—At the Maison d'Art we
have had a collection of works by M.
Laermans, an artist of great power
as a colourist, although his drawings
habitually verge on caricature ; at the
Rubens Club some new paintings by M. and Mme.
Wytsman, both displaying marked progress in their
conscientious draughtsmanship, which adds greatly
to the charm of their bright colouring; at the
Cercle Artistique Mile. Heger's landscape studies,
Mile. Art's and MM. Cluysenaar, Uytterschaut and
Stacquet's pleasing water-colours and pastels, deli-
cate landscapes by MM. Verheyden and Meyers,
and several fine oils by that powerful colourist, M.
Verhaeren.

The Salon of the Libre-Esthetique is, as usual,
full of interest. It is remarkable on this occasion
for the fact that the works which are attracting
most attention are those based on direct observa-
tion of the Old Masters, some of whom indeed are
strikingly suggested. For instance, M. Motte's
large and important canvas inevitably recalls the
studied attitudes and the somewhat metallic tints
of Botticelli; while in M. Roche's charming por-
trait we may discover the style peculiar to the
English portrait-painters of the end of the eighteenth
century. M. Jacob-Smits in his work betrays the
influence of Rembrandt's manner ; M. E. Carriere
carries us back to Velasquez; M. Anquetin seems
haunted by the Franco-Italian artists of the Fon-
tainebleau school; and in Mr. Greiffenhagen's
Annunciation we find once more the amplitude
and the warm colouring of Titian. Mr. Greiffen-
hagen's great abilities are well-known to the readers
of The Studio, and it suffices therefore to say
that his exhibit was the success of the Salon.
Equally superfluous would it be to expatiate on
the recent and very remarkable work of MM.
Cottet and Charpentier, so fully treated in these
pages by M. Mourey; to praise once more the
grand productions of C. Meunier, or to do more
than to mention the work of such artists as
X. Mellery, Mile. Boch, De Gouves de Nuncques,
Combaz (who designed the poster for the exhibi-
tion), Lemmen, Rafaelli, V. Rousseau, F. Brang-
wyn, L. Von Hofmann, G. Minne, or Moreau-
Nelaton.

The exhibition, arranged by the director of the

Libre-Esthe'tique, of the " exposable " works of the
late FeTicien Rops, has enabled the amateur to see
this remarkable artist's productions in something
like completeness; and near at hand one may see
the beautiful series of engravings for Baudelaire's
"Fleurs du Mai," by M. Rassenfosse, also the
noble compositions of M. Donnay for the last
"Almanach des Poetes." M. Berchmans exhibits
several delicately coloured pastels; M. Leveque
sundry heads ; MM. Artot and V. Bernard various
drawings and paintings of great purity of outline;
M. P. Dubois a bronze bust of Vieuxtemps, the
violinist, together with medals and works of applied
art; M. W. Finch (who for some months has been
living in Finland) a collection of admirable pottery.

Mention must also be made of the paintings by
MM. F. Hens, Von Zumbusch, De Grubicy, and
Innes; of the monotypes in colours by MM. F.
Jourdain and Koopman, the caricatures of Leo Jo ;
the elaborately treated medals by M. Fernan-
dubois; the little marble bust by Mile. G. Des-
cressonnieres ; the glass-work by M. F. Zitzmann ;
the bindings by MM. Desamblanx and Weckesser ;
the copper work by Miles. De Brouckere and
Holbach; the bronzes and cloisonne enamels of
M. C. Heaton ; the jewels by M. Colonna ; and the
embroideries by Mile. Huez.

A final word is due to the large exhibit by the
members of the Munich Society known as the
" Vereinigte Werkstatten fiir Kunst im Handwerk."
Many of these works have been reproduced at
various times in the pages of The Studio, and it
is unnecessary to refer to them now in detail.
Altogether this Salon has proved a triumph for
the Libre-Estbitique. F. K.

REVIEWS OF RECENT
PUBLICATIONS.

Leonardo da Vinci. From the French of
EugIine Muntz. Two volumes. (London - Wil-
liam Heinemann; New York : Charles Scribner's
Sons.) Price £2 2s. net.—The numerous illus-
trations, some three hundred in all, from the works
of the great painter, sculptor, and man of science
which accompany the text of these volumes, are
one of their most attractive features; and when
the conditions of the original paintings and
sketches is considered, a word of praise is due to
the admirable manner in which many of them have
been presented. But we must take exception to
certain examples in which an almost culpable care-

211