DOI Heft:
No.129 (December, 1901)
DOI Artikel:Modern Dutch art: The etchings of Matthew Maris
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19880#0223
Matthew Maris Etchings
an almost inexplicable charm to both his landscapes type, and of a particular physical character in his re-
and his figure subjects. But what there was of presentation of the figure ; it is seen in his love of
realism in his earlier works has been refined away, vague definition and of tone arrangements which
more and more, until now he has come to be an suggest rather than explain the forms and masses
exponent of fantasies which are almost entirely with which his pictures are built up ; it can be per-
independent of reality and scarcely referable, even ceived plainly in his abstract system of colour,
remotely, to the facts of nature. He is to-day But these are all evidences of the working of
a painter of visions, a dreamer whose mind his temperament; they are not parts of a scheme
is so full of fanciful inventions that he is no . to evade the difficulties of his craft, or to gain
longer able to receive impressions from the life popularity by harping persistently on a single
about him. He lives in mental isolation in a string. Few artists have sacrificed less to the
strange world which he has created for himself, desire to gain a following, or have disregarded
and he is content to remain unaffected by the more consistently the devices by which pro-
ordinary influences of present-day existence. fessional success has usually to be engineered.
His attitude, it must
be admitted, is logical
enough. Any touch of
modernity would intro-
duce a hint of artifi-
ciality into his mys-
ticism, and would seem
to suggest that his
artistic manner is a
mere pose, and not
the sincere avowal of a
creed which he has de-
liberately and intelli- '
gently adopted. For
him isolation is right,
because he has a fund
of inspiration upon
which he can draw
constantly without any
fear that he will ex-
haust its possibilities.
There is no fear that
he will formulate his
ideas and use a com-
monplace convention
to save him from the
trouble of thinking out
suitable modes of ex-
pressing his imagin-
ings. What there is of
convention in his art
is not more than that
instinctive preference
for certain ways of
treating facts which
can always be seen in
the work of an artist
of strong individuality.
It shows in his choice
of a particular facial
266
BY MATTHEW MARIS
an almost inexplicable charm to both his landscapes type, and of a particular physical character in his re-
and his figure subjects. But what there was of presentation of the figure ; it is seen in his love of
realism in his earlier works has been refined away, vague definition and of tone arrangements which
more and more, until now he has come to be an suggest rather than explain the forms and masses
exponent of fantasies which are almost entirely with which his pictures are built up ; it can be per-
independent of reality and scarcely referable, even ceived plainly in his abstract system of colour,
remotely, to the facts of nature. He is to-day But these are all evidences of the working of
a painter of visions, a dreamer whose mind his temperament; they are not parts of a scheme
is so full of fanciful inventions that he is no . to evade the difficulties of his craft, or to gain
longer able to receive impressions from the life popularity by harping persistently on a single
about him. He lives in mental isolation in a string. Few artists have sacrificed less to the
strange world which he has created for himself, desire to gain a following, or have disregarded
and he is content to remain unaffected by the more consistently the devices by which pro-
ordinary influences of present-day existence. fessional success has usually to be engineered.
His attitude, it must
be admitted, is logical
enough. Any touch of
modernity would intro-
duce a hint of artifi-
ciality into his mys-
ticism, and would seem
to suggest that his
artistic manner is a
mere pose, and not
the sincere avowal of a
creed which he has de-
liberately and intelli- '
gently adopted. For
him isolation is right,
because he has a fund
of inspiration upon
which he can draw
constantly without any
fear that he will ex-
haust its possibilities.
There is no fear that
he will formulate his
ideas and use a com-
monplace convention
to save him from the
trouble of thinking out
suitable modes of ex-
pressing his imagin-
ings. What there is of
convention in his art
is not more than that
instinctive preference
for certain ways of
treating facts which
can always be seen in
the work of an artist
of strong individuality.
It shows in his choice
of a particular facial
266
BY MATTHEW MARIS