Studio: international art (74.1918)

The Collection of Mr. Denys Hague

THE COLLECTION OF MR. DENYS the finest qualities of the master's art ; the
HAGUE balance and rhythm of the composition, the

exquisite colour harmony, the subtle gradation

THE appreciation of Modern Prench Art of the tones, the general unity of effect, these
amongst collectors of pictures in could belong only to Corot. It reveals, too,
Great Britain has steadily increased the poetic feeling which gives to his work that
during the last twenty years. With sublime element which is almost spiritual in its
the dispersal of the Staats Forbes, and a little appeal. Of the other two Corots in the collec-
later of the Alexander Young pictures eleven tion, the Landscape with Figures is delicately
years ago, a large number of works of the rendered with its silvery grey tones and at-
Barbizon School came into the market. While mosphere of repose. Arbres au bord de Veau is
some of the more important crossed the Atlantic a more sombre canvas, though rich in colour,
or found a permanent home in the public Diaz is represented by a characteristic land-
galleries of the British Dominions, a number of scape, The Forest of Fontainebleau, which wc
fine examples remained in this country to form also give as a supplement (p. 43). Fine in
the nucleus of smaller collections of similar colour and broad in treatment, it displaj^s the
character. And it is not only the works of the artist's romantic and lofty conception of the
Barbizon men which have been sought after, scene and his skill in the rendering of light and
In a number'of private collections will be found shade. Though it lacks the grandeur and
examples of the other French Schools, and solemnity of the compositions of his friend and
many of these have appeared from time to master, Rousseau, it shows to some extent the
time in the pages of this magazine. That this same tragic sentiment and simplicity of outlook,
appreciation should thus become more widely Daubigny's position amongst the Barbizon
spread is particularly
gratifying at the present
time, when the French
and British nations have
been brought' into such
close relation by the war,
and any influence which
tends to further mutual
respect for, and under-
standing of, the art of
either country cannot but
be desirable.

The series of pictures
brought together by Mr.
Denys Hague, though
small in extent compared
with the two collections
mentioned above, is simi-
lar, in that the works
have been chosen with
sound judgment and that
the owner has been suc-
cessful, in most cases, in
acquiring examples which
represent the best
achievements of the
artist. Take, for instance,
the three Corots. L'Etang,
which is reproduced

here in colours, has all "near paris" by Stanislas lepine

LXXIV. No. 304.—July 1918 37