File:Portrait of Frederick Arthur Bridgman, engraved by T. Johnson.jpg

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

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
pressing. There were no definite faults of commissionto be seen, but faults of omission made themselves felt that would have been obviated by a littlemore of vigor and breadth, and of spontaneous sentiment, — a little more evidence of a character-istically painters way of looking at things. These canvases were not all, of course, quite ona level in all points. In composition, as in color, I think the Assyrian King and the Womenweaving were the weakest, though the woman and child toward the left of the latter picture weremost beautifully rendered. The Funeral was admirably composed, and no less delightful for itsquiet color. The large figure called Allah Achbar ! was a remarkable piece of painting, the light-ing of the canvas being as well managed as the rendering of the textures. No large work ofMr. Bridgmans that I have seen — certainly no interior — is better than this. Yet the Tents atBiskra was perhaps more charming, surpassing all the others in atmospheric truth and beauty.
Text Appearing After Image:
Frederic Arthur Bridgman.Engraved by T. Johnson. — From a Photograph by Sarony. 184 AMERICAN ART Looking away from these large Salon pictures, one saw, not repetitions of them on a smallerscale, but canvases of very different kinds. Prominent among them were many genre picturesof Oriental subjects, of which Mr. Smillies etching presented in this work as a good example.I may characterize these most distinctly, perhaps, by saying that they were of a kind at onceto suggest comparisons with Mr. Bridgmans master, Ger6me, — comparisons that were by nomeans to Mr. Bridgmans disadvantage. One or two of these pictures might have passed any-where for Geromes. The good drawing, the clever rendering of stuffs, the bits of brilliantcolor, fine in themselves, but not harmonized with the hand of a master colorist, the delicatebut hard elaboration, the ivory-like flesh, — all these characteristics of Geromes art were present.But there were other similar pictures, as, for example, one belonging

Note About Images