photographic accuracy. But that would destroy his object, which is to represent the landscape as a whole, bathed in atmosphere, and to get this result sacrifices have to be made. The lower truth of photographic accuracy must be dispensed with, but the whole character of the animals is always perfectly kept in view, and the way in which they are put in his pictures shows absolute knowledge of their forms and habits and perfect executive skill. There is in fact no deficiency in the drawing, but on the contrary, though details may be wanting, the greatest attention is given to representing the essential features of the forms of the cattle, and the very weight of them as they press down the grass. It is all very boldly and skilfully done, and the real truth about them, as they appear reflecting the light and modified by the atmosphere and forming part of a country scene, is much better shown in this way than by painstaking drawing of the anatomy. It is in short the truth of the impression on the eye that is given, and that art should always present, and not the latest scientific knowledge. "The Barbizon School." Corot in a very interesting and well-known passage tells how for him the early morning and late evening, the mysterious parts of day, are the only times in which he cares to paint. When the sun is fully up, all poetical effect is gone. But William Maris selects this very time of day as for him specially desirable, and he sees mystery and poetry in the wonderful effect of the sun pouring its bright rays down on animals and pasture land. For this he is called the silvery Maris, and very remarkable are the effects he gets. It is true, as it is sometimes remarked, that he is always painting cattle and ducks. But it does not matter how many times he paints them, the pictures are always different, and no two are tures of the alike in subject and treatment. We never find him repeating himself, and there is indeed no occasion for him to do so. For the sky, the atmosphere, and the light are always changing, and as they change and nature's Similarly Claude Monet painted more than thirty pic Thames, with the Houses of in the dis tance, and each one is different in the treat hues shift subtly from the mystery of dawn. ment of the through noonday to the quiet of the evening, light and and vary with each gleam of sunshine, each shadow of darkening storm, new pictures are the atmosphere. |