File:Elihu Vedder - The Phorcydes.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

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a field of withered poppies, to a low funereal shaft,on which lies the bleached skull of a wild boar sacrificed to the Manes, seem rather dwelt uponwith a mystic and symbolic interest, as in Durer, than for their archaeological value. Hisarchaeology in fact is a little of an old-fashioned sort. It has not much in common with thelearned expositions of Alma-Tadema, or even of Le Roux. The modern school of classicistsfinds it reasonable to conceive Greeks and Romans as persons of flesh and blood not greatlydifferent from our own. In the formal school of David and his followers, to which Vedder issomewhat affiliated, they are over-suggestive of the statuary of the museums. Vedders heavyand finely subdivided draperies are sometimes as if of marble or bronze; or, again, very light,like those on the engraved gems. He is prevented from becoming a mere archaeologist at any time by two qualities, his devo-tion to an intense meaning and his love of motion. One of these is always made a paramount
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E. VEDDER, PINJC C. KRUELL, SC. THE PHORCYDES. AMERICAN ART 167 consideration to others. He is not contented with simple rest; generally his characters mustmove, and that quite actively. A kind of movement to which he is peculiarly given is that offluttering drapery. This in the animated Roman Girls on the Sea-Shore seems almost themotive of the picture. They are all muffled close in their garments, and are bearing up againsta stiff breeze. They have come down to the shore rather for a promenade and romp thanbathing. The line of vision is low down, so that they are outlined boldly against the sky. Agleam of light strikes into the picture, upon the figures at the point of the spit of sand, in themiddle distance, while sober shade falls angularly across the whole foreground. An idea of thecomposition of this picture is given by the heading of this chapter. But the representation isinadequate, owing to the size to which it had to be reduced. The drawing in the faces hasalso been missed.

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