Bulletin of Rhode Island School of Design
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Bulletin of the Rhode Island School of Design Issued Quarterly Vol. VII APRIL, 1919 No. 2 PORTRAIT OF H. H., THE ARTIST’S DAUGHTER by Charles Sidney Hopkinson Jesse Metcalf Fund 1918 Entered as second-class matter January 16, 1913, at the post office at Providence, Rhode Island, under the Act of August 24, 1912. Copyright, 1919, by Rhode Island School of Design. All rights reserved. VII, 14 Bulletin of the Rhode Island School of Design PAINTING BY ated from Harvard University in 1891, CHARLES S. HOPKINSON studied in the Art Students League in New York and in Paris, has been an HE latest addition to the Museum enthusiastic follower of Dr. Denman W. from the Jesse Metcalf fund is very Ross in his work in theory of design £nd T color, representative of the modern ten- has travelled frequently, and has dency in American figure painting. It is been fortunate in finding ready market the “Portrait of H. H., the Artist’s for his work. His artistic success may Daughter,” by Charles Sidney Hopkin- be partly due to the fact that he has been son, an artist whose work ranks with in a position to choose precisely the the best of the present day. The paint- subject he wished, use his own judgment ing was exhibited in the 110th Pennsyl- as to treatment, and let his genius vania Academy Exhibition in 1915, where govern the time and method to be used. it was awarded the Carol H. Beck prize The result is that Charles Hopkinson which is given for “the best portrait in has made a place for himself in the hearts oil in the Exhibition.” The portrait of many lovers of American painting. has qualities which commend it to the artist and layman alike. Both appreciate AN EARLY the sincerity of the character portrayal, STAINED-GLASS WINDOW both feel the sympathy of the artist FROM BOURGES with his subject, and both can appreciate the qualities which give it lasting value. HROUGH the gift of Messrs The artist goes further and finds in TWilliam A. Viall and William C. Hopkinson a mastery of color treatment, Dart the Museum has been en- a knowledge of the subtleties of painting, riched by a stained-glass panel of the ability to avoid unnecessary detail, thirteenth century, said to come from and an understanding of the expression Bourges, France. The panel is made up of theoretical principles without undue of parts of two windows, one is two- emphasis on them. thirds of a medallion showing a man The problem treated is a simple one, pursued by a dragon, and the other a half-length portrait of a little girl, shows grisaille, floral and geometric dressed in winter hat and coat, with a patterns. These may or may not have background of gleaming snow-banks, and been incorporated originally in the same beyond, a glimpse of the blue ocean, and window. a few branches of rhododendron, with The stained glass of the thirteenth their dark green lustrous leaves, which by century marks the highest point of contrast, placing, and color, add much to achievement reached by artists in that the composition. The artist was in- fascinating field of decorative expression. terested in a problem of delicate handling The work of the period is unsurpassed of various shades of blue, the light blue for brilliancy of color, produced as it shadows of the snow being especially was by the use of metallic oxides placed appealing. The pose chosen is natural in the glass while still in the melting and the entire treatment of the compo- pot. One appreciates the rich colors, sition shows complete union of practiced which give the impression of jewels, eye, trained mind, and the patient study and the eye passes with delight from deep of simple subjects. Wherever a painting blue to ruby red, and from “flash” by Hopkinson is hung, it immediately glass, in which the lighter red is broken attracts attention and rewards study. up by still lighter streaks, to yellow and The artist is a well-known member of green. The jewelled effect and the the Boston group; he was born in Cam- play of interest in the colors is secured bridge, Massachusetts, in 1869, gradu- by an unevenness in the thickness of Bulletin of the Rhode Island School of Design VII, 15 the pieces used, the thicker spots giving deeper tones of the gen- eral shade. It was char- acteristic of the work of the period that the win- dow was built up of small pieces of glass, held by leads, which were there- fore many in number, and that there should be a minimum use of painted details. If this last fea- ture were not looked out for, the brilliancy of the glass, and the mosaic effect of the window would be affected. It is largely due to this point that glass of this early period differs so decidedly from the painted and stained glass of later periods which was more detailed and pictorial. It should also be pointed out that the “leading” of the period helped in two ways. By following the SS PANEL FROM BOURGES French, XIII Centur outlines the pattern was Messrs William A. Viai.i. and William Dart emphasized and the rays C. of light were broken up. In this way the mosaic effect was in- work. The third kind was clear colored creased and the brilliancy of the color glass in mosaic, and was especially used was intensified by the lines of separation. in rose-windows. Three kinds of glass were used in It should be remembered in con- churches of the period; the medallion sidering the glass of this period and es- glass for smaller chapels and the end of pecially the fine example recently ac- the apse where it was desirable to cut quired by the Museum, that it is meant down the amount of light, and the gri- to be .seen from a distance, since it was saille or light-colored glass painted with placed far above the eye. In later glass cross-hatching, gothic ornament and the pattern or figure was made much floral design of a formal nature, which larger so that its story might be fully was used in the clerestory and which understood by the worshippers. This supplied the general light. The details fact means that the earlier glass found were usually painted on the glass in a its chief glory in its brilliancy of color, brownish pigment. This was also used and the sketchy treatment of detail did on the medallion glass for lines of drapery, not imply a lack of artistic ability on the shadows and details of faces, arms and part of the artist but rather an attempt legs. The grisaille is usually treated to always keep in mind the distance be- with a border of the same brilliantly tween the window and the visitor to the colored glass as is found in medallion church. VII, 16 Bulletin of the Rhode Island School of Design Similar glass treatment is seen in PREDELLA PANELS episcopal palaces and public buildings By Mariotto di Nardo of the period. Here, and even in the m m churches, the fancy of the artist was • ‘ r W M I F men who first originate re- allowed full sway, and the subjects were I markable inventions have at all not always strictly religious. times received considerable at- The use of the figure of the dragon tention from those who write history, in our medallion is interesting not only and this arises from the fact that the for the action expressed, but also for first discovery of a thing is more prized its symbolic use. Whether the scene — because of the charm attached to represented is based on some special novelty — than all the improvements legend or generally symbolic we cannot that are afterwards made, although tell. It is probably an allegory of Con- by these last it may be that the matter science fleeing from Remorse. The is brought to its ultimate perfection. symbolic use of animals in the Gothic Nor is this without reason, seeing that period is well known. The types chosen if none made a beginning, there would may have been influenced by those il- be no place for the gradual amelioration lustrated in the earlier bestiaries, or which brings us to the middle point, they may have been created out of the and none for those last improvements artist’s fancy. The bestiaries were curi- by which the thing invented attains to ous compilations of fables about ani- the perfection of its beauty.” mals partly pagan and partly Christian This introduction by Giorgio Varsari in origin, which were in use until they to his life of Duccio is interesting be- were supplanted by printed books. In cause it shows that the point of view of a its symbolic use the dragon represents sixteenth century author toward early the devil. Our interest in the panel art differs little from our own attitude is due to its wealth of color, its con- toward Italian primitives. It has fre- formity to the characteristic technique, quently been pointed out that in this and its reminder of the glory in stained period when production was so great in glass to be found in Chartres, Rouen, response to the awakening interest in Rheims, Bourges and other cities. In art, only the work of the most tal- nearly every place where stained glass ented has received attention. To a of this period may be seen, there are lesser degree however the same merits pieces of the XHIth century glass incor- are to be found throughout the work of porated with later pieces.