Art Fakes and Forgeries by Fritz Mendax; H. S. WhitmanReview by: George EhrlichCollege Art Journal, Vol. 16, No. 4 (Summer, 1957), pp. 357-358Published by: College Art AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/773504 .

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nothing if not authoritarian and the basis of his drive for aesthetic perfectibility hard- ened into a compulsion. The prescience of his Cubist-derived "facade" paintings with their structural impressionism gave way to the assymetrical grids of his "classical" years. But there being no measure for the non-discursive order, Mondrian's paintings cannot be considered as a logical succession from Cubism, if only because logical suc- cession implies the end of creative neces- sity. Rather, Broadway Boogie Woogie and Victory Boogie Woogie absorbed what was in fact a metaphysical adventure in pure visual relations (with mystical trimmings) and reunited it with more willful experi- ence. These are paintings grounded in the vaticinations of the will-to-form.

The monograph should precipitate, it is hoped, a body of literature that will en- gage the "style" in the ideological terms it requires. The documentary material with which to start is certainly here-numerous illustrations of which 34 are in color and 441 comprise an invaluable classified cata- logue of small reproductions of his work, photographs of the artist, his friends, his studios, a list of all his known works, a bibliography and, of course, Seuphor's es- say. Finally, Mondrian's rather fanciful but ideologically comprehensive dialogue-es- say, "Natural Reality and Abstract Re- ality," written in 1919-20, is presented for the first time in English. As for Seuphor's essay, it is the most complete picture we have to date of the man's life. While he states that it is not meant to be definitive, it is marked by a discretion (if not sup- pression) of such a personal order that Seuphor himself is always coming through in the material. More seriously, Seuphor's criticism indulges a rhetoric of images of feeling rather than critical observations of an experience. At one point he permits himself to exclaim, ". . the art of Mondrian conquers the absolute." The na- ture of such enthusiasm suggests that the larger meaning has transferred from the work to the critic and the fact that the critic is talking . . . more of the image of the work, than the work itself. His per- sonal sincerity is not questioned, but his judgements are suspect on the grounds of

357 Book Reviews

nothing if not authoritarian and the basis of his drive for aesthetic perfectibility hard- ened into a compulsion. The prescience of his Cubist-derived "facade" paintings with their structural impressionism gave way to the assymetrical grids of his "classical" years. But there being no measure for the non-discursive order, Mondrian's paintings cannot be considered as a logical succession from Cubism, if only because logical suc- cession implies the end of creative neces- sity. Rather, Broadway Boogie Woogie and Victory Boogie Woogie absorbed what was in fact a metaphysical adventure in pure visual relations (with mystical trimmings) and reunited it with more willful experi- ence. These are paintings grounded in the vaticinations of the will-to-form.

The monograph should precipitate, it is hoped, a body of literature that will en- gage the "style" in the ideological terms it requires. The documentary material with which to start is certainly here-numerous illustrations of which 34 are in color and 441 comprise an invaluable classified cata- logue of small reproductions of his work, photographs of the artist, his friends, his studios, a list of all his known works, a bibliography and, of course, Seuphor's es- say. Finally, Mondrian's rather fanciful but ideologically comprehensive dialogue-es- say, "Natural Reality and Abstract Re- ality," written in 1919-20, is presented for the first time in English. As for Seuphor's essay, it is the most complete picture we have to date of the man's life. While he states that it is not meant to be definitive, it is marked by a discretion (if not sup- pression) of such a personal order that Seuphor himself is always coming through in the material. More seriously, Seuphor's criticism indulges a rhetoric of images of feeling rather than critical observations of an experience. At one point he permits himself to exclaim, ". . the art of Mondrian conquers the absolute." The na- ture of such enthusiasm suggests that the larger meaning has transferred from the work to the critic and the fact that the critic is talking . . . more of the image of the work, than the work itself. His per- sonal sincerity is not questioned, but his judgements are suspect on the grounds of

357 Book Reviews

nothing if not authoritarian and the basis of his drive for aesthetic perfectibility hard- ened into a compulsion. The prescience of his Cubist-derived "facade" paintings with their structural impressionism gave way to the assymetrical grids of his "classical" years. But there being no measure for the non-discursive order, Mondrian's paintings cannot be considered as a logical succession from Cubism, if only because logical suc- cession implies the end of creative neces- sity. Rather, Broadway Boogie Woogie and Victory Boogie Woogie absorbed what was in fact a metaphysical adventure in pure visual relations (with mystical trimmings) and reunited it with more willful experi- ence. These are paintings grounded in the vaticinations of the will-to-form.

The monograph should precipitate, it is hoped, a body of literature that will en- gage the "style" in the ideological terms it requires. The documentary material with which to start is certainly here-numerous illustrations of which 34 are in color and 441 comprise an invaluable classified cata- logue of small reproductions of his work, photographs of the artist, his friends, his studios, a list of all his known works, a bibliography and, of course, Seuphor's es- say. Finally, Mondrian's rather fanciful but ideologically comprehensive dialogue-es- say, "Natural Reality and Abstract Re- ality," written in 1919-20, is presented for the first time in English. As for Seuphor's essay, it is the most complete picture we have to date of the man's life. While he states that it is not meant to be definitive, it is marked by a discretion (if not sup- pression) of such a personal order that Seuphor himself is always coming through in the material. More seriously, Seuphor's criticism indulges a rhetoric of images of feeling rather than critical observations of an experience. At one point he permits himself to exclaim, ". . the art of Mondrian conquers the absolute." The na- ture of such enthusiasm suggests that the larger meaning has transferred from the work to the critic and the fact that the critic is talking . . . more of the image of the work, than the work itself. His per- sonal sincerity is not questioned, but his judgements are suspect on the grounds of

357 Book Reviews

nothing if not authoritarian and the basis of his drive for aesthetic perfectibility hard- ened into a compulsion. The prescience of his Cubist-derived "facade" paintings with their structural impressionism gave way to the assymetrical grids of his "classical" years. But there being no measure for the non-discursive order, Mondrian's paintings cannot be considered as a logical succession from Cubism, if only because logical suc- cession implies the end of creative neces- sity. Rather, Broadway Boogie Woogie and Victory Boogie Woogie absorbed what was in fact a metaphysical adventure in pure visual relations (with mystical trimmings) and reunited it with more willful experi- ence. These are paintings grounded in the vaticinations of the will-to-form.

The monograph should precipitate, it is hoped, a body of literature that will en- gage the "style" in the ideological terms it requires. The documentary material with which to start is certainly here-numerous illustrations of which 34 are in color and 441 comprise an invaluable classified cata- logue of small reproductions of his work, photographs of the artist, his friends, his studios, a list of all his known works, a bibliography and, of course, Seuphor's es- say. Finally, Mondrian's rather fanciful but ideologically comprehensive dialogue-es- say, "Natural Reality and Abstract Re- ality," written in 1919-20, is presented for the first time in English. As for Seuphor's essay, it is the most complete picture we have to date of the man's life. While he states that it is not meant to be definitive, it is marked by a discretion (if not sup- pression) of such a personal order that Seuphor himself is always coming through in the material. More seriously, Seuphor's criticism indulges a rhetoric of images of feeling rather than critical observations of an experience. At one point he permits himself to exclaim, ". . the art of Mondrian conquers the absolute." The na- ture of such enthusiasm suggests that the larger meaning has transferred from the work to the critic and the fact that the critic is talking . . . more of the image of the work, than the work itself. His per- sonal sincerity is not questioned, but his judgements are suspect on the grounds of

357 Book Reviews

nothing if not authoritarian and the basis of his drive for aesthetic perfectibility hard- ened into a compulsion. The prescience of his Cubist-derived "facade" paintings with their structural impressionism gave way to the assymetrical grids of his "classical" years. But there being no measure for the non-discursive order, Mondrian's paintings cannot be considered as a logical succession from Cubism, if only because logical suc- cession implies the end of creative neces- sity. Rather, Broadway Boogie Woogie and Victory Boogie Woogie absorbed what was in fact a metaphysical adventure in pure visual relations (with mystical trimmings) and reunited it with more willful experi- ence. These are paintings grounded in the vaticinations of the will-to-form.

The monograph should precipitate, it is hoped, a body of literature that will en- gage the "style" in the ideological terms it requires. The documentary material with which to start is certainly here-numerous illustrations of which 34 are in color and 441 comprise an invaluable classified cata- logue of small reproductions of his work, photographs of the artist, his friends, his studios, a list of all his known works, a bibliography and, of course, Seuphor's es- say. Finally, Mondrian's rather fanciful but ideologically comprehensive dialogue-es- say, "Natural Reality and Abstract Re- ality," written in 1919-20, is presented for the first time in English. As for Seuphor's essay, it is the most complete picture we have to date of the man's life. While he states that it is not meant to be definitive, it is marked by a discretion (if not sup- pression) of such a personal order that Seuphor himself is always coming through in the material. More seriously, Seuphor's criticism indulges a rhetoric of images of feeling rather than critical observations of an experience. At one point he permits himself to exclaim, ". . the art of Mondrian conquers the absolute." The na- ture of such enthusiasm suggests that the larger meaning has transferred from the work to the critic and the fact that the critic is talking . . . more of the image of the work, than the work itself. His per- sonal sincerity is not questioned, but his judgements are suspect on the grounds of

357 Book Reviews

nothing if not authoritarian and the basis of his drive for aesthetic perfectibility hard- ened into a compulsion. The prescience of his Cubist-derived "facade" paintings with their structural impressionism gave way to the assymetrical grids of his "classical" years. But there being no measure for the non-discursive order, Mondrian's paintings cannot be considered as a logical succession from Cubism, if only because logical suc- cession implies the end of creative neces- sity. Rather, Broadway Boogie Woogie and Victory Boogie Woogie absorbed what was in fact a metaphysical adventure in pure visual relations (with mystical trimmings) and reunited it with more willful experi- ence. These are paintings grounded in the vaticinations of the will-to-form.

The monograph should precipitate, it is hoped, a body of literature that will en- gage the "style" in the ideological terms it requires. The documentary material with which to start is certainly here-numerous illustrations of which 34 are in color and 441 comprise an invaluable classified cata- logue of small reproductions of his work, photographs of the artist, his friends, his studios, a list of all his known works, a bibliography and, of course, Seuphor's es- say. Finally, Mondrian's rather fanciful but ideologically comprehensive dialogue-es- say, "Natural Reality and Abstract Re- ality," written in 1919-20, is presented for the first time in English. As for Seuphor's essay, it is the most complete picture we have to date of the man's life. While he states that it is not meant to be definitive, it is marked by a discretion (if not sup- pression) of such a personal order that Seuphor himself is always coming through in the material. More seriously, Seuphor's criticism indulges a rhetoric of images of feeling rather than critical observations of an experience. At one point he permits himself to exclaim, ". . the art of Mondrian conquers the absolute." The na- ture of such enthusiasm suggests that the larger meaning has transferred from the work to the critic and the fact that the critic is talking . . . more of the image of the work, than the work itself. His per- sonal sincerity is not questioned, but his judgements are suspect on the grounds of

357 Book Reviews

nothing if not authoritarian and the basis of his drive for aesthetic perfectibility hard- ened into a compulsion. The prescience of his Cubist-derived "facade" paintings with their structural impressionism gave way to the assymetrical grids of his "classical" years. But there being no measure for the non-discursive order, Mondrian's paintings cannot be considered as a logical succession from Cubism, if only because logical suc- cession implies the end of creative neces- sity. Rather, Broadway Boogie Woogie and Victory Boogie Woogie absorbed what was in fact a metaphysical adventure in pure visual relations (with mystical trimmings) and reunited it with more willful experi- ence. These are paintings grounded in the vaticinations of the will-to-form.

The monograph should precipitate, it is hoped, a body of literature that will en- gage the "style" in the ideological terms it requires. The documentary material with which to start is certainly here-numerous illustrations of which 34 are in color and 441 comprise an invaluable classified cata- logue of small reproductions of his work, photographs of the artist, his friends, his studios, a list of all his known works, a bibliography and, of course, Seuphor's es- say. Finally, Mondrian's rather fanciful but ideologically comprehensive dialogue-es- say, "Natural Reality and Abstract Re- ality," written in 1919-20, is presented for the first time in English. As for Seuphor's essay, it is the most complete picture we have to date of the man's life. While he states that it is not meant to be definitive, it is marked by a discretion (if not sup- pression) of such a personal order that Seuphor himself is always coming through in the material. More seriously, Seuphor's criticism indulges a rhetoric of images of feeling rather than critical observations of an experience. At one point he permits himself to exclaim, ". . the art of Mondrian conquers the absolute." The na- ture of such enthusiasm suggests that the larger meaning has transferred from the work to the critic and the fact that the critic is talking . . . more of the image of the work, than the work itself. His per- sonal sincerity is not questioned, but his judgements are suspect on the grounds of

357 Book Reviews

too personal an involvement. For all this the book creates anew the provocation of an artistic style of a provocative century, and the sense of Seuphor's homage is justi- fiable on the grounds of what it has finally brought to light.

SIDNEY TILLIM New York

Fritz Mendax, Art Fakes and Forgeries, tr. H. S. Whitman, 222 pp., 24 pl., 39 line dr., New York: Philosophical Li- brary, 1956. $6.00. It is difficult to ascertain, just from the

book itself, whether the casual and some- what flippant attitude of this small, easy- to-read volume, is that of the author Fritz Mendax, or of the translator, H. S. Whitman. The publisher is of no help since no indication is given of the genesis of this book, which looks at a number of famous examples of duplication and for- gery in various of the visual arts, as well as deceits practiced in other realms.

The various accounts, which are organ- ized into a loose chronological sequence, seem accurate enough, but they are so presented that anyone desiring more than a jocose and rambling narrative is bound to be disappointed by this presentation.

Nor can this work be considered a Primer, or sort of a "first book" in a field which deserves far more attention from the scholar than it has received. The so- called scholarly impedimenta of organized documentation, citation of sources, and bibliography, is completely missing; and the few references incorporated into the body of the text tend to be rather offhand, and are generally useless to someone in- terested in going to the sources themselves.

The halftone illustrations are almost incidental, and the "clever" line drawings unnecessary. The physical makeup of the book, the accuracy of the typography indi- cate to this reader a superficial interest, on the publisher's part, in the entire project.

Is the book worth the time and effort needed to read it? Discounting the price, which I feel is exorbitant, I suspect that it is, providing the reader treats all but

too personal an involvement. For all this the book creates anew the provocation of an artistic style of a provocative century, and the sense of Seuphor's homage is justi- fiable on the grounds of what it has finally brought to light.

SIDNEY TILLIM New York

Fritz Mendax, Art Fakes and Forgeries, tr. H. S. Whitman, 222 pp., 24 pl., 39 line dr., New York: Philosophical Li- brary, 1956. $6.00. It is difficult to ascertain, just from the

book itself, whether the casual and some- what flippant attitude of this small, easy- to-read volume, is that of the author Fritz Mendax, or of the translator, H. S. Whitman. The publisher is of no help since no indication is given of the genesis of this book, which looks at a number of famous examples of duplication and for- gery in various of the visual arts, as well as deceits practiced in other realms.

The various accounts, which are organ- ized into a loose chronological sequence, seem accurate enough, but they are so presented that anyone desiring more than a jocose and rambling narrative is bound to be disappointed by this presentation.

Nor can this work be considered a Primer, or sort of a "first book" in a field which deserves far more attention from the scholar than it has received. The so- called scholarly impedimenta of organized documentation, citation of sources, and bibliography, is completely missing; and the few references incorporated into the body of the text tend to be rather offhand, and are generally useless to someone in- terested in going to the sources themselves.

The halftone illustrations are almost incidental, and the "clever" line drawings unnecessary. The physical makeup of the book, the accuracy of the typography indi- cate to this reader a superficial interest, on the publisher's part, in the entire project.

Is the book worth the time and effort needed to read it? Discounting the price, which I feel is exorbitant, I suspect that it is, providing the reader treats all but

too personal an involvement. For all this the book creates anew the provocation of an artistic style of a provocative century, and the sense of Seuphor's homage is justi- fiable on the grounds of what it has finally brought to light.

SIDNEY TILLIM New York

Fritz Mendax, Art Fakes and Forgeries, tr. H. S. Whitman, 222 pp., 24 pl., 39 line dr., New York: Philosophical Li- brary, 1956. $6.00. It is difficult to ascertain, just from the

book itself, whether the casual and some- what flippant attitude of this small, easy- to-read volume, is that of the author Fritz Mendax, or of the translator, H. S. Whitman. The publisher is of no help since no indication is given of the genesis of this book, which looks at a number of famous examples of duplication and for- gery in various of the visual arts, as well as deceits practiced in other realms.

The various accounts, which are organ- ized into a loose chronological sequence, seem accurate enough, but they are so presented that anyone desiring more than a jocose and rambling narrative is bound to be disappointed by this presentation.

Nor can this work be considered a Primer, or sort of a "first book" in a field which deserves far more attention from the scholar than it has received. The so- called scholarly impedimenta of organized documentation, citation of sources, and bibliography, is completely missing; and the few references incorporated into the body of the text tend to be rather offhand, and are generally useless to someone in- terested in going to the sources themselves.

The halftone illustrations are almost incidental, and the "clever" line drawings unnecessary. The physical makeup of the book, the accuracy of the typography indi- cate to this reader a superficial interest, on the publisher's part, in the entire project.

Is the book worth the time and effort needed to read it? Discounting the price, which I feel is exorbitant, I suspect that it is, providing the reader treats all but

too personal an involvement. For all this the book creates anew the provocation of an artistic style of a provocative century, and the sense of Seuphor's homage is justi- fiable on the grounds of what it has finally brought to light.

SIDNEY TILLIM New York

Fritz Mendax, Art Fakes and Forgeries, tr. H. S. Whitman, 222 pp., 24 pl., 39 line dr., New York: Philosophical Li- brary, 1956. $6.00. It is difficult to ascertain, just from the

book itself, whether the casual and some- what flippant attitude of this small, easy- to-read volume, is that of the author Fritz Mendax, or of the translator, H. S. Whitman. The publisher is of no help since no indication is given of the genesis of this book, which looks at a number of famous examples of duplication and for- gery in various of the visual arts, as well as deceits practiced in other realms.

The various accounts, which are organ- ized into a loose chronological sequence, seem accurate enough, but they are so presented that anyone desiring more than a jocose and rambling narrative is bound to be disappointed by this presentation.

Nor can this work be considered a Primer, or sort of a "first book" in a field which deserves far more attention from the scholar than it has received. The so- called scholarly impedimenta of organized documentation, citation of sources, and bibliography, is completely missing; and the few references incorporated into the body of the text tend to be rather offhand, and are generally useless to someone in- terested in going to the sources themselves.

The halftone illustrations are almost incidental, and the "clever" line drawings unnecessary. The physical makeup of the book, the accuracy of the typography indi- cate to this reader a superficial interest, on the publisher's part, in the entire project.

Is the book worth the time and effort needed to read it? Discounting the price, which I feel is exorbitant, I suspect that it is, providing the reader treats all but

too personal an involvement. For all this the book creates anew the provocation of an artistic style of a provocative century, and the sense of Seuphor's homage is justi- fiable on the grounds of what it has finally brought to light.

SIDNEY TILLIM New York

Fritz Mendax, Art Fakes and Forgeries, tr. H. S. Whitman, 222 pp., 24 pl., 39 line dr., New York: Philosophical Li- brary, 1956. $6.00. It is difficult to ascertain, just from the

book itself, whether the casual and some- what flippant attitude of this small, easy- to-read volume, is that of the author Fritz Mendax, or of the translator, H. S. Whitman. The publisher is of no help since no indication is given of the genesis of this book, which looks at a number of famous examples of duplication and for- gery in various of the visual arts, as well as deceits practiced in other realms.

The various accounts, which are organ- ized into a loose chronological sequence, seem accurate enough, but they are so presented that anyone desiring more than a jocose and rambling narrative is bound to be disappointed by this presentation.

Nor can this work be considered a Primer, or sort of a "first book" in a field which deserves far more attention from the scholar than it has received. The so- called scholarly impedimenta of organized documentation, citation of sources, and bibliography, is completely missing; and the few references incorporated into the body of the text tend to be rather offhand, and are generally useless to someone in- terested in going to the sources themselves.

The halftone illustrations are almost incidental, and the "clever" line drawings unnecessary. The physical makeup of the book, the accuracy of the typography indi- cate to this reader a superficial interest, on the publisher's part, in the entire project.

Is the book worth the time and effort needed to read it? Discounting the price, which I feel is exorbitant, I suspect that it is, providing the reader treats all but

too personal an involvement. For all this the book creates anew the provocation of an artistic style of a provocative century, and the sense of Seuphor's homage is justi- fiable on the grounds of what it has finally brought to light.

SIDNEY TILLIM New York

Fritz Mendax, Art Fakes and Forgeries, tr. H. S. Whitman, 222 pp., 24 pl., 39 line dr., New York: Philosophical Li- brary, 1956. $6.00. It is difficult to ascertain, just from the

book itself, whether the casual and some- what flippant attitude of this small, easy- to-read volume, is that of the author Fritz Mendax, or of the translator, H. S. Whitman. The publisher is of no help since no indication is given of the genesis of this book, which looks at a number of famous examples of duplication and for- gery in various of the visual arts, as well as deceits practiced in other realms.

The various accounts, which are organ- ized into a loose chronological sequence, seem accurate enough, but they are so presented that anyone desiring more than a jocose and rambling narrative is bound to be disappointed by this presentation.

Nor can this work be considered a Primer, or sort of a "first book" in a field which deserves far more attention from the scholar than it has received. The so- called scholarly impedimenta of organized documentation, citation of sources, and bibliography, is completely missing; and the few references incorporated into the body of the text tend to be rather offhand, and are generally useless to someone in- terested in going to the sources themselves.

The halftone illustrations are almost incidental, and the "clever" line drawings unnecessary. The physical makeup of the book, the accuracy of the typography indi- cate to this reader a superficial interest, on the publisher's part, in the entire project.

Is the book worth the time and effort needed to read it? Discounting the price, which I feel is exorbitant, I suspect that it is, providing the reader treats all but

too personal an involvement. For all this the book creates anew the provocation of an artistic style of a provocative century, and the sense of Seuphor's homage is justi- fiable on the grounds of what it has finally brought to light.

SIDNEY TILLIM New York

Fritz Mendax, Art Fakes and Forgeries, tr. H. S. Whitman, 222 pp., 24 pl., 39 line dr., New York: Philosophical Li- brary, 1956. $6.00. It is difficult to ascertain, just from the

book itself, whether the casual and some- what flippant attitude of this small, easy- to-read volume, is that of the author Fritz Mendax, or of the translator, H. S. Whitman. The publisher is of no help since no indication is given of the genesis of this book, which looks at a number of famous examples of duplication and for- gery in various of the visual arts, as well as deceits practiced in other realms.

The various accounts, which are organ- ized into a loose chronological sequence, seem accurate enough, but they are so presented that anyone desiring more than a jocose and rambling narrative is bound to be disappointed by this presentation.

Nor can this work be considered a Primer, or sort of a "first book" in a field which deserves far more attention from the scholar than it has received. The so- called scholarly impedimenta of organized documentation, citation of sources, and bibliography, is completely missing; and the few references incorporated into the body of the text tend to be rather offhand, and are generally useless to someone in- terested in going to the sources themselves.

The halftone illustrations are almost incidental, and the "clever" line drawings unnecessary. The physical makeup of the book, the accuracy of the typography indi- cate to this reader a superficial interest, on the publisher's part, in the entire project.

Is the book worth the time and effort needed to read it? Discounting the price, which I feel is exorbitant, I suspect that it is, providing the reader treats all but

This content downloaded from 128.235.251.160 on Wed, 3 Dec 2014 23:36:58 PMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

the last two chapters as recreational read- ing. The last two chapters represent an interesting and sometimes thought-provok- ing analysis of the entire problem of fak- ing and forgery and is probably the best portion of this book.

GEORGE EHRLICH The University of Kansas City

Raffaello Causa, Pitloc, 131 pp., 76 pl. (5 in color), Naples: Mele, 1956. L. 3500.

Francis Napier, Pittura Napolitana dell' Ottocento, tr. Susanna d'Ambrosio, int. Ottavio Morisani, 134 pp., 8 pl., Naples: Fausto Fiorentino, 1956. L. 750. Although certainly one of the most in-

teresting aspects of art in the nineteenth century is the development of landscape painting, historians have often been rather more inclined to speculate on the course of events than to find out actually what happened. If a critic of the time stated that such painters as Voogt, Verstappen, Teerlink, Chauvin or Denis were leading landscapists at work in Italy during the 1820's-the period, for example, which marks Corot's Italian beginnings-the tendency has sometimes been to declare him misguided or superficial, since we have rarely even seen works by these artists. Our historical structure has been based on a few appealing masters of selected quality, and our assumptions have been generous.

Such a situation has existed to a large extent also among Italian historians in looking at art in Italy during the past century. Two schools of landscape were early isolated, and much effort has been spent on proving their autonomy and char- acterizing their individuality. These are the so-called "School of Posillipo" in Naples, and the Florentine "Macchiaioli," memorialized in a large and handsome ex- hibition shown in Rome and Venice last year.

However, over the past few years two things have happened to change somewhat the complexion of landscape study in Italy. In the first place have been the exhibitions. Out of local interest many smaller centers have organized exhibitions of their for-

the last two chapters as recreational read- ing. The last two chapters represent an interesting and sometimes thought-provok- ing analysis of the entire problem of fak- ing and forgery and is probably the best portion of this book.

GEORGE EHRLICH The University of Kansas City

Raffaello Causa, Pitloc, 131 pp., 76 pl. (5 in color), Naples: Mele, 1956. L. 3500.

Francis Napier, Pittura Napolitana dell' Ottocento, tr. Susanna d'Ambrosio, int. Ottavio Morisani, 134 pp., 8 pl., Naples: Fausto Fiorentino, 1956. L. 750. Although certainly one of the most in-

teresting aspects of art in the nineteenth century is the development of landscape painting, historians have often been rather more inclined to speculate on the course of events than to find out actually what happened. If a critic of the time stated that such painters as Voogt, Verstappen, Teerlink, Chauvin or Denis were leading landscapists at work in Italy during the 1820's-the period, for example, which marks Corot's Italian beginnings-the tendency has sometimes been to declare him misguided or superficial, since we have rarely even seen works by these artists. Our historical structure has been based on a few appealing masters of selected quality, and our assumptions have been generous.

Such a situation has existed to a large extent also among Italian historians in looking at art in Italy during the past century. Two schools of landscape were early isolated, and much effort has been spent on proving their autonomy and char- acterizing their individuality. These are the so-called "School of Posillipo" in Naples, and the Florentine "Macchiaioli," memorialized in a large and handsome ex- hibition shown in Rome and Venice last year.

However, over the past few years two things have happened to change somewhat the complexion of landscape study in Italy. In the first place have been the exhibitions. Out of local interest many smaller centers have organized exhibitions of their for-

the last two chapters as recreational read- ing. The last two chapters represent an interesting and sometimes thought-provok- ing analysis of the entire problem of fak- ing and forgery and is probably the best portion of this book.

GEORGE EHRLICH The University of Kansas City

Raffaello Causa, Pitloc, 131 pp., 76 pl. (5 in color), Naples: Mele, 1956. L. 3500.

Francis Napier, Pittura Napolitana dell' Ottocento, tr. Susanna d'Ambrosio, int. Ottavio Morisani, 134 pp., 8 pl., Naples: Fausto Fiorentino, 1956. L. 750. Although certainly one of the most in-

teresting aspects of art in the nineteenth century is the development of landscape painting, historians have often been rather more inclined to speculate on the course of events than to find out actually what happened. If a critic of the time stated that such painters as Voogt, Verstappen, Teerlink, Chauvin or Denis were leading landscapists at work in Italy during the 1820's-the period, for example, which marks Corot's Italian beginnings-the tendency has sometimes been to declare him misguided or superficial, since we have rarely even seen works by these artists. Our historical structure has been based on a few appealing masters of selected quality, and our assumptions have been generous.

Such a situation has existed to a large extent also among Italian historians in looking at art in Italy during the past century. Two schools of landscape were early isolated, and much effort has been spent on proving their autonomy and char- acterizing their individuality. These are the so-called "School of Posillipo" in Naples, and the Florentine "Macchiaioli," memorialized in a large and handsome ex- hibition shown in Rome and Venice last year.

However, over the past few years two things have happened to change somewhat the complexion of landscape study in Italy. In the first place have been the exhibitions. Out of local interest many smaller centers have organized exhibitions of their for-

the last two chapters as recreational read- ing. The last two chapters represent an interesting and sometimes thought-provok- ing analysis of the entire problem of fak- ing and forgery and is probably the best portion of this book.

GEORGE EHRLICH The University of Kansas City

Raffaello Causa, Pitloc, 131 pp., 76 pl. (5 in color), Naples: Mele, 1956. L. 3500.

Francis Napier, Pittura Napolitana dell' Ottocento, tr. Susanna d'Ambrosio, int. Ottavio Morisani, 134 pp., 8 pl., Naples: Fausto Fiorentino, 1956. L. 750. Although certainly one of the most in-

teresting aspects of art in the nineteenth century is the development of landscape painting, historians have often been rather more inclined to speculate on the course of events than to find out actually what happened. If a critic of the time stated that such painters as Voogt, Verstappen, Teerlink, Chauvin or Denis were leading landscapists at work in Italy during the 1820's-the period, for example, which marks Corot's Italian beginnings-the tendency has sometimes been to declare him misguided or superficial, since we have rarely even seen works by these artists. Our historical structure has been based on a few appealing masters of selected quality, and our assumptions have been generous.

Such a situation has existed to a large extent also among Italian historians in looking at art in Italy during the past century. Two schools of landscape were early isolated, and much effort has been spent on proving their autonomy and char- acterizing their individuality. These are the so-called "School of Posillipo" in Naples, and the Florentine "Macchiaioli," memorialized in a large and handsome ex- hibition shown in Rome and Venice last year.

However, over the past few years two things have happened to change somewhat the complexion of landscape study in Italy. In the first place have been the exhibitions. Out of local interest many smaller centers have organized exhibitions of their for-

the last two chapters as recreational read- ing. The last two chapters represent an interesting and sometimes thought-provok- ing analysis of the entire problem of fak- ing and forgery and is probably the best portion of this book.

GEORGE EHRLICH The University of Kansas City

Raffaello Causa, Pitloc, 131 pp., 76 pl. (5 in color), Naples: Mele, 1956. L. 3500.

Francis Napier, Pittura Napolitana dell' Ottocento, tr. Susanna d'Ambrosio, int. Ottavio Morisani, 134 pp., 8 pl., Naples: Fausto Fiorentino, 1956. L. 750. Although certainly one of the most in-

teresting aspects of art in the nineteenth century is the development of landscape painting, historians have often been rather more inclined to speculate on the course of events than to find out actually what happened. If a critic of the time stated that such painters as Voogt, Verstappen, Teerlink, Chauvin or Denis were leading landscapists at work in Italy during the 1820's-the period, for example, which marks Corot's Italian beginnings-the tendency has sometimes been to declare him misguided or superficial, since we have rarely even seen works by these artists. Our historical structure has been based on a few appealing masters of selected quality, and our assumptions have been generous.

Such a situation has existed to a large extent also among Italian historians in looking at art in Italy during the past century. Two schools of landscape were early isolated, and much effort has been spent on proving their autonomy and char- acterizing their individuality. These are the so-called "School of Posillipo" in Naples, and the Florentine "Macchiaioli," memorialized in a large and handsome ex- hibition shown in Rome and Venice last year.

However, over the past few years two things have happened to change somewhat the complexion of landscape study in Italy. In the first place have been the exhibitions. Out of local interest many smaller centers have organized exhibitions of their for-

the last two chapters as recreational read- ing. The last two chapters represent an interesting and sometimes thought-provok- ing analysis of the entire problem of fak- ing and forgery and is probably the best portion of this book.

GEORGE EHRLICH The University of Kansas City

Raffaello Causa, Pitloc, 131 pp., 76 pl. (5 in color), Naples: Mele, 1956. L. 3500.

Francis Napier, Pittura Napolitana dell' Ottocento, tr. Susanna d'Ambrosio, int. Ottavio Morisani, 134 pp., 8 pl., Naples: Fausto Fiorentino, 1956. L. 750. Although certainly one of the most in-

teresting aspects of art in the nineteenth century is the development of landscape painting, historians have often been rather more inclined to speculate on the course of events than to find out actually what happened. If a critic of the time stated that such painters as Voogt, Verstappen, Teerlink, Chauvin or Denis were leading landscapists at work in Italy during the 1820's-the period, for example, which marks Corot's Italian beginnings-the tendency has sometimes been to declare him misguided or superficial, since we have rarely even seen works by these artists. Our historical structure has been based on a few appealing masters of selected quality, and our assumptions have been generous.

Such a situation has existed to a large extent also among Italian historians in looking at art in Italy during the past century. Two schools of landscape were early isolated, and much effort has been spent on proving their autonomy and char- acterizing their individuality. These are the so-called "School of Posillipo" in Naples, and the Florentine "Macchiaioli," memorialized in a large and handsome ex- hibition shown in Rome and Venice last year.

However, over the past few years two things have happened to change somewhat the complexion of landscape study in Italy. In the first place have been the exhibitions. Out of local interest many smaller centers have organized exhibitions of their for-

the last two chapters as recreational read- ing. The last two chapters represent an interesting and sometimes thought-provok- ing analysis of the entire problem of fak- ing and forgery and is probably the best portion of this book.

GEORGE EHRLICH The University of Kansas City

Raffaello Causa, Pitloc, 131 pp., 76 pl. (5 in color), Naples: Mele, 1956. L. 3500.

Francis Napier, Pittura Napolitana dell' Ottocento, tr. Susanna d'Ambrosio, int. Ottavio Morisani, 134 pp., 8 pl., Naples: Fausto Fiorentino, 1956. L. 750. Although certainly one of the most in-

teresting aspects of art in the nineteenth century is the development of landscape painting, historians have often been rather more inclined to speculate on the course of events than to find out actually what happened. If a critic of the time stated that such painters as Voogt, Verstappen, Teerlink, Chauvin or Denis were leading landscapists at work in Italy during the 1820's-the period, for example, which marks Corot's Italian beginnings-the tendency has sometimes been to declare him misguided or superficial, since we have rarely even seen works by these artists. Our historical structure has been based on a few appealing masters of selected quality, and our assumptions have been generous.

Such a situation has existed to a large extent also among Italian historians in looking at art in Italy during the past century. Two schools of landscape were early isolated, and much effort has been spent on proving their autonomy and char- acterizing their individuality. These are the so-called "School of Posillipo" in Naples, and the Florentine "Macchiaioli," memorialized in a large and handsome ex- hibition shown in Rome and Venice last year.

However, over the past few years two things have happened to change somewhat the complexion of landscape study in Italy. In the first place have been the exhibitions. Out of local interest many smaller centers have organized exhibitions of their for-

gotten painters, complicating the general picture most significantly. Often repeated names have finally become pictorial reali- ties. Then there have been exhibitions or- ganized on the basis of the local scene rather than schools of painting, such as the exhibition of views of Rome from the collection of Baron Lemmerman shown in Rome a short time ago, which cut across national and local restrictions in a most informative way. Secondly, there has been an increasing number of careful and well illustrated monographs on painters previ- ously considered too humble for such no- tice.

Mr. Causa's book on the Dutch painter Antonio Smink Pitloo (1790-1837) is such a monograph. It has, in a way, a double significance. In the sympathetic treatment of a man highly regarded in his time and largely neglected or disparaged by modern writers, it loosens the bonds of modern historical schemes to permit new insight on past art and criticism, paving the way for more just evaluations. And, in its restoration of value to a foreign painter working in Italy-some will probably un- justly say at the expense of native painters -it reopens the problem which is basic to any discussion of art in Italy in the first half of the nineteenth century: what rela- tionship existed between the artists of various foreign backgrounds who found their common inspiration in the Italian landscape?

Pitloo, after a brief period of study in Paris and a sojourn in the active landscape circle of Rome, in which Causa believes Granet was a primary force, moved to Naples about 1815. There he settled to re- main the rest of his life. Many of his small paintings of Naples and the sur- rounding country glow with light and have a freedom of composition which sepa- rates them markedly from the constructions of the classical landscapists. His color has often an attractive transparency and a range of hue very different from the works of many of his predecessors. He emerges here as a worthy father of the "School of Posillipo," Naples' important landscape movement.

Pitloo was by no means, of course, the

CAJ XVI 4 358

gotten painters, complicating the general picture most significantly. Often repeated names have finally become pictorial reali- ties. Then there have been exhibitions or- ganized on the basis of the local scene rather than schools of painting, such as the exhibition of views of Rome from the collection of Baron Lemmerman shown in Rome a short time ago, which cut across national and local restrictions in a most informative way. Secondly, there has been an increasing number of careful and well illustrated monographs on painters previ- ously considered too humble for such no- tice.

Mr. Causa's book on the Dutch painter Antonio Smink Pitloo (1790-1837) is such a monograph. It has, in a way, a double significance. In the sympathetic treatment of a man highly regarded in his time and largely neglected or disparaged by modern writers, it loosens the bonds of modern historical schemes to permit new insight on past art and criticism, paving the way for more just evaluations. And, in its restoration of value to a foreign painter working in Italy-some will probably un- justly say at the expense of native painters -it reopens the problem which is basic to any discussion of art in Italy in the first half of the nineteenth century: what rela- tionship existed between the artists of various foreign backgrounds who found their common inspiration in the Italian landscape?

Pitloo, after a brief period of study in Paris and a sojourn in the active landscape circle of Rome, in which Causa believes Granet was a primary force, moved to Naples about 1815. There he settled to re- main the rest of his life. Many of his small paintings of Naples and the sur- rounding country glow with light and have a freedom of composition which sepa- rates them markedly from the constructions of the classical landscapists. His color has often an attractive transparency and a range of hue very different from the works of many of his predecessors. He emerges here as a worthy father of the "School of Posillipo," Naples' important landscape movement.

Pitloo was by no means, of course, the

CAJ XVI 4 358

gotten painters, complicating the general picture most significantly. Often repeated names have finally become pictorial reali- ties. Then there have been exhibitions or- ganized on the basis of the local scene rather than schools of painting, such as the exhibition of views of Rome from the collection of Baron Lemmerman shown in Rome a short time ago, which cut across national and local restrictions in a most informative way. Secondly, there has been an increasing number of careful and well illustrated monographs on painters previ- ously considered too humble for such no- tice.

Mr. Causa's book on the Dutch painter Antonio Smink Pitloo (1790-1837) is such a monograph. It has, in a way, a double significance. In the sympathetic treatment of a man highly regarded in his time and largely neglected or disparaged by modern writers, it loosens the bonds of modern historical schemes to permit new insight on past art and criticism, paving the way for more just evaluations. And, in its restoration of value to a foreign painter working in Italy-some will probably un- justly say at the expense of native painters -it reopens the problem which is basic to any discussion of art in Italy in the first half of the nineteenth century: what rela- tionship existed between the artists of various foreign backgrounds who found their common inspiration in the Italian landscape?

Pitloo, after a brief period of study in Paris and a sojourn in the active landscape circle of Rome, in which Causa believes Granet was a primary force, moved to Naples about 1815. There he settled to re- main the rest of his life. Many of his small paintings of Naples and the sur- rounding country glow with light and have a freedom of composition which sepa- rates them markedly from the constructions of the classical landscapists. His color has often an attractive transparency and a range of hue very different from the works of many of his predecessors. He emerges here as a worthy father of the "School of Posillipo," Naples' important landscape movement.

Pitloo was by no means, of course, the

CAJ XVI 4 358

gotten painters, complicating the general picture most significantly. Often repeated names have finally become pictorial reali- ties. Then there have been exhibitions or- ganized on the basis of the local scene rather than schools of painting, such as the exhibition of views of Rome from the collection of Baron Lemmerman shown in Rome a short time ago, which cut across national and local restrictions in a most informative way. Secondly, there has been an increasing number of careful and well illustrated monographs on painters previ- ously considered too humble for such no- tice.

Mr. Causa's book on the Dutch painter Antonio Smink Pitloo (1790-1837) is such a monograph. It has, in a way, a double significance. In the sympathetic treatment of a man highly regarded in his time and largely neglected or disparaged by modern writers, it loosens the bonds of modern historical schemes to permit new insight on past art and criticism, paving the way for more just evaluations. And, in its restoration of value to a foreign painter working in Italy-some will probably un- justly say at the expense of native painters -it reopens the problem which is basic to any discussion of art in Italy in the first half of the nineteenth century: what rela- tionship existed between the artists of various foreign backgrounds who found their common inspiration in the Italian landscape?

Pitloo, after a brief period of study in Paris and a sojourn in the active landscape circle of Rome, in which Causa believes Granet was a primary force, moved to Naples about 1815. There he settled to re- main the rest of his life. Many of his small paintings of Naples and the sur- rounding country glow with light and have a freedom of composition which sepa- rates them markedly from the constructions of the classical landscapists. His color has often an attractive transparency and a range of hue very different from the works of many of his predecessors. He emerges here as a worthy father of the "School of Posillipo," Naples' important landscape movement.

Pitloo was by no means, of course, the

CAJ XVI 4 358

gotten painters, complicating the general picture most significantly. Often repeated names have finally become pictorial reali- ties. Then there have been exhibitions or- ganized on the basis of the local scene rather than schools of painting, such as the exhibition of views of Rome from the collection of Baron Lemmerman shown in Rome a short time ago, which cut across national and local restrictions in a most informative way. Secondly, there has been an increasing number of careful and well illustrated monographs on painters previ- ously considered too humble for such no- tice.

Mr. Causa's book on the Dutch painter Antonio Smink Pitloo (1790-1837) is such a monograph. It has, in a way, a double significance. In the sympathetic treatment of a man highly regarded in his time and largely neglected or disparaged by modern writers, it loosens the bonds of modern historical schemes to permit new insight on past art and criticism, paving the way for more just evaluations. And, in its restoration of value to a foreign painter working in Italy-some will probably un- justly say at the expense of native painters -it reopens the problem which is basic to any discussion of art in Italy in the first half of the nineteenth century: what rela- tionship existed between the artists of various foreign backgrounds who found their common inspiration in the Italian landscape?

Pitloo, after a brief period of study in Paris and a sojourn in the active landscape circle of Rome, in which Causa believes Granet was a primary force, moved to Naples about 1815. There he settled to re- main the rest of his life. Many of his small paintings of Naples and the sur- rounding country glow with light and have a freedom of composition which sepa- rates them markedly from the constructions of the classical landscapists. His color has often an attractive transparency and a range of hue very different from the works of many of his predecessors. He emerges here as a worthy father of the "School of Posillipo," Naples' important landscape movement.

Pitloo was by no means, of course, the

CAJ XVI 4 358

gotten painters, complicating the general picture most significantly. Often repeated names have finally become pictorial reali- ties. Then there have been exhibitions or- ganized on the basis of the local scene rather than schools of painting, such as the exhibition of views of Rome from the collection of Baron Lemmerman shown in Rome a short time ago, which cut across national and local restrictions in a most informative way. Secondly, there has been an increasing number of careful and well illustrated monographs on painters previ- ously considered too humble for such no- tice.

Mr. Causa's book on the Dutch painter Antonio Smink Pitloo (1790-1837) is such a monograph. It has, in a way, a double significance. In the sympathetic treatment of a man highly regarded in his time and largely neglected or disparaged by modern writers, it loosens the bonds of modern historical schemes to permit new insight on past art and criticism, paving the way for more just evaluations. And, in its restoration of value to a foreign painter working in Italy-some will probably un- justly say at the expense of native painters -it reopens the problem which is basic to any discussion of art in Italy in the first half of the nineteenth century: what rela- tionship existed between the artists of various foreign backgrounds who found their common inspiration in the Italian landscape?

Pitloo, after a brief period of study in Paris and a sojourn in the active landscape circle of Rome, in which Causa believes Granet was a primary force, moved to Naples about 1815. There he settled to re- main the rest of his life. Many of his small paintings of Naples and the sur- rounding country glow with light and have a freedom of composition which sepa- rates them markedly from the constructions of the classical landscapists. His color has often an attractive transparency and a range of hue very different from the works of many of his predecessors. He emerges here as a worthy father of the "School of Posillipo," Naples' important landscape movement.

Pitloo was by no means, of course, the

CAJ XVI 4 358

gotten painters, complicating the general picture most significantly. Often repeated names have finally become pictorial reali- ties. Then there have been exhibitions or- ganized on the basis of the local scene rather than schools of painting, such as the exhibition of views of Rome from the collection of Baron Lemmerman shown in Rome a short time ago, which cut across national and local restrictions in a most informative way. Secondly, there has been an increasing number of careful and well illustrated monographs on painters previ- ously considered too humble for such no- tice.

Mr. Causa's book on the Dutch painter Antonio Smink Pitloo (1790-1837) is such a monograph. It has, in a way, a double significance. In the sympathetic treatment of a man highly regarded in his time and largely neglected or disparaged by modern writers, it loosens the bonds of modern historical schemes to permit new insight on past art and criticism, paving the way for more just evaluations. And, in its restoration of value to a foreign painter working in Italy-some will probably un- justly say at the expense of native painters -it reopens the problem which is basic to any discussion of art in Italy in the first half of the nineteenth century: what rela- tionship existed between the artists of various foreign backgrounds who found their common inspiration in the Italian landscape?

Pitloo, after a brief period of study in Paris and a sojourn in the active landscape circle of Rome, in which Causa believes Granet was a primary force, moved to Naples about 1815. There he settled to re- main the rest of his life. Many of his small paintings of Naples and the sur- rounding country glow with light and have a freedom of composition which sepa- rates them markedly from the constructions of the classical landscapists. His color has often an attractive transparency and a range of hue very different from the works of many of his predecessors. He emerges here as a worthy father of the "School of Posillipo," Naples' important landscape movement.

Pitloo was by no means, of course, the

CAJ XVI 4 358

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