The Fortnightly Review: No. CCCCLXIII, New Series [‎591r] (72/239)

A MORNING IN THE GALLERIES.
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their husbands, but by their dressmakers as trade advertisements
to puff their ‘ creations.’ ”
“ There is a portrait, indeed,” cried Sir Visto with enthusiasm,
taking us to Sargent’s Sujnior Garcia, ‘‘power, truth, character,
in every line. That is a portrait which Velasquez might have
owned.”
‘‘ Agreed, agreed, we shan’t quarrel over that,” said Van Dyke ;
‘‘ Sargent is the one man to-day w T ho dominates both Academy
and New Gallery at once, the man who unites mastery of his brush
to originality of conception—for sheer skill of hand he is matchless
and unerring.”
‘‘ A really great painter,” said Visto, ‘‘ when he chooses, and
does not play tricks, or is not poking fun at his sitters.”
‘‘ When does he not choose? ”, asked the painter.
‘‘ When he dashes off a satin gown in an hour, and flings in a
lace furbelow with three dabs of his brush.”
‘‘ And if he does,” retorted the painter, ‘‘ who could do it as
well in a week’s work? Besides, the gown and the furbelow have
to be looked at at least fifty feet away.”
‘‘ That is scene-painting, not portraiture,” said Visto ; ‘‘ I quite
agree that he has a marvellous gift of technique, but why does he
dab his shadows in with vermilion, and why are his women rouged
on the lips? Hung on a gallery wall twenty yards off, the effect is
brilliant, but I call it a trick, when you look close into the
handling.”
‘‘ You don’t mean to say that he makes game of his own
sitter? ”, I asked quite simply.
“ Well! ”, said Visto, ‘‘you remember the old dealer with the
thick red lips and the dog putting out his tongue to mimic his
master. And see how he bedizens his other multi-millionaire
sitters as if he said with his tongue in his cheek—what figures of
fun they are! But just come across to the grand Blenheim
group.”
‘‘ Surely,” I said, ‘‘ that is a superb piece for a great historic
palace. It reminds me of the Vandykes at Genoa. What a
grandiose group! The mighty Marlbrook, with the conquered
banners of lilies and his descendants to the tenth generation. What
life in the two boys, in the spaniels, what bravura in the whole
composition ! ’ ’
‘‘ Oh ! bravura indeed,” said Van Dyke, ” perhaps a trifle over
done, rather too pompously majestic.”
‘ ‘ Why do you say making game of his sitters ? ”, I asked
simply.
“ Well,” said Sir Visto, ‘‘ you see that, by the artifice of placing
the Duchess on the step and the Duke below it, the impression is