漏 Copyright 2001 R. G. Harrison Letter R38 The Hague, c. 2 July 1883
Amice Rappard,
I want to write you another letter while you are travelling. 1 Thanks for the package of books. I should like to apply Zola鈥檚 own words about Hugo to Zola鈥檚 Mes Haines: 鈥淛e voudrais d茅montrer qu鈥櫭﹖ant donn茅 un tel homme sur un tel sujet le r茅sultat ne pourrait 锚tre un autre livre qu鈥檌l n鈥檈st.鈥?[I wanted to demonstrate that given such a man writing on such a subject, the result could only be such a book.] And moreover Zola鈥檚 own words on the same occasion: 鈥淛e ne cesserai de r茅p茅ter: la critique de ce livre, telle qu鈥檈lle s鈥檈st exerc茅e, me para卯t une monstrueuse injustice.鈥?[I won鈥檛 stop repeating: the criticism of this book, as it is exercised, seems to me a monstrous injustice.]
I鈥檒l very gladly begin in this matter by saying that I consequently do not belong to those who think ill of Zola for writing such a book. Through it I come to know Zola, I come to know Zola鈥檚 weak point 鈥?deficient ideas on the art of painting 鈥?pr茅jug茅s instead of jugement juste in this special matter. But, my dear friend, shall I feel offended by a friend of mine because of a fault in his character? 鈥?far be it from me. On the contrary, I love him all the more for his fault. So I read the articles on the Salon with a very peculiar feeling; I thought him enormously mistaken, his ideas entirely wrong, except partly his appreciation of Manet 鈥?I think Manet clever too 鈥?but it is very interesting to read Zola鈥檚 ideas about art, as interesting, so to speak, as a landscape by a figure painter, for instance. It isn鈥檛 his genre, it鈥檚 superficial 鈥?incorrect, but what a conception 鈥?not carried through 鈥?never mind 鈥?not quite clear 鈥?never mind 鈥?it makes one think and is original and at least sparkling with life. But for all that, it鈥檚 wrong and most inaccurate and unjustified. It is very interesting to hear what he has to say about Erckmann-Chatrian. Here he doesn鈥檛 shoot so wildly at random as when he talks about pictures,
and his criticism hits the mark damned accurately at times. I take the greatest pleasure in permitting him to reproach Erckmann-Chatrian for mixing a certain amount of egoism with his [sic, their] morality. He is furthermore right in saying that when Erckmann-Chatrian starts [sic] describing Parisian life he [sic] gets too insipid because he is not at home with the subject. As for this criticism, however, there is the question by way of contrast, Is Zola at home with the subject of the Alsace? 鈥?and if he were, wouldn鈥檛 he be more interested in Erckmann鈥檚 figures, which are as beautiful as those of Knaus and Vautier?
As regards the 鈥渓ittle mustard seed鈥?of egoism in most of the characters 鈥?and Erckmann seems to side with them 鈥?Old Rabbi David and Wagner and Th茅r猫se 鈥?I think here the somewhat egoistic Erckmann-Chatrian approach the sublime, and he [sic] is hors ligne because of this.
Zola has this much in common with Balzac, that he knows little about painting. Two types of painters in Zola鈥檚 works 鈥?Claude Lantier in Le Ventre de Paris and another one in Th茅r猫se Raquin 鈥?vague shadows of Manet, I think 鈥?a kind of impressionist. So much for that.
Well, Balzac鈥檚 painters are enormously tedious, very boring.
Now, here I should like to go on talking about myself, but I am no critic. But I want to add this: I am glad he lands Taine one in the eye; Taine deserves it, for at times he is irritating with his mathematical analysis. But despite that he (Taine) arrives through it at some curiously profound statements. So I read one of his pronouncements 鈥?about Dickens and Carlyle 鈥?鈥淟e fond du caract猫re anglais, c鈥檈st l鈥檃bsence du bonheur.鈥?[the foundation of the English character is the absence of happiness.] Now I won鈥檛 insist on the greater or lesser correctness of these words, but will point out that such words are proofs of very deep reflection, of forcing the eyes to penetrate into the darkness until one has finally seen something in it, whereas anybody else would see nothing. I think those words beautiful, damned beautiful, and they mean more to me than a thousand other words on the same problem, and so in this case I have the greatest respect for Taine.
Now I am delighted to be able to look through the Boughtons and Abbeys at my leisure. I think 鈥淚n the Potato Field鈥?the most beautiful of all, and the 鈥淏ell Ringers鈥?by Abbey. Text somewhat dry, somewhat cluttered with stories about hotels and antique dealers 鈥?I enjoy reading it. Why so? 鈥?for the same reason that I read that book by Zola 鈥?because of the personality of the man who wrote it.
Have you noticed that Zola doesn鈥檛 mention Millet at all? And yet I have read descriptions by Zola of a village churchyard and a deathbed and the funeral of a poor old peasant which were as beautiful as if they were Millets.
Consequently this omission is probably due to his not being acquainted with Millet鈥檚 work.
I also want to tell you that I have found an uncommonly beautiful sheet by T. Green, a brother or something of C. Green. It is a 鈥渇east鈥?in a London foundling hospital, orphan girls of some kind sitting at the table. Oh, you鈥檒l be crazy about it.
By the same, a smaller one besides, 鈥淎 City Congregation,鈥?drawn as delicately, as exquisitely as 鈥淏raemar鈥?by our friend J.M.L.R.
I have found two more sheets by this sphinx J.M.L.R. 鈥?whose name we have not been able to decipher so far,
but whom I suppose to be a brother, or at least a relation, of W. M. Ridley 鈥?one 鈥淭he Ascent of Mount Vesuvius鈥?and the other 鈥淎 Game of Football,鈥?both of them good, but not so excellent as the 鈥淏raemar 漏 Copyright 2001 R. G. Harrison Coach.鈥?I know a 鈥淪almon Fishers鈥?by him too and also 鈥淰olunteers in Camp鈥? the latter sheet gave me a clue to his name.
And further, by A. Hunt, 鈥淎 Procession of Monks in the Snow,鈥?as beautiful as a Legros; by W. M. Ridley,
鈥淟ondon Bridge鈥?and 鈥淓migrants鈥? by Buckmann, two 鈥淢arkets鈥?drawn particularly broadly and boldly and in a wholehearted manner.
By Barnard, 鈥淗ampstead Heath鈥?鈥?鈥淔irst to Come, Last to Go鈥?鈥?鈥淗ow the Poor Live.鈥?p style="line-height:25px;text-indent:32px"> By Hopkins, 鈥淐hildren on the Sea Beach,鈥?very delicate of tone. By Millets [? 鈥?probably Millais] himself, a beautiful sheet, 鈥淐hristmas Stories.鈥?p style="line-height:25px;text-indent:32px"> By Birken Forster, 鈥淲inter Landscapes鈥?and 鈥淐hristmas Time,鈥?very cozy.
Two important Gavarnis, first rates, 鈥淔orts de la Halle鈥?[Porters of the Vegetable Market], 鈥淒ames de la Halle鈥?p style="line-height:25px;text-indent:32px"> [Women of the Vegetable Market] and 鈥淟es 脡trennes鈥?[The Gifts].
Then R茅gameys 鈥?beautiful Japanese motifs and a very large sheet, a masterpiece, 鈥淭he Diamond Field,鈥?and another large composition, 鈥淟e Boeuf gras鈥?[The Fat Ox].
And by M. F. a sheet of medium size representing the treadmill in a prison, as beautiful as a R茅gamey.
By I don鈥檛 know whom, a marvellous thing of the steelworks in Sheffield; it is called 鈥淭he Fork Grinders.鈥?It is in the style of Edmond Morin, that is to say, his most compact and concise style.
You see, it isn鈥檛 so very much, but they are beautiful things, every one of them, and I consider them an important acquisition.
By Howard Pyle, a very fine 鈥淔igure of a Woman,鈥?and also beautiful landscapes by I. Reud.
Perhaps there are more, but these are the most important.
If you have already gone away on your trip, then tell me how your drawing is getting on.
I am working on the 鈥淧otato Diggers鈥? I also have a single figure of an old man and then a series of rough studies done during the potato harvest 鈥?a man burning weeds, a fellow with a sack, another one with a wheelbarrow, etc.
When you have returned from your trip I hope you will take measures to pay me an early visit.
I have also done another 鈥淪ower,鈥?perhaps the seventh or eighth study of that subject. This time I have put him in the open air on a large field with little clods of earth and a sky above it. I want very much to ask Zola a question that I should like to put to others too 鈥?鈥淛ust tell me, is it really true that there is no difference between a red earthenware dish with a cod in it, for instance, and, say, the figure of a digger or a sower? Is there or isn鈥檛 there a difference between Rembrandt and Van Beyeren (technically equally clever), between Volton and Millet?鈥?p style="line-height:25px;text-indent:32px"> Have you paid attention to that new magazine, Pictorial News? There are good things in it now and then, but most of them aren鈥檛 worth much.
My dear friend, I wish we could meet more often, but qu鈥檡 faire! Do write again, if you have time and feel so inclined. I don鈥檛 think the summer numbers of the Graphic and the London News particularly good. The Graphic has a beautiful Caldecott, however, which is the best one. And some things by Reinhardt, not of the best.
London News, Caton Woodvilles again.
I suppose you will think the sheets I wrote about more interesting. 鈥淒iamond Field鈥?by R茅gamey isn鈥檛 striking at all at first sight, but the more you look at it the more you admire it. The T. Greens are masterpieces.
My brother wrote me a letter about an exceptionally fine exhibition in Paris, etc., 鈥淟es Cent Chefs-d鈥橭euvre鈥?p style="line-height:25px;text-indent:32px"> [The Hundred Masterpieces].
Adieu, my dear friend, a pleasant journey, remember to write to me, i.e. if there is time for it. With a handshake,
Ever yours, Vincent
1. See letter 298 to Theo.