New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-04-24
THE FINE ARTS.
Exhibition Of the National Academy.


1t is the general opinion that the Exhi-
bition is not as good as that of last year. We DO
not agree to it. The best men Of last year have
done better now. GRAY, HICKS, HUNTINGDON,
KENsETT and ROssITER have each finer single pic
lures, to our fancy, than anything they exhibited
last spring The good landscapes are inferior in
number, certainly, but there nothing last year
better than KESsErr's Early AUTUMN in the
Franconia Mountains (l40), and Remi.iscenee Of
the White Mountains an, or the Nor~egia"
Forests (4l0), of CAPELLES. The portraits are
this year very numerous and very bad. We do
not know if the Committee have any discretion in
rejecting the offerings for the Exhibition. Prob
ably they have not, it might be dangerous
prerogatve. But there certain things upon
the walls which, in the interest of the artists and
the public, should not be presented to the general
eye except, perhaps for the purpose of challeng-
ing that caustic criticism which, if felt to be ju-
deious, would "quietus maxi" of such fragrant
msdirection of time and labor rs they evince.
We shall begin with the landscapes and with
the largest of them. These are The Spirit Of
War (4S) and The Spirit Of Peace (5O) by MIR.
CRopsEY The latter hangs in the same spot as his
Southern Italy Of last year. They are both pic
lures which have all his merits and all his faults.
One might say that CRoPsEY is too conscientious.
knowing that the landscape is composed OF inf
mite detail, however grand the general impression,
he seems unwilling that every bit of that detail
should not have full justice. Each spire OF grass,
each shrinking leaf must appear upon the canvas,
because it really exists in nature; and because
every scene teens with infinite variety oflife and
FORM he does not feel satisfied unless every point of
his picture does the same Upon this effort Crop
sEY avishes his resources Of color and the great fer
tility of his imagination. Each bit OF the mosaic
which forms his picture is sincerely studied and
wrought with genuine feeling. Hence the eye row.
ing over his canvas is attracted by a thousand
beauties, is charmed by the conviction Of the deli
cate observation and sympathetic touch OF the
artist, and wonders that the mass is not subdued
and elaborated into broad, general impression.
The effort to which this conscientiousness Sc
duces him il hopeless. 1t is no less than the
fault of the Dusseldorf school, although mani
tested in q less mechanical manner. When you
look at the landscape it is the grace OF
single tree and the harmonious consent OF
many trees in bold and beautiful groups
the languid winding Of the stream--the dreamy
ripple of vague hill outlines, or the solemn
grandeurs of mountain precipices and the heaving
sea, which make the landscape to the eye. The
observer knows that each Of those trees il an ag-
gregate of infinite tissues, that each stream Is
mass of drops, that each precpice has its own
geological peculiarities-but they are not visible
- AZ
parts of the impression. The observer sees little
of the wave and leaf but the whole spirit ana
power of the landscape strike his eye and remain
in his heart. To recall that impression and 70
deepen it by the revelation Of the sweeter secrets
which the eye of genius secs there, Is to pant
londscape. Let the artist study for years tho for
nation of boughs, the texture of tissues-iet him
uester the anatomy of every bit of moss and every
spinter of rock, but remember that these are has
exercises-the scales of his practice-the steps Of
his dancing; but none Of them all must appear 10
bis movement and his playing.
Now what the Dusseldorf men do in a small
way, CRopsEY does in larger manner; but it
essentially the same thing. The Dusseldorf men
expend their last sigh upon the reticuiAt'on "
Leaf md let the tree shit for ITSELF CKoPsEr
win have tho sunnower and the sheep ah" '''e
Ioutlycnpc must take its chnnce. Inc 'eS".' ;"
beth cases is that you are taught the exquisite
..,;,o NJ tbr leaf and recognize in the sunfiower
,,r Ill friend Of hundred gardens, but tho 'ana
sespc does not haunt you, and return again ana