The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-11-04

NJ 0hS6S 00Ao - Eo1OumRD.Eu0IHC muir
ference 20 Ara.
We stated, few days ago, that the sale Of paint
ines at the National Academy Of Design had not
proved % profitable as might have been hoped.
Many Of the pictures sold for barely the value
frames, and worksof very great merit we're adudged
to bidders at two and three hundred dollars. As
beginning, We understand that the parties who got
up the auction, without being satisfied with tho
result seem to think that it promises better things
for the future. We hope go At the same time, we
cannot conceal the fact that great change must
take place in che desires and feelings of the public
Of New York before painting can become profit
able profession.
To greater degree even than the English,
Americans infected with prejudice in favor Of
foreign art. Whatever bears the stamp of Paris or
Rome, is admired and treasured, independently Of
its intrinsic merits Paintings which would be con-
signed to the lumber in any Of the large cities
Of Europe, arc here honored with conspicuous
place in the drawing-rocm, simply because they
bear the name of foreign artist. We could Gil o
column of tEis paper with the names of dirty little
sketches feeble limitations of TeDiers and Van Os-
tade, intended to represent impossible peasants in
blouses, smoking excessively short pipes round .
fabulous beer barrel, with Dutch built chamber-
Aiaiu, WIZ 10 III DuchSrO uuu,
that we have seen sold at enormous prices. Others
which we should perhaps best describe by saying
they were black squares Of canvass, with glazing
red blotch in the middle, benevolently styled
"truth Of lights; and yet third class of monsters
designed to depict he.o of antiquity, dressed in q
helmet, with tawny skin, and muscular develope-
meDt far exceeding the Farnese Hercules, dallying
with aeshy n, mph modessly attired in her own
I'LL
tors Of vuta- provided always the author have
Flemish or an italian name. Il suf6ces us
tha. the European critics have stamped their ap.
probation the works Of an artist, for his
worst productions or even limitations Of them, to be
preferred to the most ritorious compositions of
own painters. The foreign work may have been
faulty from the beginnng-timo may have effaced
the outline, and bedimmed the colors-- njudicious
admirers may have destroyed its beauties in attempt.
ing to clean it, it matters not 1t is bought for the
Iva zee, and priced accordingly.
1t must not be supposed however, that this love
of foreign art is INDUCED regardless Of pecuniary
considerations. The merchants of New York have
a feeling for art; but they have, we fear, still
liveer feeling for dollars. It was Metellus, il our
memory be not at fault, who, when the Syra,usaas
exposuated at his stripping their galleries of the
HUtsL udsteT plcCes OI LHo uucIenU pAlnLeIs, mhn6
light of their complaints and promised, as q mark
Of his upright dealing, to replace them by works of
the same size and color by artists Of the day And
in later times, we find king Of England grambling
that painter Hhom he had employ ed, charged him
much for his work for the coors and gliding
he obliged to purchase It is difficult to defend
oneself from these associations when one enters the
drawing of one Of Fifth avenue palaces, the
rent of which would pay for whole block in London
and which is furnished with the most expensive and
highly fnishcdrosewood and mahogany furniture, but
which cannot beast Of painting that cost four
hundred dollars People are too apt to measure the
value Of q work Of art as they would table or q
sofa; to calculate how many days, at so many hours
day, the artist was employ cd; ard, throwing in
small surplus for oils and canvass, to offer him
modest remuneration for the time he has ex pended
Su,h connoisseurs would have made neat orithme-
tical sum of the BEATRICE Cenc alt wing for the risk
which Guido ran in visiting the beautiful captive;
they would have made Michael Angelo handsome
allowance for the very inconvenieHt position in
which be painted the prophets the ceiling Of the
Sistine Chapel and would have fancied themselves
liberal in offering fifty dollars to the expeditions
Luca Giordano for one of his large compositions
We have no means Of judging Of the taste of ,hese
rutuosi; nor can we decide whether, catais pariJus
they would content to pay for virgin of Raphael
higher than Flemish mud scene, fboth were equal
in size. But judging from what We have seen and
heard fear that their rules of appreciation must
be extremely rude and simple.
This is not the way to encourage art in this coun-
try. Acute COM oisseurshp must be blended with
generous lberality if we wish tho United States
to add artistic to her political and commercial fame
w. e -. u
Spanish, and French schools, must be introduced
into the country, If we mean to emulate The genius
of their authors and while single Murilo is s,ld
in Paris for hundreds Of thousands, we cannot ex-
pect to purchase Rembrandts, vandykes Guidos
Dominiquinos, EorraiDes. Corregios, Salvatore,
Titians. Velasquez, for three or four hundred dol
Jars The proportion between the price Of senseless
objects Of luxury and that of works Of art, must be
better preserved. who can afford to pay
fifteen hundred dollars rent, whose domestic
expenses amount to ten thousand year, must
learn TO give, ungrudg'ng)y, couple of thou
sand, or more, for q good picture, if we do
not wish future Vests to desert their coun
try for land where art is really apprecia-
ted; for judcious appreciation of the old |
masters will always be accompanied by liberal
encouragement to modern artists the lattor are
Only despised by people who admire the former on
hearsay
No valid reason can be given for assigning to the
United States lower place in the annals Of art
than that occupied by Great Britain. The few
painters whom we have produced will compare "a
voTably with the native British artists; and. if we
make allowance foy the comparative age Of the two
countries, it may, perhaps, be found that in some
styles, such as portrais painting, we have the adj
vantage. But, maik the different circumstances in
which British and American painters placed
In England, an artist has constant opportunities
Of making himself known; constant exhibitions
give hin fair chance of showing the world
what he can do; and if no really possess
talent, wealthy men are not wanting TO offer
him a liberal reward for his labor The leading