The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-09-18
THE RID OF ART,
Gallery Of Paint ,ngs at tie Crystal
Palace.
The Herald Commissioner among
the Pictures.

Palace. The gallery Of paintings is now open to
visiters L stretches across the main nave at its
eastern extremity, and receives light from above by
day, and from serried OF small ga+burners, at
. email elevation, by night. Its size is so consider
able that could not help thinking, as our eye
Haa down its length, that had each country conri-
bled rs masterpieces there would be little left else
where for the student of art to admire Near seven
hundred paintings hang from its walls; and 50 judi
ciuusly have these been placed, that nearly all OF
them can be seen to advantage Throngs OF yisiters,
sneps whom pretty faces and bright toitettes we're
rather the rule than the exception, filed the gallery
N the occa sion of our visit. Many did the Exhibi
iop the homage of full Dress The catalogues not
yet printed; AID though this deficiency is, in GER
ssin sense an advantage inasmuch as the paintings
can only be judged their merits, still it was
we're rather Inconvenience by the want of this use
fnl auxiliary We heard Collins " Columbus criti-
cked as Gahleo, Protestant, Dwarf tried for
magic. Several ingenious theories were advanced
In our hearing to explain Antignan's" Inundaton,"
most of which were based on the superstition that
ne roof Of the house to which the peasants are flying
for SAFETY, was bill covered with moss aud brush
wood. One young lady, with des yeur mourants,
vas lost in rapture before painting which to hsr
r presented lover about to abandon his broken
hesr,ed mistress; it would have been the height
e cruelty inform her that it designed to de-
pics Christ with the adultress. These little quipro-
qncs, however, added a charm to the exhibition.
One may mistake the Duke of Wellington for b" the
portrait of gentleman" aud recognise an old
Crusader in Gavazzi, without FORGETTING ones claim
10 respectabihty, even moderate degree Of con-
noisseurship.
To US, the exhib'tio presents itself in a tYo-fold
Aghtabstracty, and relatively. In the latter, re-
garded as constituent portion of worlds fsir and
assuming or at least supposed to represent the
worlds art, there be difference of opinion on
- merits. We could have wished to deal gently
With individuals whose egertions behalf Of the
heitton have really been meritorious bu. the
question, How is the worlds painting represented
q she Crystal Paace?"-bunty put to us as critics,
we cannot possibly elude it by cautious circunlocu-
items and are compelled to reply in the PLANES.
English at our command. We must say, then, that,
viewed in this character the exhibition of paintings
IL as nearly total failure as be Wei ina yiued.
The worlds painting is not represented at all No
clear notion of the state of art in the various
tries which have contributed manufactures, ma
ehinery, minerals, &c, to the exhi otion can be OBJ
taned from the gallery of paintings. Ia this respect
the Crystal Palace teaches nothing; and it rejects
little credit on the judgment Of the managers that,
having before them proof abundant that for various
BeasOr art could not be fairly represented in the
exhibition they resolved to lay bare their failure by
eousecrating a special division of the Palace to
paintings
in the first place, American art is, with one or
two exceptions not to be found at all ard for very
good reason, which shall violate no conf lence in
stating at this copjmcture. When the Exhibition
yet in embryo, invitations we're sent ID the Dus
sedorf ard other foreign painters requesting them
10 contribute. No such invitation was addressed to
American artists. Our countrymen very naturally
Ell themselves aggrieved At the omission, and tacty
agreed to send nothing to the Palace. Heoce the
visiter will look in vain for anything by the who
have right to consider themselves as the re5resea-
tatives of American art. We said there were excep
tons 10 the rule. Leuzes small reproduction of his
large picture of washington Crossing the Della
ware is there; and, though perfe; lily accurate as
Oopy, only teaches Us TO regret the more that t1e
original is absent. For effect, the two cannot com.
pare. The stupendous masses of ice which strike
horror into the beholder OF the large picture are in
Ignif ant in the snail version. Nor does the figure
latter as in the former We leave it to artists to as
Ggn reason for the fact. Mr. Peale's &" Washing
tor is also in the gallery which is probably due to
The fact that its author has long since withdrawn
urn the artistic world and caa hardly be expected
10 be aware Of the policy adopted by his brother
painters OF his Washington Il were superlaons
70 speak at any length. We do lot like
the foreshortening of the horses neck aad
body but the head Of the Father of his Country
is as everybody knows beyond criticism If Mounts
well known Interior, /" with che negro listening in
the fore ground, be original, we presume il was
contributed by tie proprietor and not by the sa.h)r,
Mr. Woodyile, though an Americao and properly
dAssed among American artists lives at Dusseldorf;
which explains the presence Of lively painting Of
Sailors Wedding from bis brush. A few portraits,
possessing siderable merit for the resem glance,
were probably contributed by their owners. II tae
gallery contain any other American works of note,
We did not per ,eve HEM and feel quite justified in
asserting hat American art is not represented.
What may have been the motive which actuated
The English artists, we of course unable 10 say;
but certain it is tha England is worse of than
America. We could fod nothing, even of ms diocre
merit among their contributions. All the great names
are absent; the great landscapes not to be SEEM
Me pre- Ra phaelites nowhere; the Landseer
school s missing; for aught the exhi oton teaches,
art might be dead aud buried in England. Must we
oon.ifer the wretched portrait of Shakespeare,
known as the Chanios' Shakes peare, az a fair
Substitute for the modern school of Engiaud2
Passing TO France, we find painting which repre-
sents the angel Of death carrying of young girl,
y bile man kueels IN grief at her bedside; aud in
he corner, we see in very legi6e characters, " Il.
ysrDet,' 1851 Horace Vernet, as is well known lost
his daughter the vile Of Paul Delaroche, some time
aDce; and The event aggravated malady with which
ne was efcted and led to long intervals Of ;nsani
~. 1t has been suggested that this painting
was designed TO represent his bereavement. We
can only say that If it be authentic, It is unique Of
ts kind among Vernet's works. We defy the most
experienced connoisseur to recognise his hand.
What merit it possesses is assistance to the Oh.