New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-05-17

country mas something b show sud something b BE-
proud Of as peculiar to herself in origin II not in
| use. The subjects indicated are many OF them
eminenty picturesque. As connected with the Set
tlement and history of the country the artist could
with proprety introduce almost every species of
craft that sail the waters-the caravels of the
Spanish discoverers-the bsrks and pnnsces Of the
dsys of Oaeen EIzsbeth-the Dutch gsIleots-the
English men of war-our own schooners. clippers
steamboats,, fatboats and Indian canoes. Many of
these are peculiarly American and suggestive in
their associations An artist Of genius and inven.
ten. imbued with national ideas would find no
difficulty in introducing all Of them in an appro.
pirate and picturesque way into decorations suit
able for room devoted 10 Naval affairs Our war.
like and our peaceful trumphs on the water from the
battles of Paul Jones to the successful race of the
Yacht America, could De thus commemOrsted in fit
ting manner together with every navigating chsrac-
terstic of the nation, from Hudson River raft to
Mississippi steamboat. Wshave plenty of marine
painters competent to the TASK who would be- glad
TO exert their powers in embeilishng such room.
And brief as the period Of our history is no people
of modern times hsve furnished during their
national existence, ampler more varied materials
for the proper treatment OF such a subject. How
the italian painter to whom the job of decorating
the Capitol has been committed at so much day,
has seen fit to embelllsh the Naval Committee
room of the American Senate, may be compre-
hended BY the following document which Is con-
spcuously posted up in the aforesaid room, for the
edfcatiOn of visitors:
"sES.rE COMMITTEES on N.v,L AFFuRs-T The decorative
Greeks and Romans oauens! their enii buildings
po%p and the baths Of Titus Anerc. With the .e, dyni
ties painted the ceiling in real esco These NEUROLOGICAL
Of hem .F e TO the tbs sPa Of the
AmphtIe his wife Eous keeping the win chained TO
fish claw. head The bis wife and Nereu the father
or swans or else mounted on sea monsters.'
This is equal to the groves of Barney where
Venus and Ncodemus, and Nebuchadnezzar, and
the other "haythen" gods and goddesses, might be
seen standing naked all in the open air. IL Is a con-
ception about up or rather down, to the level OF
tenth-rate artist in obscure provincial iowa OF
Italy where the progress of taste as OF everything
else, was a century behind the world. But what
business has such vulgar aud obsolete and ridiculous
trash on the walls of committeeman IN the
American Capitol What have We to do with sea
diyinties with cramp-fsh claws on their heads, or
with TritOns, and Nereds, and marine horses A
representation Of horse marines would be more to
the purpose, and quite significant and sensible.
The adjoining room-that Of the Committee on
Military Afiars-is somewhat better lnasmuch as
it contains representations of the implements of
modern warfare, which arc appropriate enough;
but it also contains two large frescOes OF the Battles
of Lexington and Bunker Hill, badly painted and
showing at glance that they are the work OF
foreigners to whom the countenances, the costumes
and the character Of the men of the Revolution
were not familiar. They have no nationality about
them; whereas nationality is, above all things, TO
be desired in decorating the National Capitol.
The same foreign element prevails IN all the de-
coratiOns far they have yet been executed In
the Agricultural Committee room, for instance
which is one of the show rooms there is picture
of afua cd
charge OF the Roman State, and counterpart rep
resentng Putnam receiving the news of the battle OF
Lexington AS he was ploughing in the field The whole
tone Of the latter picture is Italian not American
The landscape the grouping, the attitudes and the
expression, are of the Roman Campagna and not OF
Connecticut, as they should be. The foreign artist
has done his best with the aid of native pictures and
engravings to make the thing American, but he has
succeeded no better than Chinese artist succeeds
in copying Western painting. He copies with the
most minute fidelity, but his work has still an lnevl-
able strangeness of tone and feeling.
The responsibility of this DETACHMENT Of the
Capitol rests, l am sorry to learn, upon Captain
Meigs, the engineer in charge of the Capitol extern
sion. have heretofore defended him in The TRIB-
UNE from the attacks that were made upon the new
Hall of Representatives. That Hall, after SIX
months daily observation and use of it, l maintain
to be as well adapted to its purpose as any Hal.
well can be. For that and for the general construc
ton of the Capitol extension Capt. Melgs de-
serves high credit. He is man OF intelligence
and of unimpeachabe integrity, who has most faith
fully executed the important duties wuch have been
committed to his charge. But his appreciation or
federation of the mOnstrOsites under the name OF
Art which are being perpetrated under his
eyes shows that he has not the taste nor
the cultivation which might entitle him To
absolute and unquestoned direction OF the decor,-
tons of the building. Such direction he has assumed
Throughout the Capitol in the matter of art bis VIII
is law. Aud no man is suffered to touch brush
who does not conform implicitly to that will Our
native artists of distinction, with regulations at
stake, will not submit to the dictston of man who
may be good engineer, but who is certainly no
artist and who just as certainly has no taste for art
The consequence is, that the Capitol is in the hands
of crowd of inferior and needy foreigners, who
paint what they are told to paint at so much day
for their work. If this is suffered to go on. the
Capitol will be for ages the laughng-stock OF the
cultivated world. Congress can and should remedy
the evil by appointing connOsseur to superintend
the decoration of the public buildings.