The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1859-12-01

American Art and Artists.
During the past few weeks there has been re-
markable stimulation of artistic taste Ia the inc
tropolis, a circumstance due in great measure
to the recent distinguished successes achieved
by our own sculptors, painters and musicians.
Among the paintings which have attracted the
greatest attention are Church Is Andes" Pages
"venus," Rossiter's and Mignot's "Washing
ton." All these works have been visited by
greater numbers of people within month
than have been seen in the city galleries in
whole year before. The most remarkable and
most beautiful chef d'Gure, Palmer's "White
Captive" has created q profound sensation,
and the gallery where 1t Is exhibited Is daily
thronged by admiring crowds. Then, at the
Opera, the remarkable talent of very young
prima donna-Miss Psti-who makes her
debut in the city where she has been reared,
has been recognized with genuine and hearty
enthusiasm.
Such evidences Of the refinement and culture
of our people cannot but be especially graft
flying to all who have the future of the repub.
lie at heart, for it has long since been ac-
knowledged as q social and political fact that
the steady encouragement and Development
of the artistic resources of nation are the
surest sign of its power aud its material pro-
gress. 1t is for this reason that We see the
governing classes In Europe constantly stimu.
lating competition between artists, and award
ing the highest honors to the Landseers, the
Bonheurs, the Turner's, Standelds, Vernets
and Troyons Of the day. In the United States
art has been left almost alone by the govern.
ment, until within the past few years, when
American painters aud sculptors have received
few orders from the federal and State govern.
ments, but not enough for the latter to claim
credit for the special encouragement of home
artists
American art, then, has been left free-free
from the necessity Of humbling itself before
royal or noble patronage; free from the in
fuences of class privileges, which often crush
the germ of humble genius; free to make its
own appeal to the masses of the people,
and to be judged by its works as they are.
And, as the young republic has grown in
wealth, in population, and in material re-
sources, so its people have progressed in
taste, in refinement, in artistic culture,
and in all things which spring from
true and just sense Of the beautiful.
OF course we are in our infancy; but what
splendid beginning we have made of it! Look
at the pictures of Allston and Cole, and Church
and Rossiter and Powell; the sculptures of
Crawford and Palmer and Barbee The Central
Park, also, 10 fine work of art, and will sur.
pass any Of the great public grounds of Europe.
And the artists are all new people. Palmer. a
mechanic, who began by cutting canoes, was
never heard of here until q very short time
ago, and now his name stands high on the roll
of the worlds art-herOes. His latest work is
equal to the finest things in Europe, not except
ing the Venus de Medicis at Florence. Tissue
cess illustrates, more forcibly than any argu-
ment we can bring to bear, the untrammelled
state Of public opinion here upon art matters.
Let an artist do good thing, exhibit it, and he
is famous at once. No matter if he sawed wood
yesterday, if he can cut marble to-day.
There can be no doubt that this rapid deve-
lopement and ever ready recognition Of art in
the United States are due in a great degree to
our free institutions. If we read the history
Of art we shall find that it rose to its highest
pitch of refinement in Greece, then ruled by a
popular government which held moderate
sway over loose federation of small States
1t was government of mind rather than Of
matter A nation physically weak was made
morally strong by the superior culture and re-
fined taste Of its people. There were many
schools and cliques and sects in Athens, but
they all agreed in their devotions to the shrine
of art. Those were the days of Phidias, with
his statue of the Olympian Jove; of Alcamenes,
and Praxiteles, and Apelles. Rome borrowed
the arts at second hand from Greece; but in
stead of retaining the pure classic types of
which the Apollo Belvidere and the Medician
Venus are examples, the Romans prostituted
painting and sculpture to subserve the basest
and most sensual appetites. Rome fell. Art
seemed dead But nations and systems are of
men, and are mortal. Art is divine, and never
dies.
The next period of art development was in
Italy, from the thirteenth to the fifteenth CEN
tury, which may be truly called the golden age
Of painting. Then flourished Titan, Teniers,
Michael Angelo, Andrea del Sarto, Correggio,
Guido, Tintorctti, Leonardo da Vinci, and
others, who made fair Italia the repository Of
the choicest gems that the hand of man has yet
produced. Then were resuscitated the great
works Of the ancient sculptors such as the
Farnese Hercules, the LAGOON group, the Cleo
patra Belvidere, the Antinous, and the Apollo
Belviderc, all of which had been buried in
the ruins Of the temples which the Romans, in
the golden age Of the republic, had erected to
the heather deities. Rome and Florence became
the repositories of the restored chefs deuures,
and the living artists were stimulated to COM