New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1861-03-27
NATIONAL ACADEMY EXHIBITION

we presume it to be possible TO ascertain ana remedy
We are not at all in the secrets OF the management
secrets there be- but as they are aware OF Ihe i"c'
MAJ they do not get upon the walls o. Tie CALI
hilton to best works Of tie best men, so they mus
know that if an accident it one that should DC cor
rected and # Dot an accident, that there Is s more
reason for its correction The public, even large pro-
portion of tie appreciatye public judge Of the aggTe-
gate character of American artists by these annual dis
plays They do not GEEK the artists in their studios
patty perhaps, from want of opportunity partly from
want Of time. But they 60 TO eXhiodoDs-to
French, English, Flemish, American exhibitions
and they learn to esteem their own country
accordingly. What the public Judgment must
be, any intelligent man knows who will walk
through the rooms Of the Academy now, and compare
it to two OF three other exhibitions we have bad within
the year. The native artist suffers in more ways than
one by the compaTson people who want good pictures
arc naturally enough led to believe that, ut least the
safest way s to order from abroad, or go to some
foreign collection here for selection. There must be
remedy for this stated thngs though we have 10 in-
tention now of either suggesting it, or discussing the
subject We merely call attention to the fact az prefa-
tory to notice OF the Academy Exhibition, the second
view of which confirms first impression that II is
not 90 good as usual The conclusion is we regret
TO come TO- not only because it is easier as well as
pleasanter and safer praife than to blame but be-
cause we regret the effect which we know such exhl-
billions have on the public mind.
is not SO good as usual both because there are fewer
good pictures and because there bad ones Itis
evident that artists of note have the besttnes
they have done within the past year, or indeed within
any year. and that with some of them it hes been
matter of little moment what they sent or whether they
sent at all But anything seems to have been accepta-
BILE 70 the Committee or, least TO have been ac-
nented nv them and if an artist had nothing fresh or
xvould produce nothing new for the Academy, then the
Academy was duly grateful for any slight thing he
might have hanging up in bis stndo, for any drawing
with which, perhaps the public Is already familiar as
the frontspioce to some popular work, the evidence
thereof beng papable enough in the smutched mar
gnal impro ssiOns of engravers thumbs aud myers
We cannot fail to be il-natured enough TO believe,
when looking through the first room OF the EXh-
bition, there is a great deal shown there Tor
no better reason than because tcoyered SO many super
fetal inches on the wall and made another number and
another name on the catalogue. For instance the front
elevation of public building which everybody knows
and which las never excited anybodys special admir
tion though built fifteen twenty years ago. is hardly
6 thing which any Of US would be tempted to take
EAesnrcket at fifty cents to go aud lOos 8 80 afrcnt
and side view of proposed village church, or some
10000 cottage with ground plan annexed, are lneS
proper and interesting in their places 90 are we'll
drawn elevations of horse.rakes and threshiDg.ma-
chimes; but s this the place for them To be sure
they do possess interest and are really better
worth looking at than some other works which also
take up their allotted space of superficial inches and
their line Of type. But question would be whether
either of them had any retenson to the place they oc
cuped However, we will be done with our general
grumblng and come to particulars whether of grum-
bling otherwise.
In room No. we expect " lnd alwuys" Y0od deNl
of lumber and we never less disappointed thah
ths year. Everything not in oils is in this chamber
and This naturally gives to the collection fragInentary
character, which may influence the Judgment OF the
vpec,ator as to what is really good here. But il truth
there is not much that is good and even Of some portion
of that there much that possesses any general In
forest. Mr.. A., Ms. B., gentleman, lady, glr,
child boy all in crayons or in miniature, when IN
large numbers are rather weaome, even though here
and there there be one by Rowse or Sagg orS'intin
We notice the beauty of the heads of these artists and
here and there also effective and delicate drawings in
Iead-pencil and charcoal by others but to
ofsuch prominent excellence, astO call for special COM
Inendation. OF the drawings in water coors
attracted by
No. 7. On the Coast Of Maine. j. Henry Hill.
carefnly.painted picture, and good evidence Of
what fine effects be produced by water colors.
The lights and shadows the ledge well managed
and the brilliant brown Of the weed-covered rocks lie
very faithful Mr.. Hill probably has fallen into the
habit of going out of town when he paints coast
scene. These rocks are painted as if he knew
thing about them.
AT the other end of the room we find more to induce
rs TO STOP No. III. Infant Bacchus Mr.. Page
One familiar with Pages work will not need to turn to
the catalogue here. Nobody ese paints such babies.
Note the hardness and soldy of the flesh, the round
nsss of the limbs the repose that tells well of the
poundness Of the sleep of infancy, and that true flesh
tint low in tone but Enthusiastically true to nature of
this sleeping little god Pages and peeuliari
tee evident, far the subject will permit, in
this smaller painting in a larger one, further
No. 40 Dolce far Niente-Italian Peasants. The
best thing in this lie the child which lies asleep at tie
feet Of s mother nurse and is just such rosy baby
as the Baccbus. This whole picture is remarkable
as indeed, Page is alwsysfor its color There is a
positiveness and vivacity about it, evident in every
line of the work, which other to strive
after IN vain. And the individuality in the figures is
quito positive, even TO the dog But Dolce far
Eeate hardly to describe the position of affairs
unless sitting for portrait may be considered
Inducing that pleasant satc For sitting for their por
traits these PEASANTS evidently are and to all of tbem
especially the man, it seems 10 be uncomnonly hard
work. The utter fidelity with which they are painted
In every detail, shows this. They are most faithful
portraits Of the Italians of their class painted with an
accuracy Of figure and costume with a fidelity TO
Italian Ecenery and atmosphere, and wealth Of color
oh okaaf he raipt rL.ll.