New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-03-12

ba, The foreground should be equally cell panied
18th the distance, and middle distance, it may pc
avo,o doubted whether il lie desirable night tha'
tho foreground should be always as imPorfaNf as
the distance.
Looked OF simply IS portrait of Rocky houn-
tain scenery, the artist msy well have argued th"'
no could give much more full and accurate state
mept of what he saw there, By adding al these
facts relating to the Indian life Of the country. lie
bos chosen 10 do this and has done 1t well; bat N
doing H. he has lowered his picture 10 the rank OF
mere mechanical portraiture it ceases, by so much,
70 be A work of art. PortTaiture can only rise 10
the rank Of art, as II does in the hands 81 Titan
and Holbein. taking man for their subject, and IN
the hands of Turner taking nature for hf, by obey
inc the Laws of Art-LGws always recognized by
every great artist, whether with pen or pencil o"'
not made by any man or set OF men. One Of these
Lave is the Law Of Subordinaton, which, although
IL has been much misunderstood and much aDusco,
is vet Of vital Importance. II teaches us tha' 'nc
lesser must always DO subordinate to the greatefi
and though thus stated, md we cannot 10 w
pec,ed to 90 into details here it may appear bald
tuism. vet il must be considered In every worh
acted upon by every great ARTIST
And Mr.. Bierstadt has disobeyed this law. FOR
what he has tried 10 bring before ne, to make uS
apprehend is the hight, the grandeur, the a"Iulesf
of these mountains. That we might nightly npire-
hend these facts. we should be allowed TO eoneeh'
trate our minds steadily upon them. Eli else
should be removed that could in any way disturb
us. Either tho foreground should laTe peeh pi'
a broad, green meadow, on which Inc eye "iBh'
quietly rest dropping like tired bird 10 hei n's'
from those pinnacled nights or else, some large
and satisfying masses Of rock, painted with what
absolute truth of form and color tho artist couio
attain, might have been planted there, In whose
cool shadow the bright light OF those dniteu Slows
and wreathing clouds might have beenfor moment
| forgotten; but aught else was forbidden. ecan'
not look steadily at the mountains, they are not III
well tainted as the tents the solitude Of the gacei
does not seize the Imagination and hold At haunting
those unfathomed abyssesi it is simply uncouiiort
able there and we like better the smell OF the htn
and the prospect Of bit Of bears meat. And s1eu
those wreathing clouds and heapng waterfalls can
not keep us long away from these bewitehing mar
mots, of whom one keeps US watching 10 see II ne
will put his head out, and tho other is SO extremely
Ipretty and winsome that We are always dreadinG
lest he viii take fancy to put his head in.
Mind, We are not blaming the artist iornot having
painted great imaginative picture. On tho con-
trary, we are very glad he did not try to do it, lie
must work many years before he will be able to
accomplish that and perhaps it is not reserved ioi
him. As il is, be has painted an admirable picture
of Shoshone Village, with the Rocky Mountains II
the distance. He calls it the Rocky Mountains
alone; but there is too much Indian and too LITTLE
{ mountain Tor that title 10 be accepted.