New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-05-07
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN.
The Thirsy-ninsh Exhibition.
Third A<icls. ns
No. 1863. "TuE OLD HUFrIKG GROUND" "
WHITTREDGB N. A.

school; as anxious as the most orthodox OF them, "
know inst whore 10 put Tia "brow tree ans as zcaous
TO secure "a fine gray tone" and "a principal light" a.
II he in training for tie Presidency of tho Acad-
ery itself We bad become quite Accustomed to PEGS
ing hs pictures without u second look indeed we may
well confess that If had not heard Young friend
Of say that opinions we're about equally divided
a. TO which Is the best landscape in the exhibition be-
tween this Of whittIedge oad GiFords "Twilghtis
the Adrondacks" we do not know that should have
had the curiosity TO learn what he had contributed 70
the walls. When read tina. Mr.. Upper has pub
lished voune-it would argue passion foa
p!sttudcs if we should Immediately set cut for
| booksellers to learn what the book is about. We
quietly conclude that If Mr. Tupuer has found pub
Usher willing 10 thc rick Of putting forth anoha
book Of histhere must be an audience for even such
literary mice 10 and trouble ourselves about
IT, So when, year after year. soethat tain names
reappesr in tho Academy catalogue. which. after
watching for two or three seasons, we find STAND fos
pictures neither good bad painted without purpose
after certain WORKOUT rules, and with variety
than is to be found in a set Of white China dinner
p!a.es-we count it sheer waste Of time to devote
more than hafmiuute's glance at them. That period
Is amply sufficient to take in all their merts to find cut
al their Shortcomings and positive faults is task not
lightly TO be entered upon and without any fruit either
for ourselves or orr readers.
To this class all tie pictures Of Mr. Whittredge that
we have SEEN until this in the present exhibition
have belonged. They.haye not been audacolsly orsm
pndenty bad Dor, have they been pictures in which
good deal Of poor work partially redeemed by pas
sagos showing thought or Skill they have been speci
mems OF unnized mcdiocr.ty, compounded on esta5-
hshod recipes and With little power to stimulate %
feed tie iaind as there is in a religion novel.
But Il is never safe 10 decide too carly that nan has
done lis best or his worst that he win never change.
No doubt many man whom the critics have given over
has lin powers Of observation and skill Of hand Ok
when be has 10 suspicion and which theold methods
OF work urd 1dy-f that can be called work which
IS Simply the drudgery Of routnci or study WHOM IL
only blind copying OF other copies would never
have dcyeopedi bat which begin to e.eep and STIR, as
new lie wele il then, lie moment lie leaves his Odd
gods behind him. and turns to Nature. ana seeks Leg
Truth and Beatty and strives with Ill As might 10 IN
erpret her aIigh. to men.
This rciarn u Nature and Truth. the pcturebe!ors
Us seems to indicate that hir Wht,redge has deter
mined to venture upon At least il bears some marks u
having been studied from Eatnre and cocsideringhow
impossible thas been to say even so much aa tits q
any other work Of his very glad 70 no able, with
conscience. ooncede this small praise to the
present picture. 1t the sSge time We would, witt an
due respect sueges! that it is quite useless for Mr.
WhittIege 10 repeat the odd experiment Of putting ths
new Vine into his old bottles with any nope OF better
result than has been the Uniform experience OF man.
kind siace the first bottle burst under the pressure u
the rreprcssble fermentation. Nothing win do, in
Gaze so desperate as his Int clean ampatation. His
old methods OF work all wrong, from besinning$o
end aud reformation to produce any rscult worth
joci.g over recording not stop short of turning
all tie old flsy, and woTmeaten images out Of DOORS
fmisatng the sanctuary letting in the light and air d
Heaven and never resting till every conventional bat
and academic owl has flown out at door and window.
and left the place more sweet and clean.
Thus would have been much wiser, it seems to Us,
If Mr. Wbiitreige had 10. boon hasty In showing u
The results Of hs Studies bat had been content 70
wait awhile until ne had surrendered himself completely
TO their hcaltlul influences, for bis present work u
neither conventional aliste whe at the same
time II las Lot sufficient force TO make its neutrality
respected.
The picture represents an opening in tho forest,
where on the ground occupied 3! The Older Trees
where decayng trunks st cumber tho earth, beTy OF
yonng blfchtrees have sprung up lighting the widor-
ness with unaceustomed grace. Their tall and slender
trunks reflected In pool bali stagngE: and clog
ged with fallen leaves and broken branches. and On
barred ard wi,hered ribs overgrown with moss and
water.weed: q silent nemeaio morii sad whisper Of
The Past 1he only living things in the picture two
deer who ander a. their VIII among TIE fallen trunks
aud py fearless Of danger there vlels in years gone
by they would have lived in constant dread Of item Who
win paddle the canoe and bend the bow no inore.
The best part Of the picture is that which contains
the boat i. is cleyery painted and, we shoud judge.
ro nature The arr angrnent Of the birch trees is not
good They trouble the eye b. the long lines Of thsr
stems, rendered still ongeiiby the reflections IN thu
pool which in effect carries them from Tire top OF the
canvass TO tire bottom; and b tie Donotony II the
somewhat formal in which they arc placed stretch
ae from side TO side between the two trees which IN
close the whole as in frame sim II this be, as wa
suspect an actual study nom Nature In which The ar
Management Of the whole is given just rs the artist
saw IT, we accep. IL without demur. eld Willingly We.f
for the time when he shall enter upon the stEdy o COM
position u study which we hope, however tla' ne WIZ
defer until he shall have mastered the clements moro
thoroughly For, ii the peiae before 10 Do cafeiniy
examined Il viii DO ioand thar there - nos WIZ Tue
exception Of the birch single tang IN It When
/, correctly drawn. The birch franks are, perhaps
moro like birch trunks than Mr. WAtredge would have
made n EN- year ago. but they ere Ill far nom beng
like Tho birch truuks OF Nature. They axe 100 Uniform
" white for though its whtenosss the most familiar
chor,cteristIc Of the birch recSetlre who seems to
have az great horrcf OF putting the same tint or the
s,no oualty OF mt contiguous square inches
surface that she IS seid 10 have Of vacuum, has
r,l an M anu suLdued he wL.eness OF tie birch tree
H. MORE delicate markings anu shadings than she has
,ivcn to any otsr tree in our Northern forests Let
be reader during this coming summer II he happens
10 he 10 place where this aIy Of tine woods has her
banrt take tie opportunity to ady her rare and deli
| 80 ed ,hat Nv WItffrrf,oa ha. ienu