New-York daily tribune., 1864-04-16

spirit when he paints the father OF Hector caspnH
the terrible knees of Achilles Helen sobolng out her
most tender amentatiOn for her brother 30 70 drop u"
from the nights Of the poetic heaven to the pictures
Of Kense the demand make OF HIN Is the deinanu
We make Of every who claims the RANK OF afts-
that, let lis work be slight or grave, song urah
epic picture for the room. resco ior the Wa VI
church or palace it shall yet be complete rs iar IN
goes IL shall be founded knowledge II shall BE- true
in all that it says having full liberty to say US much o'
as little as it wills.
But Mr. Kensett stops far short OF satisfying this de-
mand II we may deduce his theory from his PICTURES
he thinks a little knowledge and that OF unsupslan
tial quality ought TO be allowed TO go great way
his understanding Of the matter Nature never male pu'
one kind Of rock and having contrved sort Oh 'eo
that suited her has contented herself ever snce' o
least for as long he has spent his Summers In hei
company in copying her original model with qic' !"
difference. As for atmosphere-always SMOKY you
please, il gives universally satisfactory "if '"
dreamy leneuor. in which it is quite excusabie
for artist and spectator vote geology and botany ana
the facts Of nature generally bore and people who
think that "imaeination" means the NOT making Of
clear defined images but the contrary the hintlng
at vague and misty halfsuggestions viii give the ARTIST
credit for possessing imagination in large amount
We have said that Mr.. Kensett shows best in his
".iorning in the Valley of the Conway" II certainly
is very delicate and graceful and the rocks 80 fr at
they 60 are painted If they were studied from Ma
pre and had even been fingered over with affection
But the whole picture is Of an unsubstantia unreal
character; il is FOAM syllabub, wreath Of mist
mirage that deudes US with the shows Of rocks and
trees;
A forked mountain or blue promontory
With trees upon =. that nod unto ue world
And mock cur eyes with air.
little of this was well enough. as sylabub is well
after dinner when rest after substantial fare. But,
how If the syabub were all the dinner Mr. Kensetts
standard high one, but some sweet painting
in former years gayeus all promise Of future filed with
pleasant ballad music which the heart ia often thankful
for in the pauses OF Lies sterner sadder heroic
song But little by little the ballads have been getting
weaker and weaker; then. they halted in their
rhythm then. forgot their rhymes and, now they are
dying out Of hearing in such works Morning on the
Massachusetts Coas and October Afternoon at Lake
George"
Shall we turn TO the works Of Durand, or Hunting.
toni Is il much to say that the Art which these dstn
gushed represent belongs TO past age and dead
system; an age whose spirit will never return; hsyscm
that can never again be revivifed How yapid, how
utterly without life or energy or spirit Of any Kind
SEEM to-day the landscapes Of Durand Can II be posi-
bic that they ever excited enthusasm that people be-
lieved in them; that they thought TO look Ike
Naturcf Well stranger things have been; but, IT Is
long step from Dnrand to Churchs Niagaralct us be
glad that it is taken; it is step that never will be
retraced.
Yet AFTER all, the difference between Durand
and latest best work is not greater than
the difference between Cole and Darand. No
lf.JN foft
fully and the trouble is not that he reports her with
positive flsehood, but, with negative. lie does not
at least hsbualy. tell that Mature is this or that
which she is but he tells less than almost any Of
our painters Of repute Of what she Is He represents
Nature under unyaryng aspect Of clouded sunhne
and seating you Of her sentest and least inter
csting nooks-seecting always the place where there is
the least moss the fewest ferns wood plants Of any
kind the least variety in the trees he gives you this
cheerful fact to consider-"that Nature is some.
ng or other whose color ia a washedout green"
Still be did set the example Of doing his best to get at
the spirit of Nature by truly reporting her material
pect That ho failed, partly the fault Of ed
ucaton and partly lack Of native power. Had
be been better taught he would have painted bet
ter but he never would have painted well We com.
mend his two large pictures in this gallery Nos /" and
a. to the digent dy-at least for half hour-of
those who really love the woods. and know something
about them. They cannot fail to prove instructive.
Mr.. Huntington Is represented here by two large pic
! lures. "The Good Samaritan" and "Acrcy's Dream"
We presume in thoso days would find
much TO approve in the former Of these pictures the
story is not told with any force originality; the
contrary all the force and sweetness OF the original
have been drained out Of Mr. Huntington's yer.
sion. The only end to be attained by transatng the
stories Of the Bible into painting sculpture ia put
/ them before eyee that we may learn from them
as well from the written Word. II the artist be
Of fresh strong clear mindif he have genius he
will put the story In light; make II seem more 70
than IL before while he yet preserves 1t in all It's
integrity But II he be merely painting with n view
show his knowledge Of the figure and of drapery and Of
picturesque eec-and not at a to tell the story-he
viii produce something like this picture Of Mr.. Hunt
ingtOE's. 1t is pity however. that We do not get
the story, should not get something make amends
little good fesh.color; or, just fold of drapcry
drawn from nature single person doing the thing
he would have done at that juncture in the way he
would have done IT. is this nsking too muehi
As for "Mercy's Dream" We believe this is consid.
cred Mr.. Huntingtons masterpiece. 1t is painted with
inexcusable but habitual coarseDess. The artist
seems in the excess Of his admiration for a certain
school Of painters have thought that they had three
virtues-neglect Of drawing, dull and dingy color
and affected unmeaning attitudes and rayished by the
contemplation OF these eIceences. to have set himself
with lifelong labor TO emulate their admirable example
Certainly no deny him the praise due to such
persistent effort the congratulations which his suo-
cess deserves.
more striking contrast to the timid nauralism and
respectable duness Of Durand than is presented by the
work of VIM. T. Richards Of Philadelphia, cannot De