New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1864-05-14
NATIONAL AcADRMY OF DESIGN,
The Thirty.ninth Exhibition.
No .2i2. ALEMBDA DIX DARRo, GRASao,
SPAIN. S. GOTHAM, Jg.. MA.

j er;ero OF ours has, hanging in his room. thu
,s,s,,s ~ ~ 'lknown painter nov dead With ALL ths
coor rpon .r 'ngcd for the artist eft Il o.
the dsy when the brush dropped from his ve.yisl
hand. and the ewes TN ned away for the las. time en
the work he had loved =, well Tho palette hangs hisl
up upon the wall so that thu colcrs are Blended By d
lance into sort of harmony i. man looks at it loss
enough, lie can easily make ont Of 1t many pictures
now, il shah be "an orange sunset waning Sow" now
a confagraion; or a fiesta day with fireworks aad col
cred lamps and gayly attred crowds all tho specs
tors fancy chooses and with as mGch foundation -
when he sees pictures in the fire. queer heads ssS
faces in the pattern Of the wallpaper.
There are artists whose theories lead them TO paint
pictures which, for any other purpose than the
elaboration of u certain harmony of color have ~
much value Ms this palette OF or friend We have II
ready alluded to a singular example OF this method u
treatment as presented in tho work Of Mr. john 10
Fargo; Mr. Comans picture offers another spooi-
men. not unaloyed in It's lsehood but less ocTsis
tent as 1t seems to in ts attempt TO unto alsehoed
and truth attempt which results might have bees
expected, in a weak compromise. unsatisfactory ~
want OF true imagination and insufficient knowledge
make it.
We showed that Mr.. La Fargo is honest and pEdis.
gused in his determination sacrifice special truths Of
FORM botanical. geologic, or whatever we might hoA
to be demanded By his subject to general truth Of cooS
He paints wreath Of flowers and paints them IL suoh
q way that not by the hardest looking can assurt
ourselves of the identity Of single flower Obliged V
decide guess that this is pansy that is rose but 10
mere guess-work, and with other clue than certain
resembances in color. There is pretcnse. eren d
form. there is nothing OF the decacy the ragity tho
trnuous grace Of the flower there is nothing but the
color oil that tho painter has aimed 70 express is
tain sentiment in the flowers. lie believed that this
sentiment could be fully expressed by arrangemensd
color and by that alone and, accordingly he haS ada
preense Of trying to give other specific truth
We have neither truth Of form, structure; ncthd
tue exquisite passing Of one tint into another nor the
delicate graduation OF separate aues; tho charm d
individual habits OF growth-nothng Of all this bue
only bOts of color arranged the principle aud
for the end as the painted wreaths tho droe
curtain Of the thester VIZ to catch the eye end hd
it. pleased for few moments while IL suggests by
welLunderstood symbolism. the general aspect Of
wreath of flowers say at distance Of thirty fss
But this marrow symbolism which satisfies Er. La
Fargo. does not by ony means. satisfy Mr.. Colman.
He accepts the general theory; but he also has
picion that it does include the whole truth Thsrs
Is something reasonable be would seem to admit in the
desire which men have, to know what 1t Is paintn
asks them TO look at Human they however base 10
may b. to acknowledge il; and they would like TO know
whether they supposed 10 be studying COW %
lar tree palace mountain. And AS the asti6
is only gentcel sort OF tradesman. into tie sctud
value Of whose il is not indeed the fasni0n
look deeply, but who must. nevertheless contiiye u
come somewhat near his patrons cOmprehensicn-u
will be we'll NJ Colman thinks. to try to give them
little reality just enough to satisfy the low critical sal
matter-oLflct people. and at the time. not 0t
fcrc with tie pure. ideal enjoyment Of the sentmeusa
and the refined
Mr. Colman therefore, Is devotng himself Of late. "
species Of painting in whie he would seem to We ifn
tasng Turner rather than striving TO report Sstrfe
and the result must always be the where iyitar
ton of the effects produced by another maDbas kea
the place OF individual thought founded "rginsd
study is weak in the extreme. There is no tra,c In
this picture and there has not been trace Ia any
picture which Mr. Colman has painted since his retGs
from SPAIN Of any intention his part study Ne
ture or Of any desire to bring Intelligence of Ler
But do ind in all OF them such ample evidence q
hs determination to have "the picturesque alI hss
ards without regard to tho truth'-nay in open scA.
ance OF IT, often that have long ceased to put fath
IN any statement which he may make-on canvas Ith
plain enough that lie truth nothing. and the
picturesque as everything. lie thinks the two ncon-
stcnt ut least if not irreconcilab!e. He believes trs4
II his picture Ice only harmonious in color. and hayn
general resemblance to the facts implied in any gives
name everything being carefully omitted that car IN
any way interfere with te poetry OF his subject M
has secured III the essentials Of good picture 1hsu
his artistic creed. gather it from careful study
OF his works and he committed for t04
al least to an active display of his faith in it.
IL is interesting to note how. this artist las de-
parted, with less and less regret and a
dent tread from the path in which he first set out to
walk all the charm Of his early work has died
away from the later pictures. True il was an imma-
ture chorp, the flushed cxubcrance Of youthful enthu
siasm but il seemed to promise bright future. We
know that there real promise; that there
was no enthusiasm for study; no deep sympathy with
Nature; 10 aspiration for the power TO lead men ~ wcr
ship her sacred beauty that it mere tickle fancy
which passed away before the contemplation Of the
ceaseess labor the sacrifice of pleasure and wealth do
manded OF those who would win arts deathess reward
But We expected too much; and now that the chotce
seems made of convention rather than Truths convsn-
ton which is irreconciabe with Truth; Of copyisn
rather then study; copyism which in time makes study
rks6me II impossibe Of dull monotony OF stale.
Inent rather than Of the infinite variety of Naass
.nonoony which is the result of unrep lenished FLowt
edge; now that this choice seems made, and maze 10.
libsratey there is nothing for to do but to accept it.
and look elsewhere for the pleasure that is denied n.re
In Mr. Colcman's earlier work used to link sAst
he showed natural love Of color and perez ptSn Of
that would some day develop into real strength bnA
II ever there were such love. such perception.
has utterly disappeared Of late. He seers, now tahavs
a morbid dislike OF color. all his pictures ore BIN
upon the Development ofone monoonous chord bsosn.
90 that they have the effect when number OF tho s