New-York daily tribune., 1865-12-27

| little moro sun would have made the Wcstphalian
Landscape striking picture of the conventional
| school-which like every school, has merits in good
| hands.
Mr. Eugene Benson has tried his hand at landscape.
painting, and has produced work which would make
farmer snicker almost loud that is doing at
this moment in the other room Eastman Johnsons
WOOD cutter" who never cut down tree in his life,
and certainly never cut that tree from that stump.
Mr. c. {. Coleman. in his early picture, "The Cam.
pagna" shows decided bent for truth.telng, only
warped a little, and not by any means wholly lost, in
these DAYS 1t is not what is called an agreeable pic
ture and it is cOarsely painted, but it is interesting.
nevertheless 1t looks if it might be like the place;
as if the artist had tried hard TO make it and that
will go far toward saving any picture. The cattle in
the foreground are on the whole, cleyerly painted
Mr. Andersons Hudson Highlands" No. 3li. de.
serves cordial praise at hands. II shows plainly
enough that the artist is an industrious student there
are few American pictures on these walls that show so
much painsaking. The drawing Of the of rock at
the right is uncommony good Let the reader lay aside
his prejudices for while and this wor. with
Hckss Italian Study" No 46. with any of Ken
setl's Sketches OF Rock-No 324, close by. for exam
pe Hickss Study by the side of this younger work is
like the yeres schoolbOys by the side of the masters
not that Anderson's work is mastery, only it looks
mastery con,parcd with the unthnking. unmcaning,
coarse worlof the Academician. And. although 1t Is
weak in color and has little of the variety OF nature
il still looks strong beside Kensetts Work. You strike
Andersons rocks end they hurt your hand strike Ken
sets and your hand goes through them, for they are
only painted pasteboard. Mr.. Anderson however
needs TO remind himself constantly that nature Is ea
ous MISTRESS and if he would win her there must be no
divided service There must be no sleeps eyes cast
after Mr. Griswold
Mr.. Farrers northampton" as careful and labored
work. by man whose pictures are every year more de-
serving of study should have a more thorough examl'
nation than our space permits US to give We cannot
give our hearty assent much less our hearty praise to
this picture which if be allowed TO be faithful to the
detail Of nature is surely not reflection of her spirit
We are annoyed on the Threshold by the crudenes Of
the color and the hardness with which everything is
made out We cannot think that Mr.. Farrer is ignorant
Of what Ruskin has eloquenty written about the mys
terry Of nature but if he has read it, he has not remem
bcred it, There is no mystery in this picture, unesS IL
DC wha. is the meaning of the line of mist which lies
against the horizon hills late in the day or why the
water is not all the same level But this is not The
sort of mystery that we mean This is the Northamp
ton the surveyor sees-the farmer or the rcaestate
agent see-but il not the the bird sings and
heard OF the beauty of Northampton. ard wished to
see H. but we stand before this canvas and are disap
pointed. We cannot think the enthusiasm OF so many
reporters all grounded or assumed; conclude that
the artist saw less than the multitude. Yet objection
not relative--it is positive. We say that such
wide region-no single ed-can be so bare Of incident
Of accident ofvarety this II is the prose not the
poetry Of landscape. The sky is the best part of the
picture and Just misses by its painting OF being
beautiful The clouds are well drawn although We do
rot accept Mr. Farrer's understanding of them. lie
seems to think that they stream out from sort Of
nucleus or center and dverec ray out like the pokes
of wheel; but in reality what looks like the nucleus
merely the vanishing point. where these long. heecy
parallel bands Of cloud appear to meet We hope TO
the other pictures which Mr. Parrer has painted during
tho past Summer in the Academy Exhibition. His
work very interesting 10 study and has at last ar
rested serious attention.
! The crown OF the whole Exhibition. however and
quite worthy oI its sincerity and for It's nish to
stand by Geromes Prayer in the Desert" is Mr.
Charles Moores Winter Study in the Cattskills.'
Work like this so broad in treatment and yet deli
catoy minute in fnsh-so large in feeling and yet
! tenderly afcctionate-has before from an
u American hand. Considering how short time has
elapsed since the artist painting pictures OF the
stamp Of Hubbard and BrevoOrt we cannot but think
that his progress promises great things The visitor TO
this gallery when be has found out this little bit
. Of canvas which represents the labor of Winter
ought TO 20 over every inch of 1t with careful scruny
or the pencil has touched it withou. purpose
nor left il without recording truth Yet with all its
rmuess with all its strength, ii is absolutely free from
( hardness How beautiful are these treetrnnks and
how true with the melting about their roots in
cnplike hollows the dead weeds against the stone
wall relics Of last years hedgerow; the depth oil the
snow the cloud mist that forms and flies; the dis
tant hills; study all these things long and well Not
without love- not without labor and sacrifice has this
picture been produced
, One single word about the sculptures Mr. Lluni
Thompsons Napoleon" has great meiit. 1t is as IN
affected as a statue Of its most theatrical subject could
wcn be and be true. Mr. Charles Mhllers portrait
bust of himself is a strong manly piece of work. This
is something like what sculpture" stone-cutting -
shohd be- A few more busts like this. few more
works by Ward and the day Of the milksops will begin
? to wanc.