New-York tribune., 1866-04-27
Aiision,s " spaiairo, or the Blood, Hand"

Mir ;. F. Avery, No 694 Broadway, has had sent
lin from South Carolina celebrated wofk by Waihngon
A.ion painted 1850 shortly after bis return from England
when he was in very prime Of his talent IL - picture
OF which be- himself thought vel speaking OF Tvs among
his best works. and when occasion, he unwiliugy
consented 10 give lit Of bis more important paintings be In
cudel this IN H. and spoke Oft 70 friend a. picture which
ho had painted more easily and with greater pleasure than any
other
Everything that Asion did important not in'rinscay
then o. helping undeFs and tie character q man whose
name Will always I'll large space In the history OF American
art In truth he Is little undestood not perhaps because
he Il, difficult 10 understand could look al him without
prejudice be lies surrounded by fox bank o tho
most seratcd praise the Astonishing hary that
an artist drenched with II Is not easy TO imagine
what would been Aon state Of mind he coad once
have read the Rev William Wares Lectures on bis Works
and Genius" Surely those modest lips wond have breahed
a " Save me from my fendsW But Mr.. Ware was merely
the ,ukesman o Boston, and the aduaOn In PRINT only
tho echo Of the aduaion that hears spoken in Boston
Whenever Aston talked Of This Is easy 10 understand
for Ason really the highest type we have yet produced
OF what tho artist should be in spirit lie wasa man ofpoee
temperament of religious aspiring thought aud OF broad
aud genial culture and he devoted himself TO his art quietly
unostentaously snd sincerely TO high function lA is
safe he cared for money as money hah
Ango,co himself lie painted every picture as II 1t had been
by God and be never allowed work to leave
his studio til he had put his beat into it. This being the case
his reputation stands deservedy high artist and man. and
no verdict that may passed upon his works when the means
Of forming proper Judgment shall be at hand VIII ever
essentially, alter that reputation
It's Characteristic OF AstoD that he should have chosen
for the subject important picture an incident from 50
shallow book as Mrs Radcife's Italian" and that Incl
dent one which really nothing bat feeble parody-hot 10
say trayefteon the famous dagger scene in Macbeth or
rer mixture OF that and the between Macbeth nnd
bis wife Whether Alston thought Mrs Radeines book
worth illustrating whether he took the incident from her
rather than Shakespeare because he thought II easier 10
roach er level than his We course cannot tell but as he
dared TO attack the most tremendous themes on Other oec
sion. we guess that chose The Italian because he was
nressed by it, He had that streak In bm as his Monadi
MAINLY shows and he says himself that when he began to
paint his mind ran exclusively on "bandu subjects IL
soon rot into a higher field.
Aston seems to u.s. to been who had almost no
power at all to express bis thought by means OF his art EV
ervhng he panted-aud believe we have seen every pc
,ure OF importanceseems empty OF real expression or
feengconstraned artificial lie early acquired decided
manner and IL hardened round his thought and mastered IT,
He succeeded in painting faces rom which expression o
every been eliminated His mind seemed Dent upon
material perfection Of his art And yet he must nave oan
metng higher this for ho wrote poems to accompany
some OF his pictures which he attempted to express 10 the
ear OF the heare what could not satisfy himself ne haa
done TO the eye But In the gallery OF his WORKS one was
struck with the monotony Of the faces as well as with t o
the method There the Aston face as well as the Aon
handling
The "Beshazzars Feast begun in lsls and was IN.
finished at the Of the artists death in lsi1 spsatro
was painted 1890 bat it is evident that his mind was upon
l great picture painted for the head OF spaato
merely Belshazzar In little and the foot OF the
is also that King For the rest the best part OF the PIC
ture is also the imporan-tho face OF spaaro Whsh
expresses fear after conventional but without er.
aggeraton A,ton not brought up n good school OF
art and never learned to look at s5pect In s puroy
natural aspect lie conceived every Sach scene as this o
lis theatrical SIDE ald II Is mto1sible his pictures should