New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1867-07-03

little woman and her brood be type of the majority
of those who stand before all Mr. MoOre's pictures
and not only before his. but before Mr.. Newmans
and Mr. Farrer's'
The simple explanation we take TO be- that these
gentlemen with all their labor and all their Observa
ton. and all their local truth, do not succeed IN get
ting the effect of nature, either in her color or her
light and shade and so. wanting the highest ana
yet the most immediate charm, it goes for little, that
they have the lower and the moro hidden. Ihe pup
lie is right in demanding this highest result-the
effect of nature and it cannot reasonably be blamed
for caring little for pictures that do notgive II put
it would do well. for all that, to study attentivey
the work of these young men and women
for while cannot say what will be the result III
any individual case we ut least know that the Work
itself is the first that has been done among US IN
landscape that has laid right foundation for III
ture excellence to be built on There have been oc-
casonal spurts of enthusiasm in this direction before
such as the elaborate and profuse studies Oh Ar'
Church for his first Niagara :" studies which nave
given that fine work historic value and Importance;
such as though far inferior, the two pictures py
which Mr. Grswold gave promise that, ever
since we in vain entreat him to fulfill, or such as MI
McEntee shows in this best repetition VI
chord which he long ago struck 1or tne
first time and of which neither he nor
one time to link themselves together with those OF
the realis proper into one school, but they have not
done 40. and Mr. MoEntee of all these outside ap-
parently sylnpathetic workers, has improved with
time McEntee indeed lacks but little, i'll our opin
ion of being q truly pOetical painter; he most GER
tainly has the power of growth and, with all his
sameness of subject he has not yet fallen into man
nersm His drawing is better every year. his color is
better and his pictures have unity but We feel
that this sameness is serious drawback to the claim
that might be made for him, that he is poetcal
painter. He may be to us, for we have few or none
who could dispute the claim with him; but in order
to be entitled to wear it absolutely, he must show
wider range of thought and observation than he has
thus far given evidence of.
All these others-Church Griswold McEntee, Ken
sett-made this mistake in the beginning: that they
tried to get the maximum of "efectT with the mini
mum Of study; and the result has been, what might
easily have been predicted, that their ammunition
has been long spent and that they trying to
bring down the public with wad. 1t is something
that they had cartridges once for there those, in
plenty who have been trying the virtues Of wad from
the first day But these others-the realists-for we
throw overheard the unmeaning nickname Pre-
Raphao lites"-have quietly determined that, if they
can help it, ammunition of the best shall never fail
them and letting Co. for the present all thought for
the EFFECT and poetry" of a possible Tomorrow
they diligently apply themselves TO the labor and
toll of to-day.
Next in interest to Mr.. Moore-about whom we are
in doubt if he ever actually pupil of Mr. Far
rer, although there can be no doubt that he owes
him much for advice and encouragement-next to
Mr.. Moore we reckon Mr. Newman, who, this year.
has certainly shown great improvement. There Is
no work in these rooms that shows more delicacy of
f,n Int md oil eDi Of
color than his japanese Still Life" 1t is, however
SO odd in subject that people in general who do not
like to be puzzled pass it by with angud expressions
of curiosity The subject is small, white jar, such as
are used in Japan for holding sa the intoxicating
drink of the country standing on circular, and
slightly shallow, tray of black lacquer, placed
before cabinet on the door of which Is a peacock
with the eyes in his taifeahers represented by trans
parent stones. In the porcelain jars are two fu-bown
peoples and bud, with the forming seed-vessel OF
another and the whole is firmly, delicately drawn
and so rich in color without touch of atfectatlon or
exaggeratOn, that we venture to think 1t would
pass muster even IN japan itself, though that is
higher praise than we think Mr. Newman will,
III his mOdesty, thank for The artist has indeed
secured beautiful effect but he has not done so by
the sacrifice of an iOta of truth the whole drawing
bears close scrutiny. from the texture of the
the peacocks and the flowers the cabinet, and of
the shallow dip Of the circular tray which last point
peases US perhaps, more than nything else in the
drawing. 1t is gwen with the utmost simplicity
merely by the right management of the reflections
In an entirely different view is Mr.. Newmans The
Bowl. StockbIidge from HawthOrnes House"
There is a great deal in this little landscape
and the promise Of much TO come in others. The
mountain is not particularly well drawn, and the
sky is unsatisfactory: it looks made-up The little
geam of greenish-yelow light along the hills at the
left is however, very faithful and tender; but the
whole of the foreground and midde-dlstance are
beautifully drawn. The line of trees and shrubs IN
the immediate foreground, cut in two by the Frame
is so pleasant to look at that we quite forget the
mountain-although we know that Mr.. Newman
ought not to have allowed us to forget it, and wish
that Hawthorne could have seen it, and enjoyed it.
too.
Mr. Henry Farrer's contributions are not so numer-
GUS nor so interesting this year they last but
they show no going back His individuality is shown
in his treatment OF subject so .hackneyed as
kitten. There are fifty cats and kittens in the
present exhibition, and although we are extremely
fond of CATS We confess to suspicion of WEAKNESS in
the company of so many But Mr. FarTers cat Is such
demure, piquant odd freak of puss, sweet little
unsopiisticated thing all innocence and gravity that
we never pass her without consenting to tolerate all
the rest of her kin for her sake. There hasn't
been prettier catlrin painted since Mr. Danas of we
don't know how many years ago. Mr.. Farrer has I'M
doubted talent and we believe his feeling for color
is strong and true When lie feels ready shall be
glad TO see him take up important subjects, but
we conjure him not to be persuaded to do until he
is ready.
Miss Mcdonald does not send us much this year,
homo hecausn is idle Int bpcause, she ia
getting ready to send the best she do to the Fall
Evhihitinn nf the Watnr Cnlnr Society There we