The Portland daily press., 1868-11-12
Watar.0oter pafnsfuus

The practice of water. color, and the exhibit
ton and sale of water color paintings, is COM
paratively new to Americans, but during the
past year an American Society of Painters
in Water Colors" has been formed in New
York, which has been greeted with great en-
thusiasm by large number of the artist
world, whilst great success in the shane of IA
yorable notice from the public has attended
their first exhibition on the walls of the Ma
tional Academy Two questions. however.
have arisen: first, is er-color permanent;
secondly, will not piece of paper, though
protected by glass and wooden back, pos
sess less durability than canvas? To prove
such prejudices unfounded, a committee of the
society," comprising such names as A. F. Bel
lows, VIM. Hart, and G. P. Cranch, have late
ly published short pamphlet from which we
take some extracts.
"The colors used in water-coor painting are
mainly the same used in Oil-painting The
only difference is in the vehicle or medium
used. What vehicle can be purer than simple
water? 1t is less Objectionable than oil, for oil
will darken somewhat in the course Of time
The point we insist upon is that the color is in
dependent of the medium. In oil painting the
oil has no more to do with fixing the color
than water has in water color The same pig
ments are used in both departments, and
therefore, other things being equal, the durabil
ity should be the same"
As to the relative durability of paper
and canvas few words will suf-
fee No one will dispute that canvas is just
as destructible as paper. 1t is more liable to
injury from carelessness and accident. A
piece OF canvas painting often cracks from be-
ing rolled up, or even moved about in port
folio. A water-color painting, if the paper be
good, will last for centuries, as any one may be
convinced by looking at the drawings by the
old masters in the Louvre, in the Academy OF
Fine Arts in Venice, and other galleries of Eu
rope. But if protected by glass in front and
board behind the insurance in ten-folt
| greater"
| The Committee having satisfactorily settled
| the fact of the permanency of the colors ant
the durability of the paper we See no reason
why water color painting should not eventual
ly take as high stand in this country as i
already possesses in England and on the Con
tinent. There are certain advantages apper
| tanning to this school of art which do not be
long to the other. While the painting in wa
ter colors will never supersede oil-painting
! yet, owing to certain luminous qualities, purit
in tint and tone, delicate gradations especial
in skies and distances, this style of paintin
has decided advantages over OIL Those of GU
readers who remember Mrs. Murray's Ga lady
by the way, who, without doubt, stands at tn
| head of this branch of art in this country
"Cheat Detected, in the Union Club exh
bition of paintings for the Sanitary Fair, he'll
in this city some three years ago-will reca
the vividness of the colors, the expression
the faces, and the distinctive features in tn
| water-color school mentioned above. Do nc
| let any one confound water-color painting
| the present day withS the tinted and washe
drawings of earlier practitioners. In these time
instead of the color lying simply on the pape
by the constant Washington and washngs-o
the pores of the paper become saturated, in OIL
der that the tints may partake of the granula
surface, and it is from this peculiar grain tn
| eye looks into rather than upon it and Cal
| ries an idea of space rather than definite d
lance. 1t is by means of these flat washes tina
the heaviness peculiar to oil painting, is avoit
| ed, and its absence is noticeable in the trescoe
| of Raphael and Fra Bartolomeo, whose O
| paintings are hard and dry. MERoUTIo