New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-07-21
FINE ARTS.
MIR. pRANG's RECENT CnRoMos.

pruninc-hook in the other, for this gentleman Is
,cor so banpv as when he is taking impressions of
chromos with the right hand and pulling the trigger
upon his enemies with the left. Mr. Prang has been
busy of late in publishing prints for the popular
market. He has been very successful in reproducing
Miss Mary Theresa Harris Easter Morning'-a
marble cross upon which hangs wreath of flowers;
and, also with picture by Eastman johnson,
called Little Barefoot This last is trihe for
children and has nothing in 1t specially Characters
tic of Eastman Johnson, who would hardly care to
be thought represented by so slight performance
However it will please the young folks and, we dare
say, that is all that Mr.. PranR set out to do. We
suggest that he now try to please the older ones
we'll by getting permission TO copy the same artists
"Early Scholar" from the last Academy Exhibition.
1t is charming picture, and would be comparatively
easy to reproduce. We do not think so well Of the
Easter Morning" although our objection does
not relate TO Mr. Prang's part in the matter
The picture seems to us stiff and hard
and while the flowers in the wreath are well har-
mOnizcd in color, the wreath itself does not har-
monte with the cross nor with the background. Tho
cross beside is ill-drawn; however, a mere piece
of mechanical execution, the chrOmo-hthograph IS
very successful and does Mr. Prang credit. He Is no
doubt doing all service in training set OF work
mon in this new and interesting art, and we must
not mako too large demand upon him or upon his
staff as yet in insisting that they shall undertake
subjects such as would hardly find market out OF
Europe, OF that they should match the productions
of men who have longer experience and more
perfect appliances at command. The magnif-
cent works Of Kellerhoven the beautiful and
permanently valuable yearly issues of the
Arundel Society and such remarkable evidences OF
skill as the recently published COPY of one of Preyers
frut-pieces hardly to be distinguished from the orig
inal by the incest eye acquaintance with works like
these enables to estimate at their true value the
publications Of Mr.. PTang and other American houses
and while we freely admit their merit and fully ap-
preciate the efforts that being made to do good
work we are unable to fall into such raptures as, If
one may take all the published testimonials seriously,
would seem to have seized the entire literary and
artistic world on the contemplation of what has been
done on this side the water.
We believe chromo-lithOgraphy to be very in
genious and possibly very useful art No doubt it
cheapens reproduction, and enables people to get
copies of pictures the originals of which are entirely
beyond their means. which, in some cases, are ma
tonal or prncey property not to be bought for any
money and only to be seen with difficulty by making
extensive journeys and spending considerable money
Ii has simpler uses, too enabling men to illustrate
books requiring the use Of color delicately applied
with comparative cheapness as for instance in Owen
Joness Grammar of Ornament, and the Architectural
Books that are now so common in Europe. But the
value to humanity of all these arts of reproduction
depends, as anybody may see with half an eye on
the value of what is reproduced. Printing would
not be much of boon to the race if all the use it
could be put to were the scattering broadcast of
Tupper's Poems or Mr.. JOhnson's Yetoes. Emerson
says of the telegraph, that invention so merely
utihtarian,
The lght-outspeeding telegraph
Bears nothing on its BEAM"
and it is as impossible to be enthusiastic over Its
achievements as over those of any other clever but
sometimes laundering Grand boy. And so with all
the other agents employed by man for disseminating
his thought. They are mere machines. and only val
liable when they have work to do that makes them
so. SO far, any of the work accomplished by Mr.
Prang's favorite art, and which he is never weary
with lauding is more valuable in our eyes than the
so-caed Fine Art work it has DONE except, perhaps,
in the one case of the Arundel Society although Kel
lerhoven's Anciens Maitres Flamands' is, without
doubt very valuable book Bufor all that has been
accomplished in this country, looking at 1t as mere
Art we do not care bean-nO, not even for that
Magdalena as Mr. Prang ,CiU call it, which he fondes
with such an overflow of parental affection Not
that 1t is not very respectable attempt, but be-
cause. whatever the guide books may say 1T is not
great picture worth the trouble it gave, no doubt
considerable to reproduce it. We dare say 1t has
proved very taking; but Mr., Prang must expend his
time and money upon something more intrinscally
valuable before he can make us share in his enthu
siasm for the art of chromo-lthography. The differ
ence between us and the admirers Of this mechanical
art consists simply in this that we look upon it
means while they consider it as an end; and while
we are forever insisting that nothing is admirable
but the best they have adopted the sOphism that
men are educated to love the best by beginning with
the worst. And because cannot spur ourselves TO
take any great amount of interest in Art that is
merely popular and has no higher aim, we are called
"arstocratcD we, who have not drop OF arlsto-
cratic blood in our body, we who have always most
cordially welcomed every effort that has been made
either here OF seas for the highest education OF
the people. and who think that education of such
incacuable importance that do not wish to see il
even in danger Of falling into the hands Of charla
tans
One genuine work of Art like Wards "lndian
Hunter put INTO the Central Park where it may be
seen daily without charge or permission asked by
the whole people, rich and poor, men and women,
boys and girls, will play more important part IN the
education of the people in Art than all the chrome
Autographs of straw sin-cabbageeaves upset
cherries Easter mornings, cats-wth-work-b baskets,
chckeus-foreyer Magdalenas, and the rest, even II
they were disseminated at the rate of twenty to the
head among the whole population, could ever accom-
plish. All these put together would never educate
one person to admire appreciate statue like
Wards Hunter, but we can tell our lithographic en-
thusasts that the generation that has grown up face
TO face with an original and noble work of art like
that will be found TO have no appetite for their pro-
auctions People are only taught to love greatness
by seeing it and living with it, We do not learn
patriotism by listening to Mr. Yallandigham. nor re-
ligion by reading The Sunday Mercury; no more dc
we learn to love Art by constantly feeding the mind