The New York herald., 1869-01-25
FINE ARTS.

Nafisnaa Academy Of Design-6ccend Exhi.
bition Of the American Ssciety Of Painters
IN WATER Cclors.
The galleries OF the National Academy. after hav-
ing been temporarily closed, arc now again open to
the public. Some Of the danbs which oisgraced the
winter exhibition have been banished nom the
walls, several pictures have been rehung and o
number Of oil paintings and few pieces OF sculp-
ture have been added Three OF the latter attest tao
talent OF the late amented Alexander Gut, OF Vir-
ginia. They belong to his brother and are for sale
for the benedt OF the family. Two ale busts-
Bacchante and Psyche. The other Is q figure OF
Aurora. They were cut in Florence. D. Richards
marble statue OF girl playing with kitten is good
The late Mr. Hubert's bronze cast of Houdon's
famous statue of Washington which adorns the
State Capitol ut Richmond, in Virginia, has been
added to the meagrc collection in the small room
devoted to sculpture. The cast OF General Grant. by
Mrs. Sarah r. Ames, is also In the present. exhbt-
ton. 1t Is very fair. Mrs. Anes Is the wife Of the
eminent portrait painter, Mr. Joseph Ames. who,
like 30 many other artists, has lately emgrated from
Boston to New York. HIS studio Is in No. s98 Broad.
way. Among the most noteworthy additional paint
ings at the Academy are two portraits OF Chrestus
Eyangelides-a Greek who was taken from the Turks
In Smyrna In 1923, and brought to this country,
educated at Columbia College. apostroph,zed by the
rlt.-GIeCue tiAu SSEt W dIScSS
by some good people who confidently expected that
he would "ChrlstianIzen and otherwise revolutonize
Greece. His picture, engraved by Durand, was
in the fashionable annals Of that period. He
is still living, anI was visited in Greece
last year by MIR. L. d. Il. Greene, VINO painted one
OF these portraits in 1861 The other was painted Ia
1898, by Professor ). I. Morse, ex-preslaent OF the
National Academy inventor OF the electric tele-
..Aayen's BEAD, nastport, Maine" by r. swain aif-
ford; Twilight On Lake Champlaln," by I. Addison
Richards, secretary OF the National Academy:
"Tyfol Mountains,n - by Charles A. Soinncr, anu "A
Summer Calm on the Androscoggn:" by James
Fairman, are also noticeable among The additional
pictures. after the Ba.n oy iam II. Myers, OF
iicnlnond Va, Il one OF the PAINTINGS which have
been more conspcuously hung than before. Although
somewhat too crowded with details this picture Is
highly promising. The overwhelming fatigue indi-
Gated by the attitude and the face of the sleeping
central figure effectively tells tue story.
EXHIBITION OF WATER COLOR PAINTINGS.
The crowninr attraction at the National Academy
OF Design is now the second annual collection OF the
American Society Of Painters in water coors. This
charming collection comprises 20 worAs. IL ouers
several nle specimens OF the excelence TO which
Skinner Prout, John Gilbert, Paul Marny, George
Cattermole and other foreign artists have carried
the art or painting in water colJrs. Nor Is 1t too
much TO add that claiming iirs. Elizabeth Murray
a. an American by virtue OF her residence In New
York; several OF our American painters IN water
co!ors already fairly stand comparison with their
transatlantic rivals. The printers delay In provid
Ing catalogues of this very Interesting ana encour-
aging exhibition viii prevent Us from giving at
present detailed enumeration OF the water colorS
10 WHICH the COrruOr anu Tue EisL Room are c2CIu-
sively devoted We shall briefly mention only those
which chiefly strike the attention at hasty glance
The gem OF the collection unquestlonably Is 'Die
Alte Brdcke' tThe Old Bridge, by Skinner Prout:
Representing German town by blended twilight
and moonlight 1t Is iull OF powerful eiects. 1t re-
minds one OF Gustave Dor6's best work. With Its
demtints and its strong and broad treatment it is
altogether an imposing picture Cavaliers Drink
ing,n by Cattermoie; Ihc Picture Gallery OF an Old
English Mansion Decorated for Christmas" by John
Gilbert; "Spanish Peasants" by r. w. Topham; "A
French Town. by Paul Marny, and "Mer de Gac,,"
6y John Ruskn are among the ,I1 more interesting
Samuel Colman, president OF tile American Society
OF Painters in Water Colors is worthily represented
by LA Glralda," !" Spanish street scene, fui OF life
and respondent with strong and harmonious color.
and by "A View on the Hudson at Irvington."
A. +. Bellows. who Is now winning golden opin-
Ions In England, sends home an exquisite "After-
noon In Surrey" Intensely brilliant In color, it
offers almost the sodty OF oils. But this may he an
Objection for the painter In water colors should aim
at transparency rather than at solidity. II should
not be his purpose to Initiate oil painting.
The same objection may perhaps be urged against
the largest and most ambitious of the contributions
of Mrs. E. Murray to this collection, "A Gypsy
Forge.n The subject might be deemed more sulta-
% what eT uef
tfu harmony ofcolorl The dsapery Is treated in so
broad and flowing . manner that the spectator is
tempted to overlook certain hardness In the lines
OF the neck and tae Objectionable stippling OF the
nesh tints in the "BacchGnte." The drapery In the
"Gyp5y Forge" is particularly line.
River" an autumn landscape; William Craig,
VIEW In orange County, New York; crisp and
clear In color and "washington's Headquarters at
Newburg; Il. swain Clifford, several effective "Coast
Scenes" J. ID. Smile and George Ii. Smillie several
"MQuptain ylews,r clear and pure In color, but
little tod elab6rate Glbsrl Pprng Secretary Of % the
studies K Van Eltcn, several good landscapes; Al.
thur Lumley, very good ''Sketch from Nature"
much better than another more ambitious work from
his pencil; and william Magrath an elegant garden
scene, with figures, from Tennysons Gardeners
expression, but very fair pictures; the composition
Is good. Charles O. Ward sends s'rhe Ground Spar
rows Nest" pretty little thing, rich and tender In
color full OF susgesriyeness. lie also sends IAN
Old Hunter" T. w. Wood exhibits one OF the most
striking pictures In the collection .fhe Wood Chop
rer." Beautiful however, as are its Details these
are too numerous and too elaborate. They divert
attention from the main subject.
We must now leave the exhibition with brief
mention OF "Black Hanburgs,n o luscious study OF
grapes, by Mrs. II. +. Gray; 'sThe Fall,r autumnal
leaves equally brilliant and harmonious In color by
w. J. Linton; "a Scene near Kenmare, Ireland,n
dreamy and sketchy. as water coors should be, by
Wyant; 'The Garden OF the Tuleriesn deep In tone,
by Felix Zlen; "A Scene In Derbyshre,n not only
pleasing, but strongly artistic, by ID. II. McEwan;
Cavaliers Drinking" nice In color reminding one
OF Caame (Dut also Of cnromo-lithosTaphsj by Cat
terInole; yarmouth" full OF happy atmospheric
effects by ). L. Jackson; and last bat by no means
least, "Brig Hove Tor BY NJ. +. H. Dc Haas, full OF
broad elects equal In vigor and transparency Of
color end superior In elegance To his celebrated ma
rines In ols. Tue vessel actually noats upon the
water.
our very favorable first impressions OF the water
color exhibition must not hinder US from recon-
mending American aspirants to the fame OF Gilbert,
Prout, Topham and other distinguished European
painters In water coor5 to emulate their breadth OF
treatment and, like them, to abstain from overcla5o
rateness. Although excessive detail may seem mer-
itorious 10 uneducated eyes 1t Is really mcretrI-
clous. The art OF painting In water oils has WIDE
and glorious sphere OF its own. u should not and