The New York herald., 1870-05-08
Ari and its Culture in New York.
from the Boston Daily Advertiser May Z


New York pa or OF recent date, OF which have
slip, SAYS that immc iiately on the exhibition
OF Dr.. Rnmer's great pctnre Of Venus Ii ,tening
by connoisseur for $4,000 am not az all sur
prised; tor though saw the picture before 1t was
quite finished felt IL was aste. pl ce, putting Dr.
Rmmer IN RANK WIN The OLD mas ,ers or pain lng,
~ his Fighting Glad ator Wounded' pa uim high
among the masters of sculpture hope the c H.
MOI seur VIII allow the picture 10 be exhiDied m
Boston before t Is put into hs gallery; even the
admlrers OF Dr. Runners sculpture here wil be sur
prised 20 ses how great a painter he rs.
II s so very uncommon for q man o. original
genius TO be willing to be a teacher, that the
peuCrity OF Dr.. Rimner as teacher seems to stand
IN The way OF many peoples approaching him an
a. list. ! have heard some artists, us lhey deem
themselves, but lii comparison Of quite limiied
power, say that DR.. Rimmer Understands anat0.ny
and very cletery teacnes IT.; but he has very little
artistic mag giuation hinisslf Such win be surpriseI
10 see the versatility o his power as eAnbitei by
TINS painting. when adds 10 iis rchness oi colUrng
and lie expression "A scuplufesque perfection OF
form rarely seen In paniug.
We hope mat the iGtlinatlon that he is about to
abandon his position as Director OF the Cooper In
stltute Of Design Tor Women has no foundation in
fact tor this school OF art usties the suggestion or
English critic and great admirer OF ms tehtlng
and wounced Gladiator, to whom was told his
method OF teaching 4 class IN BOston-"Hc could
make tie greatest school OF art In the world for in
no European school are the pupils taught TO draw
from knowledge, but always rom dead modes.n
At the Cooper Institute he IL the sole director and
teacher and ~ is very wonderful 10 go INTO that long
SUIT of rooms ana see all The variety OF WORK. Ia
only s any drawing from casts The lessons IN
drawing received by the classes, who go into the
lecture room with their sketch beohs, while he
stands AT the blac Sbo rG and WIN chalk In hand
illustrates to the eye OF all the inward machinery or
muscle and nerve hat affects the outline. as At varies
with the actlon and expression. He then gives tnem
problems 10 s0,ve with their lines. how 10 draw the
pack for instance, OF man VINO ia twisting branch
from q tree, or hauling bucket from "A well &C.,
&C., and then crltlcslng the drawings made
by caricaturing the errors In his own copy, aud
drawing the inward parts within the outline To show
the contradiction Of trnth made by lie false lines.
In general, teaching 10 draw IS merely setting the
pupil TO draw y the eye, and a. the best pointing
OUT the mistakes made. This Is Ike te4chinx music
by the ear Instead OF by scientific method. Iut Dr.
Rmmer shows Ms pupu why the mistake is one and
supplies the specific knowledge to the Very as
well as mind, mat wi prevent a recurrence Of 1t
present an object or nature or art, and let 1t be
studied very thoroughly, and then TO remove 1t anu
let each draw IL nom memory, aad s5iil another
Is to give mere glance at an object TO be re-
produced from memory. lie also proposes that,
at certain stage OF progress, soihe should,
ON their way TO scnOO observe some man or animal
in a moment OF acton and then attsmpb 90 repro
duce IL from memory. He showed me On the black
boards OF one room, where these exercises are
made, several horses ooys, men, dogs, In attitudes
that must needs have been momenJary; ald they
were wonderfui. In some rooms were young ladies
with siiters Tor their portraits, 10 be taken IN cryOn
or OS, and the lihenesses were excellent In another
room ladies' were painting the most lovely groups
oi Mower, whose nv,ng pfototypes were be.ore
saw no poor work OF this OF any gnd. One
young lady was finishing quite an elaborate histori-
cal picture, called tie tiai OF ~. stephen, whic
her own composition, and IN the thronged sculpture
room there were several flushed sta.ues, which
were original works OF the yonng LADIES'. Thus We're
going on at once crayon drawing, wafer color DainL.
ing, oil painting OF historical and Ideal subjerIs or
portraits, hover painting ana sculpture, and lt
seemed TO me that the work was OF singuaIy hlph
order ia ali these kinds. DR.. kimmer present
from nine Til every day In the week, aud visitors
are admitted only on Fridays, except by special per-
mission OF DIR. RnIner. On different DAYS he Cikes
into the lecture room different classes special
points; and every day from Twelve TIL one tne wno.e
school listens to lecture. The 1850 lectures OF This
course take up the general principles OF art and
every subject that oehooves an artist 10 be familiar
with--hlstory, Costumes. manners and customs,
forms or architecture and mantfLeture5, ethnOlogy,
the mythology OF all nations, and in short whatever
cult Yates the Inauguration or defines the lmtdtions
OF nature.
these Students Chcre are between one and two
hundredl and the expressions OF confidence and
enthusiastic appreciation oil DR.. Rimmer, which
were whispered 10 me, and considering now the
noble Mr.. Cooper Is rewarded for has lberaiily of
arrangement with Or. Rilnmer, whose salary he
pays by so noble an institution, whose benedciariss
do not pava penny. cannot but hope that he will
not abandon IL. IL would take hall dozen different
men together to supply Dr. Runners place; and
even If he could. by giving up teaching, bestow on
his country several more works OF art as great as
SO much alter all Tor American ART as this school
~ DONG under his direction, anu whicl, no ono
person excepting himself could direct. For TO his
method. which others might and doubtless would
adopt, he Adds personal power OF illustration tnat
is only possible 70 original genius "They will not
draw nn outline after me,n he said "wh II nv out
line Is not full OF "A life that only give by cxer.
, lions inat cover me Win perspration and make my
ncart beat. ! cannot draw a face expressing anger
that they WHY feet and copy. without for he time
peing In imagllaty experience angry myself
Luckily Dr. Rlmnier is at The aye when ne ia more
" man 'nan OF an Individual, and personal ambition
Is ." allowed UP In the higher sentmen which Is
Deuef erallbed ny making living artis than any
WORK ~ art wnlch may not reproducS itself.