New-York tribune., 1870-05-30
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENCE.
ZINE ARTS-PARIs-LONDON.
TIE FRENCH EXHIBITION.
[PnoM ouR owN coRRRsPoEDRErl


is always opened the lst of May, even II, az was
the case on this OCCASION the pictures should not
happen to be all hung and it is always free to tho
public on Sundays, so that when, as this year. Sum
day and the day of opening happen to come together
there is great crush anticipated. Saturday April
90 was varnishng-day, and the Emperor and En-
press visited the galleries in the afternoon their
coming was not looked for, and many
of the artists had not finished their picture
vanishing, while many others had not even
begun; but, the imperial visit being professedly
made to honor art the presence of the artists could
not be tolerated. and accordingly they were all sum
mariy ordered ont of the building while the party
from the Tuileries made the round. The artists VINO
were in had to go ont, and those who were belated
OF who had procrastinated, counting on being
allowed the usual time, kept out, and Their
pictures had to go unvanished. Next days news
papers were full Of complaints and criticisms and
the remark was quite general that the imperial con-
noisseuIs had an odd way Of showing their respect
for art by declining to visit the pictures in the pres
ence of the men who had painted them.
The last time visited the PdiGs de PIndustyio was
when the Exhibition of Horses was being held and
/ may saw in parcnthesis, that it was very poor
show of horses indeed In the interval between the
closing of that Exhibition and the opening of the
Salon the aspect of the interior of the building has
been entirely changed The whole Of the rcctangu-
lar space surrounded by the galleries. which. when
saw it last, was a sandy plain, with nothing to break
the dreary waste but q hurdle OF two and ditch
here and there to leap the horses over is smiling
and blossoming like the rose laid ont in pretty
den-beds, with flowers and fountains, while the
statuary, of which the specimens num-
| Der nearly seven hundred, is set circle-wise
| about the whole garden and disposed among tho
! hOwer-beds. The pictures themselves, with the
water-cOlor drawings, engravings, Autographs, and
architectural studies, are hung in the rooms up
stairs and in the gallery that surrounds the inner
court The entrance TO these rooms is by the great
stone staircase in the central pGuon, and not, as
had supposed it would be- by temporary staircase
! leading from the gardens. The sculpture then must
be first visited and afterward the picture galleries or
rice rersd. There is no natural connection between
| Them an arrangement which think little awkward.
person not advised might easey leave the building,
after having made the round Of the picturegaelio,
without seeing the sculpture and ii he did once get
outside the door before finding his mistake he must
20 round to the front and pay again to enter How
| ever l should suppose that few persons caring Ior
the exhibition at all would be satisfied with one
visit and one day is not sufficient FOR serious re-
view of the whole pictures and sculptures taken To-
gether The paintings proper, oil paintings, IN the
Salon number by the catalogue, 1901. The EXhib-
ton OF the Royal Academy for this year contains
pictures ,O35 This however includes Watcr-coois
while the water-cOlors, pastels, miniatures.
and paintings on porcelain, on earthcrn-wafe,
and glass in the French Salon, amount to
1,237 in number It has often happened
at home. that the catalogue of the Academy E4,li-
bition has not been ready till some days after the
opening, although our exhibitions are never very
large but the catalogue Of the Salon, which Is "A
bulky little book of 760 pages was ready for delivery
on the opening Of the doors Oh sunday morning.
This catalogue by the by, is quite an elaborate
affair and to those whoare concerned with the Stalls
tics of French artists has permanent value II gives
the name of each artist in large print, bis srnaie
first followed by his given name, III brackets; than
come the place of his birth, the name Of bis master,
his honors and decorations. if he have any, and hs
place of residence, all in smaller type; and then tie
numbers and names of his pictures, which, in fooI
times used to be hung together as possible,
but which this year, owing TO entire change in the
management are often sepaIatedby tn width of the
room. The making Of the catalogue must be q very
laborious work. but it is done with great accuracy
the whole although there are, necessarily, mistakes
The nearly 5000 pictures represent about 500 artists
no artist being allowed to send more than two OF
any one kind, two oil paintings, two water-col1r,
two pieces Of marble or plaster statuary, sc, &c.
And the quality of the work is very unequal. Was
the work looked at even from a mechanical loint OF
view. All the pains in the world is taken 10 make
good worlmen out OF the artists in France, and there
is no place in the world where students enjoy such
advantages, but there are enough poor pictures in
this vast collection TO make two good exhibitions OF
our National Academy Many Of the pictures are
school-boy in conception, and show as prentice hands
in the painting if they done by Gobsters at
home, while there is work here that cannot be oX-
celled in the world for dexterity and cleycmcs But,
on the whole the average excellence is of a low
grade, and there is no great picture. The names
best known TO the Partisan public are missed.
Messonner and G6rome have nothing; Cabanel is
disappointing with his larger picture, though he has
a remarkable portrait of LADY, Corots pictures
are not particularly noticed, but Courbet has
two pictures coast scenes, both, which are
the work of a strong man. One Of the
pictures that draws all eyes and holds them by It's
grace and force is the portrait Of Madame Ernest
Feydeau by NJ Carolus-Duran. This is grand pie
ture, quite worthy as il seems 10 me, of Gains
borough, though not so beautiful in color the En-
glishman would have made it. But, then, color il
a gift denied to Frenchmen and we must reconcile
ourselves as we can to their love of dipping their
brushes in ink. NJ. Nibert, whom, with his friend
Xamacois we were just learning to know at home
when came away, is here in force, though with
subject That does not SNOW MS powers IN as
large way as the pictures lac has sent TO
America. "Guiver fastened to the ground
by the Lilliputians" is his subject, and he
has treated it very ingeniously, though not
more so than Mr.. Waterman did the same subject in
the National Academy Exhibition of last year. The
difference between the two pictures is in the knowl
edge of the two men and in their skill of hand. So
far conception of the subject went, l think Mr.
Waterman's much more to be- praised than that of
NJ. Vibert. There was in the American picture more