New-York tribune., 1870-04-15
THE ACADEMY OF DESIGN.
THE oPENING OF TIE SEASON.

not an aesthetic taste at all events aesthetic capaey
They have passion for artists and their works. whetbe,
this passion springs from temperament that IL pecn
arly susceptible to the influences Of beauty an unuu
ally swift discernment Of grace I'm ine and color or
whether it be due TO the absence Of these quail.
ities, and to the susceptibility which young.
unframed, imaginative people have /, ths
wtchery that forms and coors exercise such va
will not stop decide; but certain Is that thev have
passion for artists and their works such other ca.
Of mon awakens. How absurd II would be thought II the
poets announced that their chambers would be opened n
the public certain day In the week, and that an Who
came might hear their new yorics; or
the noye-ts, essayi,is, reviewers anI other
literati were TO invite their frirpds q,
drop in and hear teir last bit Of ctcm, thelr pet
chapter But let the artists give the word and she JOY.
people climb three or four flights Of stars, aud
der about aImessy from room TO room, gazing az
they neither particularly uudcr,taGd -,
pecally like There l. a glamour about tLc ortst lie ~
supposed TO he q favored and beautiful person.
richly endowed with poetic sensbiiites, decats
imaginative, graceful in mind, full OF fine aud
elegant fancies, q dweler among The ,ercno hight.
Of beauty, bathcd In dreams Of more than mortal Oye
ness happy IN spite OF poverty Joyous in spite of
row, ethereal being with the privilege of making
others heavenly And whenever the gdcd Of thu
marble house TO be thrown open the tickots are
camored for carriages throng tic street the white star
Is crowded with gay guests, the br liant company
rivals in festive hues the glowing painting that adou.
the walls.
The artists, II conscious that they must ID sDine
thing TO retrieve waning reputation for genius and
industry, If determined To show that they arc in
earnest when they promise and plan new usefulness for
the Academy, welcomed their guests last evening %
wealth of production such for years We iavc been
unaccustOmcd to- They have worked hard during tho
Winter months, ambitious Of doing their best and Of
having their best appreciated There has bcen among
a..
discomfort with the management OF affairs in Twenty
thlrIst An impression prevailed that the Aca1cmicaG,
were an OpniOnated and exclusive company, who de-
lighted in being clique; excluded applicants for mem.
bershp on grounds purely personal and whimsical kept
the best places in the gallery for their ayOrites
and gave chance to younger aSp.ranta who had.
claim to encouragement, If they bad TO title to praise
Some, therefore, fancyng that justice had never been
done tlem and imagining that 1t never would be. de-
cined presenting their works at the public exhibitions.
and sent them ont Of the city for sale.
But this season feelings Of that uncomfortable kind
seem TO have been put away. Artists OF every degree.
cmulous of fame coyetOus of criticism, have brought
their works, good bad, and indifferent, IN the cordial
faith that erdigence and zeal will not 90 unrewarled
OF the quality Of the pictures displayed we shall h abs
to speak more wisely after giving them more deller
ate examination. OF their quantity we can speak with
ont reserve. There must be very nearly i've hundred
canyases on the walls As usual they mostly land
scapes In that tropical atmosphere IL was pleasant To
be greeted by Wles clustering Winter day that recalled
the blasts of New England. s. r. Clifford, and no Other
painted that delicious Venetian OF San Gorgo and
who but r. Swain Clifford produced that fine picture OF
the snowcrowned Mount HOOdl George Han fingers In
Seville STILL though his pleasant face was in the com
pany and c. p Cranch finds it impossible to leave his
muchtraversed Grand Canal Church rcappears after
long absence, but not in any Of his new giorea.
The disappointing Damascus" ia elscwlcre the
,,tafs. o. lpTt,
not visible through the throng Of heads;
The Jamaica" is at Goupis The piece that bears I,
name here might pass for volcano, from the color Of
the fame which Is dun red; but it Is deep twighti
which nothing is visible the inevitable palm tres
in the right foreground. Bersadt3 Mountain Scene in
the Morning did not look well under the glslght Wins
low Homer has been industrious and courageous His
Beach Scenes attract and riyet attention by their
vivid presentation of things they appear TO the naked
eye There Is fncling I'm his realism, however the
unnitated may finch from it His donkey I'm the gras
Is still more startling than the bahers on the seashore
but the grass az all events Is OF living grecn whichh
more than can be said Of tho yorduTe in Hennesey.
picture OF Mr. Bryant. The green there is ghaSty The
canvas Is all green. The poet is green with mold lie
seems to have died. and 10 be decaying under bis OWE
trees MacEEtee sends to the Academy no proof OF
his European tour; but it is always delightful TO oos
on one OF his Autumn scenes. He tells US, at least
that his sentiment has not lost its tenderne and tat
his pcUCl retains It's ueHCacy VI liuDDdfd
and Breyoort and Gay and Kensctt and Fairman and
Griswod, whose pieces cleaned pleasantly between
the shifting figures cannot speak, for the crowd pro-
vented seeing their pieces as We would. DE Hash
stornier than usual and others put forth their chaTso
terstic traits for better worse Cropscys view IRON
the II gts of Staten Island" severely criticiscdy
some enthusiastic Islanders who stood before b scornf
hey found fault with the likeness; but who did not hns
fault with the way in which the likeness palntedi
Three war scenes confronted in our wandcrngs ana
searching The first Julian SCOTS crudolycoored
but strong, vivid intensely interesting picture OF tss
Rear Guard at White Oak swamp" painting from
the life evidently, and by one who meant TO TEL
a true story faithfully. The second was Thomas NasF'
"March of the Seventh Regiment down Broadway"
stirring piece, too full Of the excitement Of the mo
mcntous hour, but coorless. 7. w. Woods Return Of
the Flags" had also the merit Of being yeracious bit
history.
The portraits were few but conspicuous. The mod
noteworthy were the two full lengths by Joseph Amea
the iayOIite Boston artists; Cyrus Nakcman ana Mls
Blanche Butler. MI Ames's portraits are not oiIen seer
in New-York The picture OF Miss Butler showed orgna
power. William Page has done BIS utmost with GOV
Fenton, ard perhaps it is not bis fault that the mar
is stif hard and uninteresng Huntington Is thouS"
to have done his best with tie incorruptble Georss
Trmblc, the Quaker but some Of the friends oi th"
venerable and worthy seeing him there In the ne't
fancied that he might have fallen into better hahds
portrait OF Tue kcN. george iitpM"lbH' tiN
the "Church of the Messiah" looked down on the sS
multitude with impcrious and nSolent air oi 'ns
merits of the painting had 10 opportunity oiJnuss
though it looked sIcazy and coarse; but tie a'Pce'
| of the face Is certainly unfortunate. MI on
pentors portrait OF Miss Alice Cary, the poet'Ss
unmstakabe Is a likeness but has a more sehlhcn'N
and ackadascal air than her face TO our reoohe
ton The color is hard and cold; the hand is not wen
drawn; the neck blocky; but the pose Of the eadh
Characteristic and the artist has studied truth in the"