New-York tribune., 1870-12-21
FINE Arts.
THE wISTER EXHIBITION OF THE Ac,Dp,fY oy
DESIGN.
s.tf-f,

I
| DESIGN.
| ts,eoai AHietel
| Subsequent visits to the Venetian palace ON
iWeny'rus'' nave notremOyed the general precision
OF failure produced On the opening night MAKING all
possible allowances for the inevitable shortcoo pei
dent to the Winter Exhibition, the show on te vail, ,
not such have right 10 expect from tle n,,nao
OF our Academy. Ii does properly represent tl,
present status Of American art The representation O,
best artists is too moagor to rel eve the homeless,
nefocty which covers the greater portion Of The pace
| II TO be settled that the Spring Exhibition ia
the only which induce artists 10 mako som.
excrtion TO be represented then let the Winter ESh
ton be given without more effort The thin end I'M
satisfactory collection which has been annually yIsod
for time, Is calculated 10 discourage than To
foster the struggling artistic spirit Of the metropolis
There few works, however, by ar; ss who never
trine which shine like stars in the surrounding cbcur-
fly. We have been greatly struck with little sketch OF
Whittredge-No. 3d. Evening the DELAWARE IN ths
North Room. II is entirely original and unhGcpeycd in
treatment, and shows instantly that the painter has
rlousy tried TO reproduce phase Of nature stead Cf
type of There cool tremulous shade exquisitey
diTused through the lower part Of the picture and
through the high boughs of the croiuly-sudied trees
glory of the sunset il striking with transit rrins
power. Yet everything is handled With the soberest
modesty and Contrast this sketch with H.,
Delghbors. Wm Hart has "sunset by the River" No.
%, which OF very pretty wedding
present, but it is the sunset that has
been copied fIOm to for
ages On the other side is "sultry Day
| in SUMNER" by Mr. Durand, which s also pleasant
piece Of paror furniture-and little moro. II is still
and nspid study tone-withOut other purpose in
spraOn than soft and agreeable combination Of color
aud form. Fit does not look like anything in nature,
much the for nature think these conventional art
lists. But this is better than such Nightmares of
crying brlliancy George ness's Twilight" little
further This s simply monstrOus. The artist has
1
IL he had found them his pallet and wanted TO
them cut of his way II the twilight that might have
been dreamed by an absinthe maniac.
1t must be consolation to the poor pictures the
wall that there many poorer. There Is gradu
ally descending scale of menduraboness From Innosss
slapdash careles and T. Addison Richarss tmid
sof:ness and finish you go dsmally down to things ike
NehHgs Mahogany Cutting "a landscape seen through
| green gogglesand sketch Of Newbdrgh Bay, No I4,
which looks II it had served plate for eating black
| berries from.
1t must be admitted that things are little better ia
the South Room Wrappers Titanic and beautiful PHI
rms that sunny December air of theirs, are beaut
fully drawn and posed and though they rather tho
Puians OF the Opera COmque than the real article they
please everybody and give certain air OF decency
room. At the other end Il oycrgrown piece Of Aoa-
demie journeywork by Saus OF Madrid contributed
wapper's Pilgrims, by senor Adama. 1t is essentially
a dropscene-everything grandiose and mock heroic,
and nothing sympathetic or original. Opposite each
stand the ghoulike Furies Of Bouguereau, aud that
most admirable landscape Of Troycn, which Mr.. Bier
stadt should keep in his studio much possible and
rest his tired eyes by gazing 1t great privilege
TO he permitted TO absorb from this noble canvas tbs
great Frenchman's ideas OF true landscape art Hero
there is straining writing for efect-no mere
rcious devices OF unexpected coorto extOrt from the
unthnking the worthless admiration Of surprise. IL Is
work genuine and true that most people pass it by.
thinking Of praising it than they would OF
praising an oak tree a cloudy sky.
William Hart's last Gleam' is pleasing compost
ton. painted with a somewhat nervous and
elaboration OF details; 1t is greatly admired by rural
visitors who assert that the wheatstacks, and the cse
in the pond are just natural as life. BoIstadts
Diamond Pool" looks, anticipated, much better
by day than by night The vista beyond the rocks 10
the right is handled with rness and tact and there
Is growth technical skill in the composition OF his
foreground The contains the best portraits IN tho
exhbition-such as they are. Fagnani has lady in
elegant mOire dress OF which Worth might be proud
which is than Fagnani has the right to be- far
this picture is concerned. 1t is pretty and destitute OF
force The portrait of the Rev. Morgan Dix is
tonay successful, and has certain agreeable reminis
Of Pere Hyacnthe Some of the portraits have no
business in the salon. There in the North
atrocOusly painted that il should be put out 10y the
| police
Mr.. 4. A. Loop has idyllic sketch which he calls
"Summer Morning." II is successful Father as a poem
than picture 1t is happy thought harmoniousy and
sweetly developed A pretty woman in the fall maturity
OF her charms soled and leted like matron OF Rome.
s watering vigorous growing plant IN the fresh sun
shine by garden wall. The bright light plays on her
full round shoulders and ripe, abundant throat The
whole picture Is full of the assertion OF opulent aud
generous life. II the picture had been executed as well
it conceived it would have been precious one
wnsow Homer has sketch of a group of hayInakrrs.
which Is we'll considered and vigorously drawn. The
young fellow the left swinging his scythe striking
and truthful figure. But the picture Is defcrmed by
crudeness and gence and poor and unsatisfactory
| in color. MIR. Hall shows in the East Room ono
OF his Spanish girls with watermelon, basket, and
yellow handkerchief, all made out Of the material
We cannot imagine where he inds these toys. Has mod
els appear be blown in coored Bohemian glass.
VIM. T.. McMaster exposes TO public favor faglous
attempt upon the Jungrau. It is so bad that We arc
pleased the catalogue calls t the JdgafraU Bus
perhaps the most cheerful failure here Ii Mr. Victor
Nehligs picture OF Gertrude OF Wyoming. This idol OF
| Surrey-slde Theater-in manner that the Scot
| tlsh poet would have considered shocking. Young
| Albert's costume Is decent, but sill
| more savage. The lovers are walking togrther
! down the woodland path. Miss Gertrude feeding
the wild birds and Master Albert posing for his picture.
his hand extended In the spasm of orator5. holding
with the yewcss air. There is OF course no
objection to any eecentrctes of costume II the picture
has any right TO exist; but in this that right s
lacking There is nothing Egyptian or classic about Mr.
Gray Cleopatra She is dressed like those splendid an
achronisms, who smile forever heautifn from the
immortal CanyaSes OF Venice But she IL real woman.
rich with warm life and love: not Cleopatra any nnrs
than Mabel or Fine. but very charming while men hass
hearts ana eyes
The legal profession almost monopolizes tho