The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-07-30
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN.
Second Summer Exhibition Of Paintings and
Sculpture

OOUaPs0H0s
1t IT, perhaps, too much to expect that even an
exhibition should be anything but dull and insipid
during the dog days. but some people are by nature
exacting, and the genus critic adds to the souri,
ness OF nature the unrelenting cruelty acquired BY
the necessity OF his profession For him there is NO
excuse and no tenderness, and even the sweiterinG
summer heat is unable to melt
THE ICE OF CRITICISM
that shuts out his heart from all the softer FEELINGS,
How the managers OF the National Academy OF De-
sign, knowing or suspecring this, could ever have
had the hardwood TO throw open their doors and
invite the public and with them the critics to come
and admire the works OF which are at present on
view puzzles our comprehension. Indeed, the onlu
satisfactory explanation that can be offered Is that
the managers had taken refuge at the seaside or m
the shady hooks, and left the care OF opening the
second summer exhibition and the selection of WORKS
to the porter or the amlable lady who takes tho
tickets. On any other suppositon the present sex
hlbitionn can only be regarded as
HUGE PRACTICAL JOKE
on the public, for which the innocent paw twenty
five cents This IS not at all dear for o good jokes
but the misfortune OF the transaction Is that mos, Oh
the nnocenis take the matter seriously, and DON'T
at all perceive how funny the Academicians can bd
at such dull time. 1t Is melancholy fact that a
good many or the intelligent public who 90 to the
"Academyn imagine that they are In an art exhibi1
ton all the time and go away with strange notions
as to the coors and forms of rocks, trees, &c. II
they happen TO have any acquaintance with nature
they cannot help being struck by the originality
shown by many of the artists and their superiority
to the common forms of as seen In field, tired
ana nower However, with all
OUR ADMIRATION OF ORIGINAL GENIUS,
we confess humby to a belief in the superiority Of
the works Of the great Creator and think that tho
artist who adheres most closely to the cOlOrs and
forms which we see is more likely to produce a
beautiful picture than his fanciful brother Imagna1
ton Is very good In its way, and can find sufficient
employment In combining and arranging beauties
which exist in nature without seeking to invent a
new creation. So lar the trees and rocks and green
sea that God has given us are UNNECESSARILY more
beautiful than anything the genius OF man has
dreamed Of not to say produced, and therefore wa
think the aspiring artists would do well to lock up
their
DANGEROUS POWER OF INVENTION i
and try humbly, ana trustully, to paint what they
see 4
The general mediocrity OF the first summer exhit
bit.on was at least relieved by the presence OF a
small number OF good paintings, upon which the
eye could rest With pleasure and almost forget tho
sad evidences OF wasted labor that covered the walls
in all directions. But most OF these have g0ne orr
us the official phrase has II, been withdrawn, ana
have not been replaced 10y any q
WORKS OF EXCEPTIONAL MERIT. Z
Among the paintings winch we missed were S. r
Glnord's Fishing Boat on the Adrlatic," q. john
sons 'aOld Stage Coach,' j. w. Casear'S "Genesee
Meadows aai William Harris Golden Hour'-
works which conferred dignity on the Academy ex1
hlbition and saved 1t from the reproach OF total
worthlessness. There were some other good pic
lures which we cannot now recall, and few tnat
still remain and Will be noticed 1T a future day.
1t is full time the Academicans should sternly set
their faces against the admission OF works totally
OF seeing
SMALL BUT WELL SELECTED COLLECTION
OF works or The urgency OF this acIon must
be patent when we declare tnat out OF some i've
hundred arr WORKS We are unable 10 select mora
Than about dozen for even qualified praise. Unlesa
this state Of things altered art taste will grow very
slowly indeed lii America.
Among the newly added works which we purpose
to nouce to-day In the order In which they appear
on the catalogue, we take first an autumn scene on
study Is very good, but there Is too much red and
brown and PINK IN the trees. which are somewhat
stun the SKY IN .nis picture has the merit Of app
p!etely failed TO im2art form to his Clouds 1t is
THE OLD MISTAKE,
dictate rather than to describe the cloud forrns3
with little more care and observation Mr. Kenserl
ought TO do much better, and It Is worth trying,
MIR. l.. Lang n. A., contributes pretty picture
which he calls Little Grazlosa among the Butter-
1les, but why he does SO Is not too clear to aa
we have only been aiAe TO discover two DutterhieI
IN the whole picture which would in no way be Ina
Jured or Improved II they were rubbed out. 4
LITTLE GRAZIOsA' Y
Is a young girl seated on the bank Of stream IN q
wood, with her hands clasped in front OF her ieH
knee, looking down curlOusly at q flower In tnd
water or butterfly which Is lowering near IT. THO
pose is decidedly unstable, and there appears somd
danger OF little Grdliosa losing her balance and
getting drowned. III addition the outlines are un3
certain and wanting III decision. The flesh painting
Is SOFT AND SHADOwFUL,
displaying good zeal Of feeling and though the in
dicatOlS OF form weak and scarcely satisfactory,
We cannot say for the uiSe IN the
ground; 1t Is conventional and initiates, at dis
lance. the treatment of the old mgsters. Next to
this picture we have portrait group-"Baby, Who's
That Z" No. 2SI, by a. II. Richie which deserves es,
pecial mention. The portraits are natural and life.
Ike, and from the action OF the figures are 50
appropriate that The artist has really given ua
PICTURE, WE'LL AS PORTRAITS.
Baby is carefully painter, and looks thorough little
aiiectedly, and we must compliment the artist IN
having escaped from that still convcntionalsm which
Expresses modern purtralture. There Is no reason
In lie why artists should not make pictures at tnd
same time that they paint portraits, and II would ID
photographs, sun and stupid which at present OBJ.
talns. 1t Is 10 be regretted that
THE GENERAL HARMONY OF THE COLORs
IS broken by the introduction OF piece OF sky bud
drapery on the right ot the picture. The furnitura
III the room is too much crowded and jumbled up,
and takes considerable IRON the effect of the picture,
Mr.. william +. Clark pants "The Connecticut Walk
ley from Newburg TO Vermont" and his subject
allowed him full scope To develop whatever powell
was In him. The coors are some what fresh but tho
picture exhibits much right feeling. good deal Of
observation - evidenced In
THE CLOUD DRAWING,
though little wanting in decision. The clouds
are deiectlve IN color and want variety, bat with
these drawbacks the sky Ia this picture the best
In the Academy, and ul OF promise for the future,
MT clark mas also been very successful in ms treat
ment OF hill lorm, AMI MS mountains have natural
look about them, but are shade too blue We
think the tree studies in the foreground would have
been better for the introduction OF q little more
mlnutla; and TINS Is true OF the whole painting,
Mr.. Clark evidently possesses talent ana correct
notions as to
LANDSCAPE COMPOSITION, I
but his colorlng Is decidedly raw aud wanting IN
tone However, care and close observation viii do
much to remedy these blemishes. The general,
effect OF the present painting good but 1t Will not
bear too close inspection; and, after all, good work
ought 10 DEFY the closest scrutiny. In direct COLI
trast TO Mr. Clark's WORK Is a quiet little heath
scene, without a number, hung under No. 3lS The
tone OF this painting is delightful, and the whole
work gives evidence or careful study and very pure
art feeling. us harmony or the cOlor5 H. very
marked. unfortunately, we have no clue To the
arllstis name.