The New York herald., 1872-12-09
ART MATTERS,

To TIE EDITOR OF THE HERALD
"For once IL Is real pleasure to visit our
Academy OF Design ~ said an art critic recently,
referring to the Derby .Evrard collection. This
mark is peculiarly significant when taken IN con.
nectOn with the fact that of the 400 chef U6uures
comprising this collection OF modern masters only
two are of American origin, and that this display
OF foreign productions takes the place or our an
nua Winter exhibition. careful review OF nu-
merOus other galleries reveals the same ast0nish.
ing preponderance OF foreign art. Here and there.
one may see Bierstadt, q De Haas or Q Johnson;
but at least three-fourths OF all the pictures dis.
played and sold In New York are produced IN
foreign schools. 49,
Now, what is the cause OF this alarming paucity
OF American art productsf Assuredly we 20 not,
as nation, lack art capacity, for 1t 10 conceded
that nowhere have the Industrial arts reached
higher degree ofperlecton. Our carvers Of wood and
and ivory, our workers In silver and gold, onr set
Of gems, our architects, engravers, photographers
and thegraphers atleast equal to any the pres
ent generation can boast How, then, does 1t hap
pen that the fine arts have no adequate representa-
tives ? 10 the American mind too barren to bring
forth genuine art or are the nurses and guardians
| Of that rare child culpably dereicts
| We claim the latter to be true. Public spirited
America has been lavish OF prlncey endOwments.
whose will may drink freely at the fountains Of
literature, theology, science or medicine. Would
stonecutter, or even scientific farmer2 He may
choose among myriad institutions erected for has
o ON e eu Xnecan I0n th
higher branches OF his profession are taught.
In Europe academies OF art are maintained by
the government, and not only that, but wherever
q Giotto is found, sketchtng with rare power
among his native Apennines, hundred private
Cimabues rise up to make him immortal. In, Ame-
rica, II the art student Is poor. as he is almost
sure TO be, he may, by close economy and vgor-
GUS application, become skilful draughtsman In
our National Academy OF Design; after which he
Is practically compelled to choose between tho
abandonment Of further progress or . long and
Under such conditions how is It possible for an
American to compete successfully with foreign
OF Painting, richly endowed, to supplement our
School OF Design; and equally Imperative ls the
need OF q Students Fund, which shall enable stu
dents OF limited means and recognized merit to
pursue their studies without recourse to the
mechanical drudgery, the artistic ne,breaking
and hod-carrying, which now hampers their genius
twarts their aims and breaks their spirit.
The students OF the National Academy OF Design,
having waited In vain for the nation TO provide
them such school, have at last resolved to ap-
peal directly to our generous and art-loving citi-
have prepared an album containing photographic
specimens Of their best drawings from the antique,
sasx C
found permanent school Of painting in our city.
graphs can with difiicuity be distinguished rom
those OF the casts themselves, SO astonishingly
upon 1t mas been done entirely by students OF the
Academy OF Design, even the superb title-page hav-
ing been designed and engraved by OF the FORE
| most men OF the enterprise.
It Is estimated that not less than $50, 900 viii
| found In perpetuty such q school as Is needed,
which sum, no doubt will speedily be secured.
Meantime, while the several committees are cam
| vassing the city for the permanent fund, the
students whose energy and enthusiasm will not
brook delay, have subscribed literally toward pro-
curing an immediate class. Eight hundred dollars
! are required to secure professor for the
| mainder OF the academic year; and although q
large proportion OF the students are compelled to
resort to designing engraving, lith0graphing and
| even to working up" photographs In crayon,
India ink and pastel to sustain themselves while
| pursuing their studies, more than half the sum
| was subscribed by them at the nrst meeting-four
students, Mr.. Ebert, Mr.. Luis Sands, Miss
Gunnison and Miss Heinemann, whose names de-
serve remembrance heading the list with 800
each, the rest following with sums propOrtiOnato
to their means and inclination. IL 10 hoped and
believed the public will respond - literally when
called upon to further this great enterprise.
II has been rum0red that 8 certain weI-knOwn
gentleman, markedly Interested IN art for many
years, is desrous Of connecting has name indissou
bly, with some institution OF this character.
Should this be true he could have no litter oppor-
tunity for immortalizlnR himself A magnificent
bequeet would make the Stewart School OF Paint
ing monument more beautiful and more enduring
than marble or bronze.