New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-05-11
FINE ARTS.

works OF art so generously sent by certain artists OF
Paris and Dusseldorf to be sold for the beneht OF INC
sufferers by the Chicago fire. have been placed on eAo
ton In the Leavt Art Rooms where In spite oil the chE'
for admission great many people go 10 see then' We
wish that the pictures could have been shown 10 the pun
lie without any admission fee; at all events thero h"'
have free entrance after the first Few days an" "o
object also 10 the costly and cumbersome catalogue
Fifty for catalogue, in addition 10 'e 20 Genus
asked for admission ia unreasonable, and though the
pampllet is largo octave, ana hanu'
somely printed thick paper IL contains very
little information that Is not 10 DO hau easier IOn
the pictures themselves. Add that IN too many cases.
the Judgments criticisms and even the statements OF
fact set forth as these matters are in that dialect or dgot
which we trust We may without ofense call auction
ecr's Enslish-aro misleading to say the least. To
our thinking the generosity which moved these
French and German artists to give q thought in
the midst OF their own dlstresses TO the
troubles of population 5000 miles away
should have been made known and brought homo to as
many OF people possible and instead Of the over
fine catalogue it would have been well TO have dstrib
uted, in cheaply printed form, such information
about the artists and the character and value OF their
work should all Of us have been pleased to read
when think Of the surei Of pictures and works OF art
OF all kinds enjoyed every day by the people to whom IS
cents is nothing; how, in their houses III other
peoples houses, in Academies OF Design and In print
shops there every day waiting for them 10 see ana
forget than poor folk and people who must count
why the people into whose management those picture
exhibitions fall do sometimes feel inclined to share
little Of their pleasure with their less fortunate Eel
lows. But We forget. We are not in democratic
Europe, with It's glorious free Louvres and National
Galleries, and Cluny Museums and Ufizu Galleries. and
Pitt Palaces, and Vaticans and Naples Museums We
are In aristOcratic America, where motley Is not In
fashion, but where will be exclusive, ana nave st
families, and keep those below us in their places SUM-
though we how vulgar 1t is to concern ourselves
about people TO whom % cents is a burden we cam
help wishing that of our empty srmores could
have been taken TO show these pictures, and the ewd
people, with fellows the baser sort, invited TO come
along and fetch all their brothers and SEQ the show
for nothing.
Of the two collections the French pictures are by far
the interesting. But It's a pity too much was
promised advance because expectation was raised
high and injustice done at first sight to what
Is really very interesting gallery. 1t IL, however
gallery sketches, many Of them slight. many Of them
unfinished. but masters sketch is always vauable
there is something TO he learned from 1t, some
thing TO enjoy in it. 1t was not to be ex
pected that Moissonier, and GerOme, and Ca
banel, and Merle, and FortuDy, would send us finished
masterpieces they could not afford 1t; when cOnsid
what their regulations are, how eagerly their work
Is sought for, how many people have inscribed their
waiting their turn for picture from the hand OF
any OF these men-we ought TO think them very
goodnatured send anything. Beside these men have
their own troubles, and sufferers not the only
they helping. few weeks ago all the artists
in PARIS sent pictures TO an auction TO DO
sold for benefit of CLEVER felowarst, Anastase,
who had become suddenly blind; and now they are all
at work again making up collection to which every
artist in France and every French artist everywhere
VIII picture TO be sold fer the dimnutiOn OF the
national debt The Dusseldorf artists also needing
help as much Chicago artists, for many OF
their studios have been burned. and much laborious,
precious wOIk IN them destroyed in some cases the
uncounpefpd labor of Ile GOOD rule about
looking into the mouths OF gift horses would therefore,
apply with double force in this but in truth the
the whole good horse, and does the sender
much honor Cabane has sent a good piece OF work,
more interesting, thinking than the Desdemona
Of his lately in Goupirs gallery This is an
earnest wellpantcd head, and whoever gets
1t, gets o good specimen OF this masters
way OF working and thinking G6rOmes souvenir Of
Mt. Sinai" is a solidy painted figure of sheik on a
background which, though not carried far has all the
necessary value short distance and the picture
contains in small compass q satisfactory example OF
Geromes manner Meissonicr has sent drawing which
is as fine as anything have ever had from
him in this country 1t is water
color drawing, but not whit less valuable
than n 1t were painted in oils and many more Of our
readers will believe this than would have believed
1t few years ago. that so many proofs have accu
mulated Of the durability Of waer-colOrs, durability
much greater as a rule than belongs to oil pictures.
Turner'S water-colOrs, for example. remain to us
them, while his oil pictures for the
most part are rapidly deteriorating in color,
cracking and fading to disappear altogether, before
long with the ReyDoldses aud GansborOughs. Meisso-
ner's drawing is masterpiece and ought to fetch the
price Of masterpiece. Merle too another favOrite in
America-and have excellent pictures here by
this master-has given a clever strong study-the
head Of young girl who is threading q
worsted-needle. Bougereaus contribution is a
study FROM the same head he has painted in
picture at Goupls This is face of char
than he usually finds for subject. There
rather individuality about it, Other pictures
that deserve to be specially pointed out Volon's
Fishing Boats going out to Sea-" No 12l work
seen near, but not meant to be near; Pierre
Cottin's, The Bassecoer," No. SO, very clever
broad sketch, with plenty OF light and air
In It, Beranger's, 1.-THE Oyster-Opener," No. TO-
A bright little pocketpece the sketch-is 1t -of
finished picture Of the same subject brought here
some wears ago ToumOuche His Portrait No. lis,
which would be all could wish Of Toulmouche, IT, like
Goupel Baugniet, saintiu, and their likes he was
mere painter of dry goods But he is something more
than this and studies human nature, or at least
French nature, and at times makes troublesome dis
royeries This figure skllfuy painted and the velvet
and sk quite well done they deserve TO be- Louis
IAlor AT Bay" No. 81, deserves purchaser for Its
careful study Of a sixteenth-century arquebusier's
dress but while the artist was about it, we wish he
eouId have found leather Of another 10 slash still,
II man would know just how these fell
his habit as no lived. Eugene Froment, No. b6
sends pretty design for fan, "Venus distributing,
hearts TO her troop OF little page cupd and Escozura
and Detaie, two artists with whom Mr. Averys coec-
ton first made acquainted here also; Esc0sura
with musqueteer, pleased with studying the dint
bullet has made IN his basnet, No. g. aud Detae No
e. with "a Grenadier Of the Guards" nicely drawn