New-York tribune., 1873-03-06
FINE ARTS AND TIE DRAMA
ART.
ART.
CHANCES AT THE wATER-coLoR EHhiBiiioN'
[seoond Areiel
. A.. Cd tbat an many DpODle


GLANCRS AT THE wATER-CoLoR EHhiBilioH'
Isecond Article
r, 10 nIcasant to find that 40 many people
o Mr. r. Killingworth Johnson's Rival Forists,' NO.
an North Room. Mr. johnson Ia English wa'erooor-
,t .,d We do not remember 10 havo seen drawing W
him I'm any previous exhibition. We DebeVo IL WAY
niece OF good fortune that brought us TINS one
AZ tbe eleventh hour the CustOn-hou3c men houiR "D
10 it to the last minute, and had to be sont III
without a Frame I'm the plain pine packngguafuS Ia
which # left tho artists hands. whether the Custom
ho man sont the beautiful drawing about among their
friends IN be admired as we know Of their having uoho
with other hlngs that struck their fancy, we cannot
tell 1t would provo amount OF good tas'e on '"'
mart that would go a little way to excuse thelr ""'
Deocadoes BE this as 1t may, II happens tha' 'no os
detention OF this particular drawing WHICH Op"HoN
ts being sent in this plain fashion, or NOT az "i @
not In the least nterfered with its success The puoc
s1 :, o,t i,nnediotely and 1t took, almost at once
rho naoe IL has held through tho EShbon-hat OF the
most beautiful aud the most skillful drawing On VI"
waa The subject simple one. hoFist mas orouS"'
IN bis neizhbor florists house new carnauon' anu '
two are busted In examining IL while the young Pcopo u
the family sit in the doorway and listen 10 the Sou
sion and tho old gardener with bis ears prckeu UP "
we'll Is employed with the fowerbod5 at one SIDE Inc
delighted spectator passes from one part OF thS 10
marlable drawing TO another without being aOe 70 ue
eide which Is tho most pleasing yet there Is repOoo IA
ALI Some artists nd fault with 1t that 1t Is not oFlueo
into two or even into throe pictures others' ta' 10
wanting In strength OF light and shade Ana II might
easiIv happen that these rcproaches could
treatment had not the excuse OF so much
dramatic skill and penetration into character behnd H.
OF course treatment is always OF very hlgh lupot'a'
but il must ever be secondary to the thought inc a''
has to express it only be everything "eh INC @
has no thought worth expressing. We kho" very "cN
hr1I anHt j.
there is so-caed SCHOOL OF young artists VINO each
that "eGet and "the way Of doing It" are the cher END
NJ man However hold with the world ana WIN the
preaes men who abOred ID 1t at the att thI lnc
only value OF the workmanship Is In the sKuI Win "H
II eta the author's thought shine through IT, and that
the greatest work that which has the hSheS thouSu
in IT, Now tho present collection of watercoors Is not
and does not pretend to be- collection OF masterpieces
And perhaps it is not great distinction to be first IN IT,
still there is considering the circumstances, reason
able amount Of clever workmanship and the PROOF OF DO
small amount Of study by thOushtiul HeD'
And Mr. Johnson's Rival Florists has tho tiSnI
TO be reckoned the first drawing in importance mere
because there is thought more study oil hu-
man nature more observation OF the external aspects O
things and more mechanical skill and dexterity In draw
inc and in it tnan shown by any other draw
n I'm the Exhibition. Tho old brick wall that makes
the background OF the picture VIII explain 10 uhOee
ers the enthusiasm with which artists, sometimes re-
turning from lands everything Is not splck-anu-
span new express for the beauty OF Old BRICK beauty
by the way which is not developed by every atmos-
phere An old brick wall in Rome or in England and
one IN New-York are very different things. There IS
nothing exaggerated In the tint and texture OF TINS Ou
wall of Mr. Johnson's. Nature loves bricks In England
and takes them thus kindly 10 herself to make them KIN
TO her beauty Tuen look at the roses, bush and red
and white that are trained this old wall how beau
tifu they are how lush. and how fragrant As for the
two old men, the authorcss Of "Middlemarch" herself
could MT have made them more real to U.s. Inc FslIOr
is seated 10 an chair he has placed the pot contain
ing the new carnatOI the table, and he leans quietly
back, his face all a'twinkle with delight as
he watches his friend and neishbor-riyaI study
ing the Almanac de Gotha with all his spectaces to
trace If he can the pedigree OF this splendid specimen!
eotemporary in speaking OF the faces OF these old
men says of them with odd misaking iof terms that
they are stipped" ITO stppe IS TO produce texture
By means of dots OF COLOR aud it is petty IN
artistic way OF work such as no man of SIR. JOhnsons
skill would employ. This artists method Is large ana
py and the reverse not only OF stpDc but Of all that
Is implied by stipple. miniature by Ohycr or crayon
by Holben could justly be charged with nlgenS OF
penes as these old mems heads or the face OF the
Young girl 1t will not be possible for the spectator 70
leave Mr. Johnson's picture without studying the hSure
OF the young girl who is sitting in the doorway and
looking UP her work. amused at the little scene OF
poodbumored masculine jealousy that is beng played
before her and less conscious companions. She l.
dressed in white and has on her head an oval disk
white shirred muslin, sort OF sun-shade. At first
glance you see OF white without gradaton aud
without betrayal OF the lOrns beueath but draw
near and admire the subuety with which
not only all the folds Of this sheer
drapery are made out, but the with which the
forms OF the body pronounced student could do
many less useful things for his advancement than 10
study patiently this little bit Of cleverness-no notcey
erness-ths little bit of honest enjoyment in painting
with ones best skill beautiful thing The painting Of
this white dress and that Of the faces OF the old mon
and OF the young GIRL directly kin of Hobens
work. where one first glance only spaces OF color
nclosed by bounding lines but, on more and more look
ing finds the solid forms making themselves felt, until
at length absolute Illusion but illusion Of the nobest
kind is produced This is the kind OF painting that Queen
Elizabeth meant when she said she preferred pictures
without shadows-a saying for which she has been
laughed at as II she had praised the Chinese manner,
but In reality it shows her refinement OF taste. and
deed we know In many ways that her taste good.
some OF our readers may remember the hands in Hol
beins portrait OF Henry VIII that Is Warwick Castle
At first glance they mere patches Of light color
without the least apparent gfiaation bat they grow
softer and softer look, until at length we think
all painting coarse beside their reality It takes con.
suInmate master TO draw in this way. but behind the
master with the brush there Is master with trained
and studiOus eye.
other good work on these walls IA TO be found in some
sketches that NAV easily pass unnotced. Mr.. VIM. L.
SheppardS Taint like de ole times :" No 252 clever
study OF negro Character character" and carca
ture-fr0m hand that does much work which the public
enjoys without always knowing whom IL IL indebted
Tor s pleasure. Those who have remarked the excel
lence OF the illustrations IN Scribners MagaZineand
some OF illustrations haze been matched in
country for eXecution-mRy have noticed the
OF Mr. Sheppard rs the designer OF some OF the best OF
them. We have seen some drawings the block made
by him to illustrate forthcoming article "Nan-
tucket" that II they are as well engraved "a they
well drawn. will put Mr. Sheppard easily nrSt among
our pOrtrayers OF character.
The visitor will have observed too small drawing
by J. ". Champney, 1.-THE Kitchen in Anne Hathaway's
Cottage shottery England" No 100. This Is not merely
true picture Of tho place, any tourist bear Wit
ness, but II Is an artistcay managed picture aud