New-York tribune., 1873-02-01
THE COMING WATER- COLOR EXHIBITION

The American Society of Painters in Water
Colors exhibition Of their works TO take
place early in the coming month at the hatonal Acad
envy of Design building this city 1t now definitely
settled that the Society is 10 have the exhibition en-
trey TO ITSELF rather to speak more correctly that
1t is TO have under Its exclusive contros not 10
share It, as was at one time proposed with the National
Academy OF Design. with Mr.. Henry Biaekburn,
whose much takedof and much written-about Inerna-
tona Exhibition has, sorry TO learn, been aban-
doned for the present. We suppose IN fact that TINS
scheme OF MIR. Blackburn's rather shaped by his
hopes and his good will than by any argument
drawn from the probabilities OF the case.
II was never very likely that any con-
siderable number of fine English water-eoors
could be collected from the artists themselves, and
brought over here for exhibition and sale, and there
never was the least possibility that any answering num-
ber of American waercolors could be exhibited in Lon
don under the protection Of either the Old or the New
Society," and admitted to equal privileges OF sale with
the pictures painted by the members OF these soceues
without the possibility OF this reciprocal hospitality,
we cannot see how Mr.. Blackburns scheme could have
been justified in calling itself Internatonal yet we
believe Mr. Blackburn his countrymen too we'll ever
TO have believed that such reciprocity was possible And
TO do him justice believe he never promised It, We
should have been well content for our part he could
have been successful in carrying out the first named
half Of his pan Not that we care very much Tor the
general run Of English watercoor artists but there are
a few among them from whom, if we could have speci-
mems Of their work best should have been glad
TO hear Yet, say, it was never to have been
hoped for that should get from the best men their
best work. We might have had, and II MT BLACKBURN
perseveres, we may yet have plenty OF the conVen'
tional hammered, tame, raw, watereolor draw
ing that yearly covers the walls Of the two
Societies rooms and makes neutral ground
on which stand splendidy out the few drawings that
flo onnigp of he
might have had we say plenty OF these distressing per-
formances and yet as the English people are greedy
devourers OF them, and long before the EAhlDluoh
closes they are for the part marked sod," we
are that Of these there would be enough
leayings TO make a show IN New-York But granting
that we could have enough OF the poor ones we are sure
that-unless by Mr. Blackburn's personal interest with
his frends-he could not show here dozen drawings
by the artists who yearly make their places
ON the walls more buzzed about than beds
Of mignonette by Summer bees. These never
remain unsoId day upon the walls No sooner ale the
doors opened and few masterpieces seen than they
snapped up by buyers nay often, before they
are seen they are snapped up the strength Of the
artists name. Whoever has watched the wallsIof the
picture dealers this city since pcturedeang began
and 1t is but little while ag0-must have been struck
II he knew anything about English modern art with the
small number of pictures by Engishmen that are
brought here. And this is TO be accounted for
not by remarking that the dealers in Now
York who have the largest business are
Frenchmen OF Germans, but simply by the fact that
the English are ricb that they immense buyers of
pictures that they give easily prices the bare mention
of which would make an American merchant prince
souea and that they love their own native art to dis
traction How many years must an American wait,
should like TO know before he could get drawing by
Gilbert from the artists easei drawing by Gilbert,
or one by Burne Jones' Rossett Sandys OF MADDOX
No Mr. "a laV
promises were well meant to be kept, but he has no
doubt found that II less easy to keep than to make
them,
Our own Water Color Society has made good begin
ming and we hope It will have a successful time with
this years exhibition 1t started IN Its work with the
least nosbIe cement and IL has persevered in
maintaining its organization aud holding yearly exhibit
ons in the face OF considerable public indifference and
small pecuniary profit But of late years the exhibit
tons have attracted larger numbers and people are be-
ginning to find out that, merely as way OF investing
money the purchase Of good waercolor drawings
safe" as if the money were put into oil" 1t is eyi
dent too that the exhibitions OF the Society have done
somethng toward turning the public attention to water
color for within two three years there have been
great number Of drawings by French, italian,
and Spanish artists imported by the dealers and the
cry is still they come The dealers have got the start
of Mr. blackburn; and while we are waiting to learn
what the English waercoloriss can do, the dealers
have shown us capital works by Lambert and Maccar,
Iebel and YIbert Zamacos, Casres aud Ziem, not TO
mention a crowd of other less-known nanes-Martin
and HarpigniessCcer and Agrasot, Detti and Jmenez
1--WE shall look with interest at the work IN the coming
exhibition OF our own young but promising Society TO
see if our artists have held their how much they
have yielded to this aboundIng foreign influence Mean
while we cordially wish them success they are sure 10
have it if they try to deserve 1t.
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