New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1874-05-02
FINE ARTS.
NATIONAL. ACADEMY OF DESIGN.
FORTY NINTH ANNUAL EXHIBITION.

We are always sorry when Mr.. Huntington
drops into Historical painting. We have no one VINO
surpasses him "a a portrait-painter, although there
two three artists who run nearly neek-ahu-n
with him. with subjects like the Titan sho"lng n
picture OF the Entombment 70 Clement VII ana
W at Bologna" he is hopelessly incompetent 70 deal
His conspicuous failure this direction was
Republican Court of Washington "a failure so Serious
and so generally admitted, that we bad hoped Tue
artist would accept the verdict, ana maAe
no more efforts 10 pluck laurels oub Vi
his reach. 1t certainly is no dscredt 10 MN
to have failed is he 10 be Dlameu inoie
than another for thinking he can do something ne
cannot do. Reynolds greater pOrFal-palh'oi
than Mr. Huntngon-One OF the greatest the world mas
ever seen-yet we believe he himself held his picture OF
Count Ugoino and his Sons" TO be one OF MS Des'
works. though for thankfulness that he uIu
not meet with patron 70 atter him into further VENT
ures in a similar field. Mr. HuntingtOns present attempt
at historical painting is far we remember the
snccessful effort Of his in that direction. Yet we can
imagine the subject serving pleasantly enough as
framework in which to set not only portraits OF group
OF notable men, but an interesting copy in little OF
Ttians famous picture, such az MI huntington
is very competent 20 make. Instead OF this
we have but little Of anyhing-Deither good PORTRAITS
nor natural grouping, nor correct architecture nor
a satisfactory suggestion Of the picture OF the EhtomD
ment. Mr. Huntington is one Of the Oldest members OF
the artist profession in our country He is widely and
honorably known in his profession and TO nave mao
ones portrait painted by him is almost as good patent
OF nobility as 10 have had ones ancestor painted Dy
stuart or by Copey He for many years President
Of the Academy and in short there is every reason WHY
young artists should look upon any picture ne may
think worthy OF sending 70 the yearly exhlDtoh' ana
10 which the Hanging Committee may assign place on
the line in the principal roOm work TO De careiuy
studied, and one from which they can surely learn
good deal that Will be OF use TO them therefore we
think it worth while 10 examine tins picture IN ue'a
and 10 point ont those defects and shortcomings
that 70 mind make unsatisfactory performance
unworthy Of the who painted the portrait OF r
Tibbits hanging the same wall only few Ieet re-
moved.
In first place either these people are too large for
the room they are in room Is too small Tor the
people. The real difficulty s that the room Is too small
although 1t is evident also that the people are OUT OF
proportion both 70 the room and 10 one another IL is
not common find in houses OF importance IN ltay
rooms small this one even to-day, ana IN Tue oiu
times the art of subdviding was much less prac
tced than it is when there IS more need OF rOom
but we cannot think that Titan was ever Obliged aef
Fame had come 70 hm-and she came eary-to lodge N
an ,ereSot and certainly man OF such huge proper
lions as the great artist shows IN Mr. Huntlngtons
picture would ever have hired such low-studded
room for comfort. At the tine when the
Pope and the Emperor paid this visit to Itian nc was
little over 50 years old. and having managed his AFFAIRS
well was living comfort, and even IN luxury, so that
we think Mr. Huntington has missed an Important
artistic opportunity in not spreading himself more IN his
architecture such architecture there s is al OF the
artists own invention DO we know where he would
have found In Bologna so bad a gothic window as the
one that lights this aparmeut-here beng IN TACT very
little gothic architecture the town, good or bad And
II we must have window IN when our attention Is
necessarily drawn the design. might not an additional
pleasure have been given us by letting US see out
Of 1t a view that would have suggested some
Mace in particuar-let Us say Bologna for in
stance Al the left OF the canvas, Titan
in the weIl-known dressinG-gown, is drawing
aside the curtain has covered the picture or inc
Entombment, which we believe was not painted uh'n
several years later though that is matter OF no great
importance We may remark, by the way, that II was
OF this celebrated painting our own Washington Aston
gave striking and poetical description: The body
OF Christ" SAID, els borne 10 the tomb by his dis
cpes: the ground trembe beneath their tread
and the air is darkened by their grief" Fortunate the
artist whose work meets with such critic. IItlan,
who looks much nearer 70 than 49, Is OF gigantic hight
but his face and head skfuy painted aud the por-
traits well preserved The Popes attitude is emnenty
free and easy and contrasts rather hearuesy Win tha
Of the Emperor, who having found a pin in his
chair. IS endeavonug, with heroic PRIDE, 10 con-
ceal his agony, and 10 appear unconcerned. HIS
manly effort gives unusual prominence to his historic
Jaw which accurately depicted and looks larger than
human N consequence OF his struggle with his feelings
The chair he is sitting on is an anachronism, ana
Charless taste good in furniture That u may DC
his painful distracted expression Of countenance Is que
rather 20 the sitting upon anachronism than 10 inc
min we have imagined 20 account for 10. The most
remarkable part this picture, fun OF SURPRISES is 70
be found in the group Of ladies' at the night. what
these ladies' may here for is certainly not very clear
The stout lady in yeIoW-"s shave say-or what IS
the material for this OF the points on which Mr.
Huntington never enlIghtens us-this lady Is indeed
throwing noncha!ant glance at the picture as much as
to.av that Is all very WELL but she has seen 1t TOO often
N take very lively interest in IT, Did the artist when
he was drawing in this figure take the precaIton 70
measure IT. IL was said OF Phdlas's OlympAh JoNe
that If he had from MS seat he would have carried
off the roof Of the shrine and fear that II TINS stat
wart Jno were get mp would 90 hard with tue rooi
% ran,s stud,o The conduct Of the lady next her is
more decidedly reprehensbe FOR she Is not only singing
song 10 the ue when she ought to be listening TO his
Honess art criticism but refusing 70 look at an
immense picture-book which delicate young lady Is
holding ND before her. stout young man meanwhile
standing by and letting her hold IT, without Offering Ms
help This group short, is one of those with when all
who are in the habit OF looking al Mr. Huntngtons pie
lures are familiara group put IN merely for pictorial
effect and having relation 20 the subject nor nueeo
anv reason beyond supposed artistic one for being
There has been produced u Fatls IateIy HS" f'"'
called La Jeunesse de Louis XIV" IN which the siage
setting OF one scene-hat which the Great Monarch
IN nunsb the courtlers who had tried 20 snub M0lere'
invites the poet TO breakfast with him and makes the
first mobiles wait on them both-has been fathiuAy
copied from G6rome's picture. II IS OF no importance
that the incident may never have happened. Gerome
took the story az Il the popular legend ana
made II real by the careful study OF the kIhs
bedroom at Versailles, by thOroughness OF research
added 10 his equation
as an archRologst and by consummate skill and pans
taking in the numerous portraits that I'll the canvas
The grouping natural and easy nothing is put ID Tor
paddng and il is only plain truth 20 cay that II the