The New York herald., 1874-02-24
The Water Color Exhibition at the
Academy OF Design.

The Water Color Exhibition 1t the
Academy OF Design.
Next Saturday night the exhibition Of the
american Society of Painters in Water
Colors," at the Academy of Design. will
close and no equal opportunity will be en-
Joyed for another year of witnessing the i'm
provement which our artists have made in
this peculiarly elegant and beautiful branch
OF art. We shall be tedious. perhaps. if we
reiterate what we have often said about the
apathy OF the American public with regard to
water colors but if. out of the tediousness
thus created shall arise that desire for self
justification which shall induce vital
interest in the subject we shall
manage to endure with grace the
stigma of having momentarily offended To
certain extent it is the same with
water coloring az with etching. Every
body thinks he can etoh, and it is only
after the most earnest patient and repeated
efforts that he appreciates, not only that he
has no practical mastery of the art, but that
he even possesses no adequate conception of
what the practice of the art implies. It has
seemed to be o prevalent Idea that to paint in
water colors was boudoir accomplishment,
to be picked up and laid down like crochet
work-an elegant and fippant little art, in
which about as much proficiency was desira-
BILE as that which enables the average young
lady to please her own expectations on the
piano and disappoint those of her friends.
The present exhibition at the Academy of
Design, however, proves that the appreciation
of water oolors, SO far, at least, as New York is
concerned, is on the increase. The rooms
have been very well attended night and day,
and sometimes, at evening, the galleries have
been thronged to that degree which is 80
pleasant as an evidence of popular interest
and 80 unpleasant as an obstacle to any proper
view of the display. 1t would be folly to
deny that no despicable proportion of the at
traction has been the drawings emanating
from the hands of foreign artists The sheep
OF Rosa Bonheur, the coast scenes Of Marry.
the cathedrals and broad-eaved houses
of Dibdin, the flowers of Rivoire,
the two or three military bits
by Edouard Detaille and the marvellous
sufficient to throw q sort of splendid charm
over a much meaner collection. But even
without these features, it may safely be
claimed that the present display at the
Academy is such an advance upon the past,
and upon that of last year in particular, as to
merit compliment which to the eye Of
hypercriticism might seem like too fair
exaggeration. Bad pictures there doubtless
are, but for our part we feel disposed to
thank the hanging committee for having
unanimously conspired to put them out OF
sight as much as the principles involved in
the very arduous task of suspending sew
eral hundred pictures for public exhibi-
ton would allow. Mr.. A. F. Bellows is very
numerously represented, but he seems to have
sought nature out through every green
lane that England possesses; and, though
the nature he gives us is English nature,
when we should be glad to see him little
more American, yet it is nature SO sweet so
serious, 80 sensuous. SO full of rich and
aH1uent repose, that there is little tendency
to quarrel with him. The mention of
Church's pre-eminence at once recalls all that
he has done. The marines Of Mr.. W. T. Rich
ards, of Philadelphia, are more dramatically
interpretive Of the life and light of ocean, the
gradations between dawn and midnight, than
ever before. Mr. Bricher is young artist
who is rapidly advancing, and who is making
special feature with marines. If Mr..
Tiffany always drew as correctly as he
reproduces the temperament of an Oriental
atmosphere he would leave less to be desired,
and if Mr.. J. D. Smillie executed every part
Of his work with as much fidelity as the back
ground of one or two Of his landscapes in the
present display he would at once assume
higher rank. There are several eminent
American names which it would be pleasant to
see represented at the Academy, and it is i'm
possible to feel contented that that representa-.
ton has not been made. Still, making allow
ance for every shortcoming and for many
cases of individual apathy, the exhibition now
open is excellent and no one who loves art
and who has not yet visited the Academy of
Design will have done his duty if he make no
use of the week that remains A particularly
oesuapie opportunity may Do ehJoyeo 'o-
morrow, when the whole amount received for
admissions during that day will be applied to
the relief Of the poor of this city
DONATIONS. Numerous generous contribu-
tons to the relief Of the poor are reported in
our news columns. Many give bread for use
in the soup houses, and Mr.. Dan Bryant gives
$500, the proceeds of q charity matinee.
The TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT AT THE RIaHT
porNT 1T has reached yVo sh; o+o, a,a q L.,