New-York tribune., 1874-04-25
FINE ARTS.
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN.
yoRrY-NIsTH ANNUAL EXHIBITION
NJ Gao. II. Halls "Pomegranates," and Mis-

r,,h poom cheerful with bit OF Driliian' ooiVN N
Cranberrys little picture would oe lnproVeun .no e"sS
that holds the flowers were more grsceiui III ioi,
'nNs :, Trro as n has were correctly drawn. But
- aoors arc the main thing and they are gwen "l'n
s'non dopcaey Why, when Mr.. Hall paints nuit ana
r,oi, flowers so we'll. with such good dra"inS "nu
.n ncasnr color will be insist painting the hgure'
%, which he has--we will not be satshed WIN n'0
rerat,ye and say-no talent but positive lnoap"o'
xyhy not recognize and acknowledge olhoreu0e
:, ta,cnts and taking the many times ciearS eAp'0s"
,hIio vordiot-that he cannot paint the human hgure
for true and dnal cease worrying MS irenos "nN
,okInR his enemies by trying TO prove the pnoho 's
,aken and give us all pleasure by exercising tno 'o
that everybody admits he hast Flowers ana ir'o ',o
beautiful objects, and to paiOt thom oesu1up " w
ns ALI service Mr. JOhu Lafarse pants tnen io'o.s
20 look at in one way; Mr. George q LamOaih paints
them fair TO see in another way and certain stately
rich and formal flowers have reason to complain Vi
the way they show Mr. Hairs oanvases rIoNois
Seem 10 have found more friends than irulVs' d. ai
vanta we do not now rememberany one OF our artiss
who paints fruits well as Mr.. Hall He has an easy sh
in drawing. and good healthy eye for ooori these ae
,ompI,shments might find constant employment in WORK
FOR which his mind is fitted but he wastes his time ana
hurts his reputation by constantly strainng at what's
beyond his powers. These pomegranates are paln'eu
with Wig Jrous hand and the cooring is delightful
M Pietro Vain Italian who has lately taken UP MS
sidence among us, has done himself injustice by the
, nietures he has sent TO the exhibition We wish nc
o,d have contributed the really striking picture OF
young mage that has pleased many visitors to Goups
Gallery of late That SO cheerful In feeling so sym
atbeo with the quick and nimbe spirit OF youth, ana
withal so opposed in color to the Dnunen ana
s,,v Of "After the War" and TO the
theatrical gaudiness of his Veronica" that We should
have welcomed the substitution for either OF them or
,r both Of them Of picture that offers nothing but
eubject for happy thought OF the two pictures
BY Mr. vani in this exhibition. it is not easy to say
which is the worse panteo but there can be no doubt
that the Veronica is the more dsagreeable OF the
two to think about. Both pictures are melodrama OF
the pure Bowery type, OF what was the pure Bowery
%vne before that was cut up into little to make
many Of fine. 1t would take thirtyyears
war at least to produce such state OF moral ana phys
zeal depression as united in the luekless
woman who is carrying this child in her arms,
and her face without form and void 1t mas become
50 reckless about its drawing and its color so denor-
alzed that cannot zee any use in trying 10 sym
pathize with its owner. TIE woman appears to have
ded early the war; and the only real interest there is
in the picture found in trying to settle the problem II
presents Of body far got possession OF so
recent child and how cOntriyes to carry its aequsi
ton about. AS for the Veronica" nothing could
justify the choice OF such subject but the painting 1t
in way to nauseate but TO errfy u.s. and that
IA a power Mr.. Vaini las by no means shown. He
has contrved 10 shirk the difficulty of painting
one che faces that OF the dead woman but he has not
had the discretion to sbirk face OF the living one and
the result facial expression impossible to translate
Without the catalogue who could tell what the conneo-
tion is between this head aud this lady, Would not any
one think that the head had been seu TO the lady, and
thashe was trying feeble way to show disgust at
the present. Even with the help Of the catalogue 1t is
impossible TO say positively what her face expresses Is
II feari Is 1t ragei Is it eXultauon1 Is disgustf
We the question whether art is concerned with
such subjects as this but We insist that before
Qln m
he should have shown power to
express the deeper passion with at least so much sue
cess as waits on the efforts OF hirdrate actresses The
technical execution Of both these pictures is OF low
order 1t does not require any more skill than Is pos
sessed by the visitor to see that TIE drawing
uniformly bad aud that the color Is raw and coarsey
put on Altogether this appears 10 very unpromis-
ing first appearance and we should be discouraged
from looking for much pleasure u Mr. Vaints work. had
We not and enjoyed elsewhere picture oy him-
The Page" already mentiOned-a subject easily within
the range Of his powers, and treated with an ability
much more than respectable.
Mr. W. S. Haseltines "Caste at Ostia" is not very
happy as a composition. the stonepines refusing TO
agree among themselves take more dignity than
would naturally. belong TO the Overgrown toadstools
they resemble Won Schadow the successor OF Cornelius
as Director of the Academy at Dusseldorf was once re-
monstrating with young landscape artist VINO was
bent on going to Italy for studies. "Why will you 20
VI
beautfullyf There ony two trees in Italy and you
can pant them both here home from your sketchng
umbrella Shut it, aud you have the cypress open II and
ron have the stone-pne" This story is pure Dusseldorf
but is OF the stonepne at least that IL is not
natural growth but artificial production the spread
ing head being the part that spared by the peasants
who tr,n up the lower branches for frewood There
are situations in which the result picturesque but 1t
not always and it requires considerable skill so to
manage the tree in composition that IT shall not offend
Ruskn says that Turner was the only artist VINO knew
how to paint stonepine and certainly he did intro
duoe 1t with strikng effectiveness. What would the
Mercury and Argus" the Golden Bough be with
out this tree They seem so grand In turner's por-
travail that the hope of seeing them makes portion Of
the desire every cultivated person has to see the land
scape OF Italy and 1t is only fair to Mr. Haseltne to say
that the actuaiy is often disappointing asi Is In
his picture. We dare say that tins picture shows us
how osts looks mstterof fact people, but we ought
able thank Mr. Haseltne for showing US how IT
looks to the poet.
Mr. A. b. Durand's Franeoua Notch" Is excellent
specmen of the venerable artists art and we are glad
70 see it so well hung. 1t is an academic conposoh'
ouotOnous in color and rather tame in conception, but
Il is painted in a and happy spirit, ana WIN
desire 10 do good work Like most Of Mr. Durands PIC
lures this would no doubt show for much more than IL
does here 1t hardly fair to careful and respecta
be performance to hang 1t so impotent strain
ing after the sublime as Mr.. Terry's "Vision OF St
John" We have heard this picture called impious,
but surely that is too strong an objective. Lou
the spectator who disposed 10 be angry with the pic
ture forget the Bible texts with which its title Is asso-
cated IN the catalogue and think Of 1t as representing
she of one Of Messrs Jarrett Pamers show
peces knocked fiat with astonshmen atthe appearance
Of one of the ballet girls, young and fresh OF hue who
has donned a white sheet, and the beard and wig OF
some stage old man, and is making her entry In the
grand transformation scene on clouds OF cotton with