New-York tribune., 1874-04-13
FINE ARTS AND MUSlO.
FlNE ARTS.
s,f''-' FINE ARTS -.,
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DEslGN-ihh '0"'
ANNUAL EXHIBITION.
x-Sf

Tho West Room is rather duli uhs feei' '''
fhera are some pictures in 1t that are "oith
Yhe two pictures Of most pretehs'on ai0 1o -, -,
pos,-ofnce - nv T. W. Wood. and The CONFESSIONAL
too.Ou.' ,.,t neither OF these will add much
a. ar or,.,iop of ifs author. Mr Wood has not sklll
,,onx, i, drawing the figure nor knowledge enous" VI
human nature 70 MI as largo canvas rs this WIN "
tor ar once pleasant and profitable 10 study Inc '
nst hiring 20 the reproduction OF such scene ei'uo,
,od drawing or beautiful color or striking ngh' ana
hads nv the play OF human character something aruso
IN short, TO make wiling to stand atthe door
-, csuptry store and lock III upon what Is doing tnere
yst so eylden. that 1t would hardly be worth sShe
n IL were that so many people 'DinA .HA
IN paint a matter-offact copy OF ma'teroFido'
,lare is 10 paint picture. Such akperormAnoe 10 Nv
moro necessarily picture than groups OF hhes plop'
divided into feet and furnished at the ends Win III!
t, ,synables arc necessarily poem. Muready paints
two very ordinary people in a shop buying Wedding
sx, but he brings such skill TO bear in painting lhe
furniture and Furnishings Of the shophe ena OF 'e
counter Is 80 cleverly painted that you can see IL IS o
"srained to look like mahoganyD- tnoieS %
niece of executOn-s bit OF scenuhc recoru "o i'
almost call it-people viii take pleasure IN IooA"k "
the pcture as long as it exists And TO come heaiei
home our own winslow Homer painted, last year.
,orptrv store in Vermont, with some village poSs
hanging about the stove rainy day. ana dog
aseep in the foreground, that showed Oettor '"" VI"
can explain with words how any humDiest passage VI
,ur workaday world is text enough for the poet anu
,be artist Mr. wood has painted some clever pictures
that have made him fayorite with gooo many eop'
put ne las hardly taken bis own measure III TINS one
We have looked over II carefully 10 see II we coud nu
ANYTHING well painted hut we have not succeeueu' anu
vet more important defect is that the peope aie 81
little alive The best point is the boy casting sheep
,yes at the girl reaching for letter HIS race wen
nil and shows what Mr.. Wood might Go II nc couu po
content TO keep to the single figures or groups VI
ha Adj
Mr. John Weirs picture Is still more disarpointmg'
because every body must have fresh IN mnd the ccl
work by which bis name became so widely Kno"n' MS
earlier pictures, representing the interiors OF soo o'
r great FORCES with casting going on, were remarkaoe
oe,formauces in themselves, and promised greater
things in the future. They realistic IN heaIthy
refreshing way. and showed mon able to stay IN amer
,, and find his subjects here. He had learned Emer
eon's wisdom, or at least we thought SO;
who b.jes al bone looks abroad, ,
Asuislong since we have heard OF Mr., Weir as an
artist We hoped he was putting his first success out at
interest ana that ne would soon declare another eNm
aratng dividend But We are sorry to say that "ha'
MI Weir has l. not what We had looked Ior INC
subject OF his picture, The Confessional has Lalih
legend tackled to it, In C1r0 eonSceHtP ConfesSo rerd
but in the very start this is mistake for II II DC
necessary TO tell story at ALL II ought 70 be told so
clearly as TO need no helping out with words Mr. Weirs
picture does need this help. As story II cannot DC
understood without the legend, for as 1t stands the
only explanation OF the situation is that the nun has
confession to make OF such character that she cannot
IA vet force herself to utter it, The legend explains
that she does uo make 1t al ALL but IS going TO
escape bylmelns Of Quibbe, and that good Catholic as
abe appears TO be- she is trying little Protestant
doctrine the sly. as being more convenient We sup
pose Mr. Weir intends this picture as sort OF moral
that the moral he would convey that the true
confessional "a ones own conscience This, we suppose
Vlap 11n a N Ig
Protestant But people must not be taught that 1t Is
eight to play loose and there be no manner
OF doubt that this is doing wrong TO play tIlek
upon the good. unsuspicous father whose toe Is so
pahetioaly thrust ont Of the confossionabox We say
that she Is boun in honor to make her confession ac-
cording 10 her vows aud that all the Latin Qubbes enc
get OF the books Of casusry won't stand her III
stead All this, suppo,ing her to a num- and this a
real church. real confessional, &c. But she IL not
real nun at all-Only an operate nun Win II
dress out OF the stage wardrobe ana IN
set scene with properties borrowed from Mr. sypher
or from the Metropolitan Museum, and therefore
we are willing to Law her qubbng morals TO the charge
of the lbretto "Ia foro coHscene coessiO rerd," is
no dOnbt the beginning of cavatina OF course, the
nun not being real need MT look for any reality else
where in the picture. We need not ask whether nuns
have their praying desks in cathedras in this domestic
and handy way because this is not cathedral but only
bit Of carpenters gothic such Mr. Weir has abun-
dant opportunity for studying In New-Hayen The
whole picture unreal made up, and not made up with
taste and learning, done so often In modern
pictures but i'll designed and ncOngruous. The nuns
dress is a type Of the whole Where dd MI Wer ever
see such costume on a real nuns
Mr. X. T. Emsle-a new name 10 us-has several good
pictures none the good for being small and unpre-
tending one OF the best ls very small one in the cOrr
DOR hung For all subject there Is pretty
little girl in a boat the riyer-bank, Waiting for
Papa" 1t is very slight thing but there is charm
IN the chids attitude and expression that shows feeling
aud unadectedness in the artist 1t leaves more pleas
ing Impression OF his talent In some respects than bis
other pctures-the type OF woman he seems to think
pleasing. being hardly that most people would
fud attractive. she Is 10 be seen in NO
50 aud in No. Si3. Yet in this latter pic
ture the two who are trying 10 force their way
through -rn-stile at the same time not merely
we'll drawn they characterized with skill must
think uncommon. These young fellows have not been
drawn from lay figures be sure, but from life
and we can be certain which will win: It's the one
IN the light bat because he Is keeping cool II could
get their ear. we would assure them that the young
woman who has taken a flower from each OF them, OF
has given flower to EACH is not worth so much
expenditure Of muscle But if Of the two must have
her we desire may be the stronger for she will need
some one who can keep her III order She is too silly
20 be left 10 herself Mr.. Emshe will, no
doubt find out without help from that great deal
OF such artist ought 10 wish for depends
his choice Of subject; and while nobody can choose for
him. he ought be that he does not waste his time
in depicting that either ephemeral in their
ipterest or vulgar commonplace ia character. There
plenty delightful work for an artist with the powers
OF which Mr. Emsle gives promise, and there is need
for him to sink carcature minister 10 the taste
of bar-rooms lie might take place at Leses feet. if
De would.
Mr. S. j. Guys Fixing for School" has much OF this
artists best In -a best which does not include the
painting of esh where he Is always too suggestive OF
wax or painted wood Ihs young woman, who IS some