New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-06-03
ART IN ENGLAND,

NESSN-THREE PICTURES BY Mk. BOtUHtON.
,yRoN rHE KEGrrAE CORRESPONDENT OF rnS TRtBuNEl
LONDON May 1.-THE four American artists who
contribute 10 this years Exhibition OF the Royal
Academy are Miss Lea MIR. bradford, Mr. w. ID. Hem
messy and Mr.. George Ii. Boughtoa. All of them
are more or less known three of them are rising
painters and AT least of the three has reached
place in contemporary art of which his country has
A right to be proud. The position of of the
four-Mr Brldforl-is peculiar, partly because of
the WORK he hls taken for a specially, partly
because OF the attraction it has exercised on
great people. Mr. Bra1f0rls plctlrs of this year is
exhibited by command of Her Majesty the Queen"
rs the catalogue careful 20 state 1t is one OF his
usual Arctic scenes, with effects of light ice sach
a. presumably 70 be there because they arc
not 70 be seen elsewhere. He is fortunate IN being
on ground where he cannot he cOntradicted,
Herodotus was thought TO be fortunate till modern
research confirmed and gave authority 10 some of
the stories which for centuries had been deemed mere
travellers tales. scientific friend prononnces
these elects OFFICIALLY possible. An artistic friend
reolns that if they they ought not to be, and
that the methods used in rendering them on canvas
are familiar tricks, long since discarded BY who
care for what is best in art. But Mr.. Bradford
counts the Queen and Baroness Burdett Couts
among his patrons and the Queen order his
pcture 70 be hung and for what else needs he care
These are facts which weigh with good pare of the
public more than any criticism.
Miss Lea has never had this sort of luck still
less thai Of public mention by Prince with all the
rush of popularity that follows after. She is simply
conscientious, hardwOrking artist, full of enthus-
asln and faith, willing to learn, and with quite
sufficient share Of natural gifts to Justify her
age and patience Two pictures by her may be ssen
this wear; st. Ceciha and Bacchante. They
were obviously meant to be pendants. but the stern
fac or more probably chaace-Mr Rusain's Fors
perhaps-which prcsideS over the arrangement Of
pictures Burlington House, has ordered that they
shall be widely snndered. They have been placed
in two rooms nearly IS far apart possible. Fors
has been kinder than Mis- Lea thinks in thus order
ing matters. II they were side by side it would
probably be seen that there is too much of st.
Cecilia In the Bdcchaltea smaller fault doubtless,
than having too much Of the Bacchante in 81.
Cecilia The latter has the RIGHT quality of patient
and holy sweetness, the modelling is firm, the pie
ture altogether painted with knowledge and good
feeling Imay surely say without oense 60 Miss Lea
that she has found this subject more congeual to
her than the Bacchante which latter has more
frenzy IN her costume than III her face and is i'll
spred by only the most moderate degree of wanton-
ness
OF Mr Hennessy's picture the votive Offering, it
is pleasure 10 be able 60 say that scarcely any
work in the Academy shows more distinct advance
ir art beyond what the painter is known To have
done previously. IL is spirited piece of story
telling. The scene is on the coast Of Brttany-a
picturesque country which Nj HenneSsy knows
we'll It's sailor folk. who are among tho b0ldest
are also among The most superstitOus people III the
vorld-grateful also, If you like, and when they
come safely back from pCrilOus voyage they don't
forget the saiGt who has preserved them. The sim
pie mariner believes his goddess likes best what he
himself sets most store by has ship md he can't
give her the ship he gives her model OF It, !
IN Mr.. Hennessy's picture, you see HIM on |
his way 20 the shrine with miniature vessel
on one arm ana his old mother caging TO the ether
The wife and children not far behind. They are
passing beneath some grand old trees with sturdy !
trunks. beyond which you catch sight of shore and
sea and beyond the water to the right bit of head
land stretching fan into the ocean, An old priest is
seated on benoh IN tue middle foreground with his
back "a y0u-back and legs and hroad-bTimined hat
a. full of expression if Chevilliard slnself had
done them. There are altogether some nine figures
and the composition is excellent. They are firmly
drawn and sOdly painted; so il the whole picture
which, from the strength with which the trees set
against the and SKY. might have gone peTilously
near 70 scenic effect But night feeling has pre-
vailed throughout the sci iInent Of the Landscape
IL preserved less than that of the story and the
picture fully deserves it's conspicuous place the
line in q room where is has 10 hold its with
works by Cooke sin, Leslie and UoOk-the Cooke
most daring experiment IN color, the Leslie grace
fu and tender idy the Hook marvellous sea-pieee.
Mr. Boughton has three pictures, concerning which
said something while they still on the easel.
The two companion works, a Path of Roses " and
"Grey Days" hang in opposite corners on the same
wall of the Large Gallery, where the choicest things
of the year supposed to be gathered. 1t IN pay
inc them no great compliment to say they deserve
the distinction. They very lovely IN color aud
full of sweetness-perhaps too full. and moro re-
Inarkable for that than Tor vigOr of thought and
decision of treatment. The third. The bearers
Of the Burden" is the chief picture of Gal
leIy No. ., and by general agreement one Of the
chief pictures Of the Exhibition. The Commit
tee pat it whore, as one oil them hnnor0usIy re-
marked You must see it OF starve-by the door which
leads 10 the refreshmeut-rOOm. Once 1t bore the
title Of woman and Her Master" bat neither then
nor now could it fairly be called, as Some energetic
partisan insisted, womans rights picture. No
doubt it tells story of woman's wrongs but wrong
NOT Of the kind to lie rigbted by having vote
or other political panacea The landscape is one
Of those which Mr. Boughton loves to paint
Almost anybody else would have made II
dreary. An Autumn sky overhangs it. even
ing is coming on, the foreground Is vast
moor, sown with thstles that have gone
TO seed, and sprinkled with stones and muddy pools
Further back rise low hills crowned by forest be-
meath which comes glimmer of twilight. A single
cottage il visible on the edge Across the moor a
road curves from left 10 right IL sdllfnlly drawn
hne and along the road far TO the right stalks a
twO-legged brute of the kind known in England az
namp-not peasant nor gypsy but cross be-
tween tho twO-a big fellow with Iniian written al
over him. bulldog az his heels and pipe IN his
mouth At distance behind hm-for this worthy