New-York tribune., 1876-07-15
FINE ART DEPARTMENT.
TIE SPANISH ROOMS.

Irpov A STAFF CORRESPONDENT oY THE TRIBUSE.l
PuLADELPuIA, July 12.-The space al
IotteJ 70 suan Tor her Fine Art Dispiay IN the
Exhibition is divided between the Memorial liaI
and the Annex in Memorial Hail. the Spanish
,cturcs fill only one side OF room the OIcr .ide OF
which is taken up-an odd enough juxtapo,lion'-iy
pictures from Sweden I'm the Annex Spanish Art Ills
room in the northeast cO1rr TO the Brazilian ana
Mexican Departmenfs. The pictures sent hom SPAN
cannot m any De said 10 represent the con"h "i
the Art OF Painting in that country we nave H't' '
traces OF her rich aud romantic past, and there
j. nothing that fairly represents the scA"o- "i
piquant and oIieua! artists who are making possible
what ten years ago. had all given up as iHlorsi'-
te taking an interest the dOnSs al opahri ph'tr''
Something OF the apathy that has seized France ana
Germany aud made them think, or act ~ IL 'H''
thought there would be nothing gained by TAXING 'f"n'c
10 show Us their best Ia. seized upon sphin aud the r.
silt is one which We suspect some Of her officials are 10y
tbis time sorry for. Spain rich enough ia pictures "i
her great period have sent ns specimens That W"h
have made our people acquainted Win "r'l'tS whose
names We ore all The time hearing bn whose WORKS We
have no means OF getting even bo"ing acquaintance
with We are singuaIly uniucky in this resp e. We
had al great hopes from the Mon tpcnser collection t
, had to nat up in that case with a severe dsdpp"nt-
ment And the ppOnmcnt viii be a. severe on seeing
what the spanish Government has sent us Nobody j.
benefited by this mismana cement. our Americans arc
left as much in the dark ever "a TO The meaning oi
0mg~-\CldSQucZ,
Cauo-while Of the young OF the present day who
have done and are doing her so much honor we can
Ina nothing from these walls. For Zamacois, Foriuy'
NaGraz0 Alvarez ana the of the sparkling galaxy,
we must turn lOan-cOieCOhs III thc Acduehy
of Design aud in the metropolitan Museum SPAN her
SELF suffers by every dispara-ng comment on TINS o'l
dnce-proof patent TO every superficial observer dnd
the superficial observers a-e, and mus, Of necessity De-
In The Thoughtful observers ten to OneN that spain
going down n If indeed she have not ALREADY It"cHtu
IN bottom This i OF course pity, Tor Whatever may
be the political condition OF spain, she coud al least
She had been inclined to take the trouble have hd'
most uere,u display Of picture, and statues, Old and
new and so given hopeful turn to our thoughts oi hcT
Two pieccs Of sculpture IN the spanish room, Memo
rial Hall are well worth looking at seriously and VIII be
found to reflect Of what IS being thought ana uohe
in the studios OF Spain to-day than all the pictures sne
has sent small group in terra Gotta on pedestal III
tle middle Of the ROOM is Of such intense dramatic
force as to obge TO look at it, though nothing coud
we be more painful The subject is The Massacre Of
the Inpocents which the sculptor has conceived as
TO unite with it the next subject IN the ChIls-
tan legend, "The Flight into Egypt At least
We may take it 50, although, II THIS be
Joseph, who is mounted ON camel VIII
Mary and the Child he is not acting Ike me rather
faiu6nt SAINT TO whom the Italian artists have aecus-
TONED ns He IS striking with desperate knife III dc
fense of wife and child; bu,, in this whwind Of mur
der who may hope cscapci There IL no god provided
for in this artists machinery and perhaps the temper o
fine art that has produced this astounding piece Ol real
ism il bst indicated b. the fact that where Siencac
or Inran artist OF the early time would have crowned
his piu wit angels who would have made sale convoy
for to chosen family through this red Of blood our
modern spaniard-DUmiDgO Talar Of Barceona-has
made his Joseph put his trust IN ms own right hand lhe
group is a circular one, and only as u
composition in this form should be studica
and compared with Othcgs-sono OF them famous
when the excellence Of this will more plainly
aprcar The visitor TO the Academy Of Fine AIts IN
philadelphia who looks seriously at the late Mr.. Loughs
Battle OF the Ccntaurs ANA the LapitbG,' In tine
.Kotuuda will acknowledge, we believe, the greater
uaturalnes variety, and spIit with which sign0r 1aar
has overcome the difficult problem presented TO HIM by
the form he has chosen for his gOup. This Is, however
rather a point for the amateur. We shall all fnd our
selves forced to look the faces Of these struggling
desperate and dying people forced 10 think Of their
story and forced against all our philosophy, into an
angry sympthy. curious point 10 be noted Is that
with all this cruelty there is ygariyno more than
there would have been in the scene itsclf. Ii l. 30
intensely real that We surprised than we ought
TO be- when we pause awhile In looking at it, aud
nd ourselves studying the symmetry Of the composition
The old painters who treated this subject often much
more successful in making modens smile at the mas
sacre than weep at IT, and the later men, Raphael
himself were 80 bent being dignied and restrained.
that they prevent caring anything about the cruelty
Of the affair But signor Iaiar Is neither amusing
academic lie is terribly in earnest aud makes terri
big IN earnest so far ygOr and dramatic realty
go this small group makes ample amends for the weak
ness and Doysity Of the rest Of the collection. But