The Portland daily press., 1876-04-04
Art and Artists.

Art and Artists.
Holman Hunts Light of the World will
soon become the property of Kebe college, Ok
ford, and will probably be an altar-piece in the
chapel.
An exhibition of works by William Blake,
the visionary painter, has been opened by the
Burlington fiue arts club; including several rep
RESERVATIONS of the last Judgment, Satan Call
ing up bis Legons," the Characters of Spsu-
GERS Faerie Queene, aud the 1.-The Spiritual
Form OF Nelson Guiding Leviathan."
Henry Bacon's picture of the Boston boys
petition to Gen Gage, which is going to the
Centennial, is highly praised in the April At
lantic. ''An honest and spirited picture" the
critic calls it; mot only imbued with nation
al feeling and valuable for its local historical
commemoration, but an excellent work OF art"
The most noted of the American artists in
Munich will be represented at Philadelphia.
Chase by his "Court JESTER" the study for
which was in the recent Boston art-club ex-
hibiton; Neal by his "Mary Stuart and Rz
zio," which has just received the great silver
medal at Munich Rosenthal By painting
whose subject is not yet announced.
In the Handbook on Ivories," published by
the authorities of South Kensington, Mr..
William Maskell draws attention to small
ivory group of the Pieta executed by an artist
OF the fourteenth century, and points out a
general and remarkable resemblance in de-
sign to the celebrated marble of the same SUBJ
ject executed by Michael Angelo. Mr.. Mas
keil is disposed to ascribe to the carver the
merit of conception which had hitherto
been almost universally believed to have been
originated by Michael Angelo.
Harriet Hosmer's contributions to the Gen.
tennial are, by her express stipulation, to be
placed not in any of the art galleries, but in
the womens pavilion. She sends a group of
sculpture representing Emancipatlon-the in
scription being "The African Sibyl Foreshad-
owing the Freedom of her Race''-the largest
ideal statue she has ever executed She also
sends ''A copy of Lord Brownlow's gates,
which are 10 feet wide and II feet high; they
contain II figures besides abundant represen-
tatons of the animal and vegetable king
doms."
Whistler. who, like Boughten, abdes in Eng
land, has been painting some idiosyncrasies of
light. One is a winter scene, and records, says
the Academy, IAN attempt to interpret the ef-
feet of snow at dusk. when the white stones of
the earth are caught and overpowered by the
darkened mist that hangs in the air." The
other two deal with moonlight; the first is
still stretch of water, with few fshing-boats
pushing out from Shore and the in
coming tide catching the moOnshine; the Sec
ond is a river scene, with bridge and barge,
and the light aud shade are effectively man
aged.
Mrs. Imogene r. Morrelps two historical
paintings have been sharply condemned by
Clarence Cook in the New York Tribune, as
tame, conven tional fancy pictures, which do
not tell their own story but must have it told
for them "The best points in these works."
he says, "are the deicacy with which some of
the faces and the extremities are finished. and
the skill with which the horses are painted.
But this is miniature work, not epic'' Mr.
Cook makes short work of Mrs. Morrelps com
mepdatory letters from French artists,-de
claring that one should remember that ito a
Frenchmsn dying is an easy matter compared
to the fficulty OF speaking truth to woman"
William Bradford has a great arctic picture,
the second large work he has produced, after an
interval of 10 years, on exhibition in Sau Fran
cisco. 1t represents the Polaris 10 winter quar-
tiers in "Thank-God harbor," against a stranded
berg, with Bobesons channel stretching away
to the north, the bold promontory of Cape Lup
ton dmly seen in th- distance, and the cliffs of
Observatory cape filling the mi tale of the pic
ture, with the grave of Capt Hall at their base; ;
storm is gathering, though the sc-ne IS liz up
by the oold rays of the midday sun. The San
Francisco Bulletin says Mr.. Bradford has been
subjected to some powerfully modifying infiu-
ence" since be exhibited Crushed by Ice
bergs." ''There is 40 absence of all tr'ckery of
the brush, all mere scenic effect, all garishness
of color"
Since the arrival Of Meissonier's '1S07" at
New York, several connolsseurs and artists
have had the privilege of seeing it, but Mr.
Stewart has sternly closed his gallery TO the
public. The artists letter to Stewart is pub
shed, or part of it, in the Home Journal; be
naturally expresses the conviction that the
value of the work will increase with time. and
thus explains his intentions in painting IT.:
81 did not intend to paint battle; l wanted to
paint Napoleon at the zenith OF his glory; L
wanted to paint the love. the alteration OF the
soldiers for the great captain IN whom they
had faith and Tor whom they were ready to die
The men and the emperor are in the presence
of each other The soldiers cry to him that
they are his. and the impassive chief, whose
imperial will directs the masses that move
around him, salutes his devoted army. He
and they plainly compreneud each other, and
absolute confidence is expressed 10 every face !"
According TO the Nation the picture succeeds
emphaticaly in this object; it says: what IS
most perfectly Represented is the flash OF living
communion from the reviewing general to his
troops who howl ir frenzy of raging tr-
umph" This is the "epical quality" of the
picture.
OF our progress in the fue arts s. S. Co
nant says in the current number of Harper's,
'GLooking back through the hundred years o.
our existence as an independent nation, we
see steady and healthful growth of art in
all sections of the country. Year by year the
number of American artists has increased
with the diffusion of culture among the people;
art societies are springng up in all parts of the
the country; exhibitions worthy of the Old
| World are held in cities where fifty years ago
| there was scarcely break in the prmeval for
est Europe sends us yearly an accession OF
| artists who become American, as West, Cop
| lev. and Leslie became English painters
| Schools of art spread culture and knowledge
| all over the land. Massachusetts has made
drawing part of her system of common school
education with admirable results The art
| school connected with the Cooper Union in this
| city has also done great service in the way of
| elementary training in drawing, painting, wood
| engraving, etc. The work begun by the Amer
| ican Institute of Architects awakens the hope
| that another generation will see vast improv'
| ment in the architecture of our public and pri
| vate buildings. AS wealth and culture increase
| the fine arts will find increasing support, ano
| the coming century will witness development
i in the sculpture, painting, and architecture ol
| the country as marvellous as its progress has
been in the mechanical and industrial arts
L
SOMETHING OF TRUTH IN IT.-A correspon-