New-York tribune., 1876-07-01
FINE ARTS.
NEW YORK CENTENNIAL LOAN ExHIBL
TION.
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN.
South Room.

Geromes loaned TO the Exhibition by Mrs. A. T. Stewart
who has sent, In all, seven pictures. OF these the
Gerorle5 certainly the most Important taken with
the specimens Of this master in the Academy
lection and In the gallery Of Mr. John Taylor Johnston
metropolitan Museum) they help to give reasonably
clear idea of one side ot his work In this same room ia
small sketch by Gerone-the nlst thoaglt, sppar-
| entity, for his larger picture OF "Dogenes,"
| while in the West Room there ars two au-
ished pictures The CruciAxion " and "The Runners"
tAvantCourriers) The Johnston Gallery contains ths
well-known Death Of Csar," and small cabin et piece
| Head OF Bashi-Bazouk." Mrs. Stewards pictures
the Gladjators'and tho Chariot Race the CIR
Gus Maximus"-tle latter new work.
| OF these two pictures "The Gadators" lie the more
striking owing the Of the prime pal figures and TO
the abundant details with which the story Is male
to eyes, Here, in twenty other WORKS by the
painter the archaologis and the pedant play i'm
| pOrtant part than the artist, and get math moro
learning from the picture than we do enjoyment We
may read year in dictionaries OF antiquities and sci
tc treatses about ampbtheaers and ctrcuses, about
the different kinds OF gladators, their dress Their arms
armor about The Vesta Virgins, tho seating OF the
audience and the overcoming OF mechanical iifcues
III the covering OF the auditorium, c &c. and yet even
| after long study shall find 1T ihcult 70
! bring up a vision Of the place ard sceno thit shall
have hundodth part of the cearness and yyidneSs We
may get from half-hour's study Of tais picture CT
G6rome's The composition OF The Gladators isVery
much ike that OF the save, Caesar! Morturi to salu-
ant" bat for the pathOs and sentmeD that made the
background of that picture there are substituted III mis-
mere brutality and the lust Of boodshed defect in
the work that m has all the appearance OF al arec
thought The spectator faces, nearly faces, the 81 10
portion of tho auditorium Of the Colosseum which con-
ronted him in earlier picture. The Emperor is here
In his box with his Minister'S his guards, and his etors
He sits wrapped in bestial oblivion with the air Of great
sacred ape munehng ny. AT the nearer
corner OF the Imperial box Is the Empress
Eovn will n w
pleased smirk on her painted face Two japanese
decorate the angles OF this box and
the OF it hangs great square Of silk embroidered
with japanese design. dark eaglc seated ia stesdsst
grandeur pine-tree branch and staring at the mid
day sun. In tho division Of this principal range Of
seats the right OF the picture the vesal virgins in
white manes old hags the most OF them, who, stirred
up by the sight Of the conquered victim at their fee-a
grand young barbarian who, prosrate under the feet
OF the gladiator and bleeding 10 death, yet holds
up hand for ptyrage tor their prey and turn down
their tnmbs with fierce accord the signal for his DEATH
What we Of the Colosseum Al the left Is hed
with the suggestion of dense crowd OF people painted
with extraordinary skill, kept in due subordinaon and
yet so made out that 1t becomes good deal more
than mere hling in" We try to trace individual emo
tions in it. G6rome, however, has emphasized the
cruelty OF the scene throughout and OF all this CT
human faces there ia only vne who by a gesture
tie hand laid suddenly over the mouth
shows that he feels tho dint OF pity. The
foreground of this composition is occupied entirely with
the combat the gadators, just about to eni by
the murder of the combatant who has enraged the crNd
by having slain one OF the Official swordsmen These
two swor,lslen-one Of whom Is Just receiving the
mand 10 put death the c0nqueror OF the oher-aro
clad very that leaves their legs and arm
bare whe their heads protected b. enormous
helmets OF brass or copper. The murdered rian
lies Cat his face the great hemet smut down over
his head like the TOP OF an Overturned chaise. upon
liza I'm "
the OF the picture, the vigorous, haraked youth
who has killed him and who Is now to be killed IN hs
turn The reader VIII that hero Is cup full with
horrors and he may perhaps ask himself To nat good
all this display Of the ape and tiger IN the OLD Roman
blood.
Here il piofuse display Of what any rate looks Ike
learning and which, il II nothing than second
hand approprating OF other mems requirements, Is az
least worn with If the proper raent OF
the wearer There s to be sure, something oil the love
Of making people in this picture there has been
IN others by the same hand are little incredIous
A 10 these enormous helmets by the ladGt0rs,
although as part OF human costume has shown issef
so Whimsical as hcad-ear 1t may be that the fashion
Of these helmets did pass through some suo1 phase as
this They are not extraordinary. perhaps. tn n
some has by ladies within the last hundred
years. but rs not the genius of Galnsborcuga could
make q cart-wheel hat look elegant when
worn by q Duchess O GeTome carnot keep
mp the tragic role when he caps his combat
ants in enormous cOa-scuttlcs Tuch out
of proportion the scany Of their dress as the cart
wheel hat the babywaist the skmped aud gored
skirts and the ar-long kd gloves Of great grand
mothers. There il odd resemblance between the re-
viya (Or is it tho invention . OF such costume as TINS
OF the gadators, and the revival now so much tho
fashion among the 5panishItan painters Of the dress
OF the neroya5les and merrcuses OF the times OF tho
Directory STILL we will insist too much on this
point, for rs NJ. Gcrome no doubt keeps sharp
lookout for tho last new thing In archaOl.
ogy, and has his eyes in every placs looking
out for discoveries uncommon and surpr sing IL would
be an extremely risky thing to object pcrcuptoriy to
his helmets quito risky perhaps. TO obee: TO the
introduction OF japanese bronzes and Japanese en-
broideries Roman Imperial scene. In TRUTH u
would literal to judge and to qafre with the
artist for the employment OF that with him take
the place ~ imagination the least Of fancy or In
yeuton GGromo has shown distinctly the posses
.oa but lie has perfection the love anecdOte Of
facts aud Of stage eoct To this he joins the tastes OF
collector OF brcbrc and great ingenuity and judgment
in grouping objects from his collection and making them
play their parts in his scene.
We viii not dlate upon the other large picture by &C.
rome In this room. "The Chariot Race is not equal.
or we may say superior to other treatments
Of the same subject have been painted lately the
energy with which the strife of the charotoors is
painted bat its pcspectyes and in the o; space
aud reality. 1t has no rival.
Tho two pictures by Zamacos. which hang at the
end OF this r0om"The Education OF Prince" and rbe
Return TO the Convent ARE too well known TO make
description necessary. Tho excellence of the painting,
the sk OF the drawing and composition, the clear way
in which all the characters are made out-thcse traits
show family likeness in this painters work to his
temporary Knaus and to Hogarth the OF both
OF them. But Knaus is bitter, satiri-
cal he loves his kind and enjoys playing with their
humors ana with their amiable weaknesses Ho Ia in-