New-York tribune., 1876-05-06
ACADEMY OF DESIGN.
FIFTY-FIRsT ANNUAL EXHIBITION.
(FJth Notieel
XI,% Nono1anp thp IRE

,,o narsals and generals Of IL occurs 10 u.s. OH ooh
ing at Mr. MuyaDy's picturcs-at No. 33l' ffei'h'y
Trial Of Horse Thief" and at No ABB, ION tDe A'r'
that he would have been invaluable agent Tor N"o
leon since he evidently has as keen scent ior nose "
over man was endowed with. Years ago we learned
shorthand yay OF picking Mr.. Rembrandt Feale Pic
nlres out o. any collection by observing that all s c
dren land he painted children very "en' In"
pink noses It was sure sign' AAo "V"'0'
mau,'s white horse" (Which. whatever else may
be le, OUT " his picture by makor OF bogus WouVer
manns is l., by any accident forgoten) ana s sure
sign in future unless he mend his ways, VIII be the
pendulous Gabby. groggy nose with which Mr mu'any
dowers every one OF his human creatures we are ghu
TO see that he confines himself thus far, to the mae por
ton OF creation; we not willing to contemplate even
I'm imagination the result II he should oier 10 pant
Preliminary oniltiug Bee" or a"Prcminary Trial OF a
pobea Tes.uarty" subjects which would necessarily be
exclusively devoted TO the feminine element and should
give TO models OF the gentler sex the same Sort oi
noses that ho has given To these western feo"ciens
OF ours il would be something II N.Y. Mui7ahy nad
shown any perception OF the fact that among human
beings IT is rare to find alike recognition OF
this interesting fact would have given us some
variety the shape and color Of these prcbosces'
whereas Mr. Mulyany is evidently specialist and Ike
child who is hunting for fourleaved clover ana who
paws 40 attention any other freaks of nature n clover
leaves Mr.. Mulvany wanders through tho WORM iooh
ing FOR aabby groggy, pendulous and Will pun no
is vain to attempt escape from It, We Try 10 s'tue
down ON some other features but all the rest, overcome
by sense OF their insignfcance, nave "aReu un1oi
these huge pegs and pecped about ana fonnd themselves
di,honorabe graves in which they have ma themselves
past recovery 1t is fair however to say that tne hhu
OF nose Mr. Muyany cottons to is perfectly IN keeping
with the kind OF he takes SO much pleasure IN pant
ing. they are all as grOegy ard habDy rs theT
noses and one Of them. the horse tmef 10 WIZ
Is evidently about to add pondnlousness to the
likeness That IL, II this collection OF mnriefOus Iu'"
perit him TO get out the courtroom alive Ihry are
snch crew OF repr0bates and ne'cfdo-weels that one
must think they acting on the ffenchmahs 'noory'
who said that the world shut few people up III mao
houses 10 persuade itself the rest or MANKIND WAS hot
mad too So these rsscals about to hang horS'
thief in order comfort themselves with the beei tha
they do Lot deserve to DO lung wcl as he Wht aole
is shown what delicate compliment ID paid to our com
nunty what of tho mission OF art Is olopiSyon'
in choosing such subject this for large canvas ana
uniting all one knows aud has learned into the painting
oft Where would such picture as inns inn proper
pacei IN police court" says one But why drag tue
criminal lower down by compelling him TO Contemplate
tle crimes OF othersi "In "a barroOm" But even the
rough men wLo haunt these places prefer to look al
ct,res Of something little higher than themselves-at
pictures Of horses actresses; hey would soon tro OF
the low company Mr. Juyany has taken such pans 10
Introduce hem to- OF t would be absurd TO hang
such picture IN a drawingroom Even the iurhisme
would look upon 1t as ~ interloper
II pleasure to turn from such coarse work as t3lS'
to 20 svcet q face and such refined painting as Mr
Oliver j. Lays " Portrait" No. go East Room shows
u This certainly Of the most Interesting head' IN
the exhibition and shows great advance on al INT tne
ars, has pshcd heretofore although II mas beeh
evident year after year that be must day gain what
he has been striving for. There is dclicacy OF seni
ncp an individually OF pose in this picture that dstln-
gll,h IL from all other work here excepting only hr
Iat.rops PORTRAIT study" Another gocd picture 10
No 400 Italian Head" by William Sos1n, study IN
color manly, but with much expression and ieay' ouS
t,,. Inn is somewhat too laDEud for healthy Ell
i,yrncnt Artistic oo will look with iutere7s at " An
LtrI, PDttraIt" by William d. Jiiper, in which there Is
urc streng H. though the paint IS put on H. rather
dirty way. Mr. Carpenter, In b two portraits ems ID
lay clan a species Of second-sSh whereby u Is en-
lad 10 know how people will look after they ha been
gho.is ior considerable time His work shows Sigu
lar lac OF vitality while at the se time no oit'h gets
provoking resemblance that seeing bis portflts o.
ngs friends is like reading An obituary seeing Ms por-
trait Of President Barnard which, In its resembling Az
iec; and yet refusing 10 look Ike him, Is as puzIns
"a ,nacc-square are naturally led to speak OF MI
Ncmever President Wooisey," where not only is there
likeness Of external man, but VIVID reality ana
good drawing and composition besides
In the west Room the principal picture Is mr. A. Words
worth Thompson's Annapolis -" Gen. smaiiwc0d's
cnnmaud Ghe Maryland Line In'aniiy) and sterets
Moanted kles about 10 leave Annapolis to JON Gen
W1sDin.:on's Army Long Island tie morning OF the
1I,h July l776." Th, is picture Of considerable inn
u,tancr II Is one Of the uncommon examples OF the
rfrnt way In which treat historical suiecL Artsti-
v the main fault Of the picture IL Its ctalkiness s
an of color but the composition is simple ana tel
,. the erouunc 20 natural and variety in the nii
ydnal attitudes and actions 40 great that we lot the
c,or 20 as We have TO do in many modern pictures
b hompson has succeeded perfectly In telling his story
mud ne has old it with such lageness and sympathy
that tn, spectator cannot look long at tho scene
without entcrinE into it something more than spec
taor Mr. Thompson has shown full sense OF the lnl-
rtance of his task in seeking base lis composition
truth and has begun 10y portrayng the actual place "a
closely ~ possible. Then he has carefully aos'aheu
from al theatrical ee and depended ON simple every
AZ natur, Tor Lis Ia lres sions We remember great
many historical pictures painted by our Americans but
very few OF them told their story in 30 rev anu wen
chosen wors IS are used by Mr.. Thompson The line OF
boremen On The left worth studying TO see how, with
ont Of extravaganza, or any conirVed incident or
accident the artist hal managed to rid OF all mono
any and 10 make no tyo attitudes alike every and
every horse having hi movement and his own ndi-
yiuaty and yet ,h soldegly order is not broken This
IL no great picture but Is sincere sood one and de-
serves public place better than many more pretond-
ing one.
Mr. Magrqth nas pointed two little pictures" Content
meut" n 45i, and Tho Old Smoker" No 4j3-whch
will give HIN repua on small they They recall
the best works FrIe in delicate way in when the
character is seized, rl in the irmneS' OF the painting
but they do not re eble work Of Fche or of any
one They are painted out Of an individual perception
and from study soldy pursued and they VIII always be
valuable for the natu that Is in them no less than for
their good painting II. Masrths larger pictures do
not please much, partly. thnk because there not
enough in them and partly because what there is not
OF much interest. nis old Irshmen III his little can
vases well enough. and Ne crowds deal OF nature INTO
their bodies and faces, but they not wei balanced Ia