New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-12-01

On the opening day Of the exhibition OF the
Johnston Pictures the galleries of the Academy 81 DC
sign very large number Of visitors were present. ana
the look OF recalled the busy times OF te to
cent Loan Collection The pictures arc wen hung LOT the
most part and with the exception OF the ." Por
trait OF AlsOn by himself, all the Important pictures
arc seen under the circumstances OF light ana ar
The Aston Portrait IS put where 10 picture GOOD pad
or Indifferent should be put-that s over a0oor'
If picture be a good one it does not need 10 be sal"
that it deserves a good place, place where II can he
seen II 1t be bad one it does not deserve any place at
al and even Indifferent pictures should have Jnstlce
! done them; they should be put where the niue
| good they have may DO discovered. This for-
| trait Of Allston is certainly neither pau
picture nor On indifferent one, and even II IL were
specmen OF the artists work when he was INFERIOR 10
himself we have few artists OF Astons calber
I'm this country that We afford to treat them with IN
dignity This is not the first time that notable picture
has been merely yed but sent up to the empyreah
of door top. This, however Mas been the work OF eN
| hibion hangers-arists who had their innocent sweet
games play, and to have considered 1t TOO deepy
would have been waste of time and temper But IN
the present case when there regulations to put
down and grudges to SETTLE one may reasonably won
der at seeing worthy work from the hand OF dis
ngushed artist hung where it impossible to enjoy IT,
or even much as to see 1t.
This exception made, however, the pictures are
fairly hing and the attractveness Of the ex-
| bIbition is equally divided between the four
rooms I'm which the collection is chiefly hung mo
Slave shin" is in the North Room, and placed IN sh
that makes plate glass that covers ~ less OF an an
noyance than We have ever known IT, Inc De"'H Va
! Crsarv by G6rone the Reynolds Portrait ana tho
Aston Portrait are IN the East Room, while the south
Room has the Churcls Niagara" the Mullers Death
| Rou" the Coles Voyage Of Lfe" and the Briohs
Brittany Peasants" The excellent hight OF the Acad
| envy shows every thing to advantage.
The Portrait Of Theopha Palmer" by Sir joshua
4 g.ftrsa frnFV ltf Al
hung TO disadvantage underneath tho strongly painted
| "Ucadp by Couture, but the student VIII do
| VOL 10 look long at the Couture first, ana al
! low It to make all the impression 1t cam and then
et his eyes down IA" upon the moonlight race OF slr
Joshu fayorite At rst the work Of the English
| master viii have washed-Out look, and man might
not be thought prcsuning who should say, How easy
! TO do such a thing as that" But though it is not
specimen of RpynUldss work at his highest being hte
more than finished sketch whoever studies for hteen
minutes and back 10 70 two or three times IN the
course OF hi1 Visit to the gallery will End that whereas
Couture5 work has nothing IN 10 but the painting, Key
noldss work Is mastery painting pts soul This Is
face q the utmost refinement and spirituality without
weakness but with positive character enough All the
features nIa beautiful but the beauty Is Of too hgh-bred
aud uuobtruslyc character to make Itself felt at
glancc- the cor with its "c0nvOlutons OF smooth
lppcd sh,U;" tho mOIth that seems 10 trcnbe Ike
bud aIout 20 b. flower and the least little delicate
! curve OF sensitive nose"
Gtrnire's Death Of Crsar" T. picture 90 VOL known
tina: description and discussion ~ u are almost OUT oil
place But n may be Interesting 10 note how oton It
h1uurns IN this artists pciurcs that single hgrcs IN
tlcm-tho principal figure aways-cn be taken out OF
them and carry with them all the essence Of tue picture
Tn, artist himself has shown This, for In three cases
Lee Inns hu,.f taken the principal person from the pc
urc To which n belonged and either modelled II as
.t,tuc or painted e separate picture Tie took The
phue from the "hryne before the Court OF the Ar'opa
i, and made yury clever statuoue Of 10 he did the
Same with the Cleopatra" from the CLEOPATRA before
filiu. Cr.1r" though this not successful ~ te
other ard he ha- made picture which u.s. we believe IN
tho Cnrc0rau Gallery 40 Washington. OF the Dead Cesar
! IA ne lies "eyen az the base OF Pompeys slatua
] which picture b. ono OF Geromes masterpieces 81
drawing II was said OF II, and well said,
too that h.. figure IS not forcshorcung, 10 II per,pec-
v. Clever as these separate figure, may b., the fact
that they can Do 30 removed from the compositions oi
which they make part argues some serious defect IN
those compositions. you cannot 80 remove the Paul
from the Paul Preaching az AtEcn nor the Eve from
the Creation % Eve" even the Archmcd,s OF the
sDcrate from composition with so little essential unity
"a. the school Of thcrs Raphael. like Gcrome made
few clever statues but Dc did not tako them from his
pirurrs GerDne In doing tins, admits what is really
truo that bis principal figures do not inevitably IN
here IN the so-cilled COMPOSITIONS In which
they aro found, and this should be admit
ted II would explain the fact that Grromc's
pictures seldom succeed In making impression as a
whole We are always studying aud admring the clover
mos. NJ their detail "Thc Death OF Cesar has an nl-
portan defect 10 eyes In the management oil the
roup 81 D. treating coDspraUrs They ont n orderly
urnult exactly Ike the chorus OF Dguids IN Norma
the sword, excepted. and We seem 10 hear their grand
J,yispdo -. thy pass through the practicable doors
IA lin, aat But Gtromc II h. Is sometimes theatrical,
knows how 10 avoid the commonplace and the old o'io-
tor who I'm bis flight at the dreadful scene he has been
witness to- ha, gone of apopcNy, IS rather st1h-
| ing invention.
Iroels paintcr 81 The Hague, enjoys great repna-
u,u in Europe, but have seen tto work OF his mat
ustics H. or even explains H. There several o.
hi, pictures in tine Philadelphia Exhibition which were
d,scrbcd by our correspondent m his letters. but neither
in them nor in the IN the present collection do We
find the artist either saying the things he says best or
slying what ho does say in the way that has made him
is,ueu,ncd In the cruel slang Of the studios, lsTacs
In, found way iamG In the discovery Of the scnu-
mental and he uses this a TO raise The waters with
much sk that hr has set on some quantity Of barren
! snrrtator artists 20 cry too, aud the business
| IL found profitable. Il would not be right to
sneak this way about an artists work il the fact were
not forced upon lat he has special calling but To
| express something tmt without him would not be eN-
messed: but after much hunting about be has found
something taking say and mircnches himself III thhi
as safe position. This is not 10 say that a. painter
l-rac has very valuable qualities but the speci-
have seen OF HIN IN TINS country sLo" MN 10
| Do very unequal.
We IKE very much the Louis Eugene IsaDey, No. l57,
" Tbc Embarkatlon" There j. deal OF hurryskury In
II: tho wind is blowing and ,ycry hing and everybody
feel IT, the clouds and the ships and the waves and the
| gentlemen. aud ladies who are descending the rough
| steps from IN pier TO the shore.
The Diaz too, No H. the Forest Of Fonainebleau"
| is,u uncomnonly fine example of artist from whose
hand we in America seldom hhe works, aud less and
e. of late since commissions crowded upon him Ia his