New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1876-11-13
A LESSON IN ART.

The Loan Exhibitions have closed; and there
could be no more signal evidence OF Their sue
cess than the fact that hundreds OF persons
went to the Academy of Design on saturday
and vainly begged for admttance. Could the
exhibitions have been kept open until the emu
of this week. it is quite certain thai an aver
age of 81 900 per day would have been addcd
70 the assets of the Academy and the Museum; :
vet we reckon this financial aid as less than the
Glance of continued education in Art thereby
offered to the public. Before considering th'S
latter question, however, let us first review
the history of the experimentation such' III the
beginning, it really was.
When the plan was proposed, hVe months
ago, il found the owners of the choice private
galleries in our city generously ready 10 CO.
operate, although very few of them anticipated
more than success deStimc. No one vehtured
to estimate the receipts of the exhibitions, 1or
tbc whole season. at more than $4,000,
which. after dcducting the heavy expenses I'm
Gliding the insurance of the paintlngSL would
have left a very moderate profit Tor the tWo
constitutions. But the interest ana enjoyment
of the public. as soon as the rare character OF
the collections became generally known, were
not to be mistaken: those who went once re-
Turned again and again: our foreign guests
confirmed the excellence of the cXh billions,
and nm enthusiasm, second only to that IN
spircd by the great show at Philadelphia, re-
wardcd the hopes of the artists and the liber-
atty of the pictuTc-Owners. The number OF
visitors proves to have been not less Than
10. 900: the gross receipts amount to sol ,OOo,
which will leave a clear profit very nearly IL
not quite sufficient to free both the Academy
of Design AMI the Metropolitan Museum from
dcht,-to make the final payment for the price
less Ce,nola Collection in the latter and TO
add about 81 800 to the annual income of the
former Tho Centennial Year thus becomes
memorable in the history of American Art.
Bur the best result is, that all future exhibl-
lions are now sure of larger more inter
cst,d and u more intelligent public. Good
taste i'm all fields of Art is less the c0nSe-
quencc of special or technical education than
Of the simple opportunity of knowing good
work. We may say, indeed, that the element
of taste is almost as natural and general,
among civilized races, aS that OF knowledge.
Let a certain number of men SEQ good pant
ing or sculpture, or hear good music or ora
tory. for "a very brief space of time, and they
ever they see or hear it aftcrward. Couture,
the French painter satisfied himself OF TINS
fact by IN amusing experiment. lie set before
a laboring man (Whom, according to frehch
custom. he WAS bound to furnish with drink
- well rs mcaO Il bottle of good Burgundy
instead OF the thin, common VINE to when
the latter was accustomed. The man made
WV face. and said This is not what you
" gave me yesterday TRY and make 1t
answer for 3 day or two SAID Couture
" | am out of the other kind The laborer
drank his Burgundy for week, and made no
further complaint. Then, suddenly, the COM
mon wine which he had drunk for years was
substituted. But lac 10 sooner tasted 1t than
he spat it ont again, eNclaimlnS: That Is
"abomnabc stuif!'
The palate, of course, represents the lowest
and most readily developed sense; but the
same law applies to the higher and more deli
cate tastes. Every painter knows what good
natural instincts of Art are possessed 10y the
common Italian people, simply because they
are Acquainted with many masterpieces.
We have never had bcfore-in fact, Europe
ho, rarely had-such IA rich, excellent, and
comprehensive display of Modern Art As III
fine Loan Exhibitions, and the American public
has thus for the first time been able to mani
fest its hearty appreciation of genuine achieve
mcut. This is lesson in Art which the
whole country has accepted, eagerly learned,
and will surely not forget. Let Ms hope than
the result may lead to the creation OF new
opportunities of the kind, for no one can
longer doubt their necessity and their value