Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-09-21
Park Gallery Of Art.

ton of the loan collection of paintings
the Park Gallery of Art closed on Satui
day. As the end of the exhibition dre'
, near, the number of visitors. which ha
, been large throughout the whole time, IL
creased to throng For the past few day
some OF our citizens have almost lived II
the Gallery. As if to make the most vi tn
short time remaining. The number q
strangers, both transient guests OF the cit.
and those who came from neighbOrin!
towns on purpose to visit the Gallery, ha
also steadily increased to the close. TIT
total number OF visitors during the last weel
was. by actual count. 55S. and on som'
single days it reached 100. The aggregate
attendance during the whole exhibition Wa
over four thousand.
Nor has the interest in the exhibition
been shown only by the numbsr Of visitors
but still moro by the admiration. and VT
may say even the Enthusiasm elected. and
that. in many instances, in wholly unex-
pected quarters. Not only in the Gallery
| ll~tll, Which, gre" 10 bt % hhh1
resort for the art-loying people among Us,
but in the parlors and ut the tables of our
citizens and whenever they CHANGED to meet
the collection has often been the uppermost
topic of conversation. We venture to say
that almost every intelligent person in this
community has his or her iayorlte picture,
the merits Of which each is prepared to set
forth in criticisms which show at lea st the
beginning of an appreciation of excellence
in art. Many persons who never supposed
| themselves capable of enthusiasm for any
form of art. have been pleased to find them
selves honestly admiring and enjoy ing II
really good picture, now that they have
seen one amid iavoring circumstances.
All this must be gratifying to the Trustees
and to those who have 50 earnestly assisted
them in this enterprise. II at any time they
have had misgivings about the success of the
experiment, the result must be most de-
lightful relief And if any of the artl, is
who loaned their pictures for exhibition
ever questioned the expediency OF sending
them So far away from the metropolis, n
better appreciation of their own interest
and that of their art would correct the mis-
apprehension. 1t is delusion from which
none suffer more than artists themselves.
that art finds patronage only in the large
commercial cities. The fact is that in thi,
country, as in Great Britain, culture is
more and more stunning the vulgar pre-
tence which commercial success engenders
and fosters in the great cities. and Is en-
towering itself in the freer aud truer life
of " the Provinces The best patronage
OF art, that which is at once most favorable
to the development of art and most en-
cOuraging TO artists, is the sincere aid
loving appreciation of what is truly and
nobly good in art. For works which they
admire and cuvet because of appreciated
merit, persons Of real culture, though of
moderate means will pay money more freely
than the majority of rich men, who usually
buy from motives of mere ldxury or osteL-
tation. A provincial patronage. jndicious-
ly cultivated, mig ht prove far more re-
muneratIve one than most artists seem to
imagine See. Tor example. what this
exhibition has done for art and for artists in
this community. To have had right at our
doors collection of a hundred paintings OF
rare excellence, to which We have had free
access day after day for three months, has
been not only luxury but an educa-
ton and a source of new desire to hun
dreds. Hereafter it will appear to
large number to be worthy object
of their striving and saving, to get the
means for buying and owning a first-class
picture, Bristol, Minor, Cropsey.
Wyant, Hart, De Haas, Whittrege.
The difference between good picture and
poor one has for the first time been made
evident to hundreds. who all the time had
the power but not I'LL now the opportunity
to make the distinction. And in almost
every ono of the hundreds the desire has
been awakened to become the pOsse>sor, so
soon as means will permit. OF a picture
which, like most of these, would be r per-
petual Joy in ones household. How many
of the thousands who have seen and admired
these pictures must have regretted and
cursed the folly which induced them to
spend on ctromos and poor daubs of things,
enough to have bought one of these real
gems of art And these longinss and re
grets will all inure to the benefit of artists.
A certain liberal per cent. of them are good
for future PURCHASES.
The sales actually effected are. consider
ing the times. very considerable, amount
irg to about Mrty-fre pictures and aggre-
eating nearly four thousand dollars But
these sales are smal compared with those
which are sure to come as the direct conse
quence Of this exhibition. Our citizsns have
now formed the acquaintance Of the leading
artists of New York, and of some younger
ones, too. whose celebrity is. as vet, below
their merit. Everything which CASTELAR,
paints hereafter. or Clifford. or Moran, or
McCOrd. or McEntee. or in fact any artist
whose name ha been on our catalogue and
who has made for himself friends among us,
will attract interest here Within the next
FIVE years, if business should be at all pros
porous, many fine pictures will come into
Burlington homes from New York eascls.
Many of as, when we go to the city Tor
business or on visit, will get into the way
of dropping into the studios of our favorise
artists. and occasionally bringing away II
picture, or leaving an order. And thus.
perhaps, at no very distant day. our M aest
but thoroughly apprecative provincial pat
ronage may repay the artists whose con tri-
buttons to this collection have made our
Gallery such an attraction during the past
Summer.
LAST Tuesday. two men prcsented them
selves at the town clerk office. in Rutland.