New-York tribune., 1877-06-02
NATIONAL ACADEMY CRITICISM

NATIONAL ACADEMY CRlllClSM'
REPLY TO RECENT COMMENTS - INACCURACIES
MATTERS OF JUDGMENT SURPRISING STATE
MENTs.
TO the Edtt0r Of The Trt6Hne'
SIp: To those who have not taken lively
interest in art or followed the exhibitions Of the Acad
envy for more than years, well as 10 some WHO nave
the first letter of your correspondent c. c. VIII no
doubt have been ntcrestmgas well a. instructive IL VIII
have suggested the thoughtful reader the pos'oe
results of long and lively study o. art ana nave
awakened in his mind question rs TO why such s'u'y
SHOULD make indifferent as to facts and oniNou' 10
logic Certainly heretofore al least have been under
the impression that the utmost regard for facts ard The
power OF using them logically most essential thhs'
to success in the aus of design, and that close ana
sympathetic study of any Of these arts
would necessarily develop a conscientious regard for
cxactuoss ana % strong feeling for consistency
sacb, however have obviously not been the results OF
your CORE spondents long study Of art Let me for exam
ue OF consistency compare of your cofresr"noe'tS
statements. Most of tho promised ycmg men, be says
have appeared, and their; work gives the exhibition
nearly an tire value has for tha portion OF the pnoc
thar takes an active interest in art" " ii VIII De
generally admitted believe, that al the striking
picture, i'm the present show the work oi young m
who exhibit IN the Academy for the first time" Further
on after saving that competition no longer between
artists rs 10 who shall paint the best PICTURES, but
between merchants 70 who shai get the best
stall in the market; and lam,n,ing the temp
taiion 70 paiut loud and sonsatOnal pictures
eneoadcrcd by these exhibitions, your corIe'poni-
cut says Of these same young men, docs any one
suppose for an instant. for instance that clever painter
like Mr. Duveneck. men Of promise like MI Low and
Julian Weir would have painted these Algerian Boys,
Media. ons, and odd French Women if there had
been no S1l0n or Academy to send them TO For ~
what use are they outside OF the Academy VINO would
buy theml Why should buy thcmi" The artists
,a,tte ripu fhf lf II II
TIC market but forced TO produce wares OF KIND
that no one VIII or should care to buy 1t viii seem
strange 10 te ordinary mind. that the placing ot Mr.
Chases Algerian study should N any way lesson Ms
chances OF finding purchaser. when III rcrenhritd
that it is painted exactly the same thing as MI
Duyeucck's picture. which, according 10 your CORE
spondent 10 one viii. or should, care to buy
The tide" c. C." remarks, q" is rising We are cGu-
eating race Of PAINTERS, and shall have some art
again by aud by in this country" sit these youne men
whom your correspondent accuses OF painting IOud ana
sensational pictures MT only catch the eyes of the
ytli ,ar in "A public show WHO 20 buns art TO this
country aenl Let hope, rather, that these young
gentlemen have been crUcly misrepresentation they
love att for arts sake but for truths sake hon IN
deed may we believe that they Of race OF painters
who will bring to the art Of this county new lie ana
no1lcr purpose.
Your rrespondeut would have had a picture OF Mr'
Tvars by Mr. Maynard accepted however bad as like
ness because 10 was said to been characteristic
piece Of painting" portrait it is generally supposed,
must first of all be portrait, an l. being good one, 1t
viii be n picture as well; but failing in this first
rcuuiste, il Is hard TO conceive what interest II Cod
have or how it could be other than chaIactc1Srcaly
bad Your correspondent mas decided The PORTRAITS OF
Mr. PaIke Goodwin and Mr. stouSht0h 10 ne ulltly nl-
worthy the name, not from any personal khaWledsc he
has Of these gentlemen, but because 'We KNOW from
tie work thCy haYt done, the part they play III the
Nld that il possible these bc good portraits
Had the members Of tro Hanging Committee avowedy
arrived through processes at like conclusion con
corning the picture Of lr ENartS, dcuuncatlOn OI
tpen would have been received with general applause.
spOudeu SnyS: g. might speak Ol tie plac-
Ire of Hir Buyenocks portrait OF Mr Charles Dudley
Namer-CVdcnty strong plciurc-hiEh MP III corner
Wncic cannot see H., however WLIlh9 HOW ulc
evident merits o this picture could have become evident
when lt is hgn up IN corner where one chnok see II,
seems "a thins pis finding ont. We have the following
class iiicatiOu of MI Thomas HICKS MI
HUNTINGTON. MI Page, Mr.. IA Clear, and Mr Alexander
Laurie. TO bring whose portraits so ostfniatiousy Ior-
ward" told, whatever that may modn j. to pu
them IN the plllOrj.'
A. to facts, your correspondent gives some that are
quite astounding. NIncty-Oue artists, mostly women,
whose pictures were refused because an Acadtn'can
sFid that he didn't intend to nave the brtdo taken od
Of his mouth by women" went III body and opened an
exhibition of lhcr own; which frightened %, Acade-
ulans greatly TO make them forget the bread tIat
would taken Of thc mouths aHu they made over
ures 10 ,hesc 81 indignant artist mostly women, oc-
places IL they would only scnd tncu ic-
I lures to the exhibition. Nj. LauIndu, Nr hilmdrtn,
ANA Mr.. SOnntag Who CONFUSED ile hanging O"inltc
ovelluits. This year the Academy. thinking 1t had
siIiHglcd the opposition. and having In hi aehn lS
bread. ngciUusy and Uu2alauty proceeded 10 reject,
snui,, and mock these 81 artists, mostly women.
III must nave been astonishing well as pleasant news
TO Mr. DUlph when ne learned from y0ui yrrccua cor
rcsuundcnl that hc had been made an Acarc mrau-n0t
| merely an Associate. NA -. . DONpNAN