New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-06-04

This canvas occupies the place of honor at the emu
of the large saloon or West Gallery. As Is usual
in this artists works, the face OF the eattn
at least threetourhs of the picture ana y - % 80
with masterfuness of arrangement ana truth oI
detail that bnt few contemporary landscape al
can rival The eye is not bewildered but IS carre4
quietly and orderly IRON one point d 70
almost without an effort. The Mlnlsteis uh3eh,
in which the spectator is supposed 10 DC stahhg'
Is situated on the brow OF n eicsnf mile
or so distant, climbs lesurey toward tne say "a
the other side of this lies further Valiey, anu anu
fine blue line of another height Impinges against tle
horizon The spectator thus commands, not only the
minister's garden, properly so called, but likewise
the parish over which his spiritual huSnanuuy si
tends and which, in deeper sense, may De regarded
as his garden too In fuTtherance of tins idea, the
artist has rendered invisible the fence which bounds
fine material garden by interposng the crest OF the
yise between IL and the eye. The foreground rs
filled with old-fashiOned flowers, such as hOllyhocks
and mariCOlds; and there are three or four priml-
tive-loOking beehives the right. so suggestyely
are these details treated that one may divine from
them much of the character of the reverend gardener
himself; who, however, by cOmmendable DIT OF
artistic reticence. does not effectively appear Inc
work Is dedicated to the memory of Oliver Gold
smith: and the shade Of the immortal vicar OF
Wakefield may be supposed 10 preside over tine
scene Mr. Lawson is still a very young artist, ana
has only lately succeeded in gaining for himself rec
ogpion; but If he continues to paint with such go0d
nnrpOse and expression as this, he has bright tu-
Wiois is represented by two portrait pieces, bril-
liant and clever enough in execution. but OF no
earthly interest save to the cOmpalsant people VINO
have 10 nav for them This artist has entirely lost
whatever spiritual insight he may formerly have
Dossessed and can now see and paint nothing but
aggTessivey vivid outsides HIS portraits have the
value of surprisingly weD-cOlOred photographs, ana
nothing more; indeed when he has ceased to be-
come the fashion, most persons OF discrimination
will prefer the photographs. "A much finer work
than any of his is Mr. Ed Gregory portrait of
tleman in a brown velveteen jacket, with gray hair
and background, and shaggy greyhound that lays
its head against him. MillalSs faces and figures
look as If they had been painted III the moon, or IN
any other place where there is no atmosphere; but
this work of Gregorys was produced, you may be
sure in cloudy England. What fine, frank ruddy
face the man haS-quite in harmony with the vel
yeteen coat and the hound The pose, too, Is full Of
character. Milas is in such hurry TO slap OH bis
clever paint that he has no time TO study poses anu
i'm fact his poses aw kward and st as many of
GiOtto's without their honesty and nalyete And
vet Ahas painted the llugenOtsl
Alma Tadema is almost always worth looking at,
for the sake of the voluptuOus splendor of his
faces He likes to paint luxurious scenes of Greece
and Rome such as 1t is a JOY to gaze upon. The
triumphant cleanliness, wholesomenesS and warmth
of his faces and drapeI1es and marbles make one
think better of the world. They prompt smiles Of
pure terrestrial pleasure-pagan pleasure-fOr there
Is never ANYTHING sublime or lofty spiritual In his
des1gns Of half a dozen specimens of his work in
this exhibition, the lOvelest IS little gem of a
Bacchante peeping out of marbe-framed window
Ii is full of life and motion and lusrOus realsm-a
realism as accurate as that OF the old Dutch School
but more agreeable, because softer and less sharply
defined. The larger picture of the woman with
cherries is as perfectly painted but less pleasing,
account of the stupidity and lack of expression in
the wOman's face. Iademas small pieces are gen.
erally his best; his larger ones look like the small
magnihed, and the process does not agree with
them.
BoughtOn has a picture Of two young stOne-quar-
riers bringing mighty muscles to bear upon hugo
block of stone which they are hammerng at, while
Young woman sits watching them in the fore
ground with much the same serene yet gratifed IN
hoo tg "A Rgf hot trrrg.
Jealous stays. The rivalry of the two men, how
ever is portrayed with a sentiment of llumoT inap-
plicable to animal Its. The men, though sTaining
every nerve to surpass each other and gain the fair
spectators favor yet endeavOrlng To suppress in
their faces any expression OF the rivalry that fills
their hearts, Their AnglO-SaXOn Tetcence and
pride crop ont most amusngly in the midst of their
fury of physical effort. The picture is technically
as good as the average Of BOughtOns; the cOloriug
is tender and pleasing but not powerful the draw
ing graceful and correct, the grouping skilful
There is not an artist IN England who shows more
reticence and gentleness III ms art than BOughton
does. lie wins our quiet admiration, but is too
much of n cultivated and administrative gentle
man to command il despOtically.
There are several pictures by a MT. James Iissot
who seems TO have studied the cOlOred fashion
plates in the ladies' magazines very faithfully, but
who has no other claim TO favor. Mr. Watts con-
tributes a number of mOnstTOus ineptitudes,
agitous in color, contOrted IN design, and gener-
ally insulting TO common sense as 70 art. Leigh
ton has brilliant and highly finished portrait OF
little girl IN a crimson mantle; her round chubby
she stands facing the spectator with the pretty In
nOcent awkwaTdness Of childhood. l. Armstrong;
"Aradne Abandoned by Theseus," shows lis a huge
expanse of impossible gray swamp, filling three
fOurhs of the height of tho picture In the extreme
distance on the further side Of this swamp small
! fugacious and despaungly gestIculatIye figure is
dscenib bic and the strip Of blue paint interyen-
| ing between the sky and the land is "A wonderful
wild fowl, probably intended to represent the ship
of the faithess prince. This subject has, believe,
been treated once or twice before since the occur
renee Of the episode; but Mr. Armstrong may lay
claim TO the distinction Of having produced the very
| most worthless version Of It extant.
The room devoted to water-cOlOr drawings is for
| the most part den of horror and iniqulty; the
! only thing really worth regarding being bunch of
| rudy brown wall-hOwers in carved brass vase,
/ relieved against gray background. This is adj
| miTable perfectly harmonious and so truthfully
| painted that one seems almost TO catch the fra
GRANGE of the flowers. With that aroma in our nos
trls and without looking at any of the anomalous
! objects grouped under the head Of sculpture we
shall do wisely TO make our escape from the eros
| venor Gallery, and sOlace our imagination with a
glass or two OF the excellent wine which is to be had
! IN the restaurant down stairs.
| JULIAN HAWTHORNE