New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-03-23
AMERICAN ARTISTS.
THE sOcIETYs FIRST EXHIBITION.

70 the razor or The tribune.
SIR: The two portraits by Mr. Francis Lathrop.
Nos and AZ seen to disadvantage IN the pIese'
exhibition The visitor who would judge them Iaiiy'
and eet at secret Of their extraordinary merit must
be nj some pains them from their more brilliant
aud taking neghbor They not at all what 10 under
stood by exhibition pictures pictures that s painted
10 hold their owD In crowd perhaps to more than hod
their ownto act a focus for the rays OF popusr ap
plaise aud outshne the rest To paint pictures 10
such end f. legitimate enough and not only eA"pi
tons but the worlds galleries are interesting 10
the great body of the public just In proportion as they
rich In these show pieces. But admifaoic Ms
they often are they not the only admirable pictures
and IN this particular exhibition when 10 now "hoor o
view the careful visitor viii not let the briilaney OF MI
Chase,s Mr. Hunts. Mr.. Inncsss Mr.. La farges WORK
blind him TO the merits Of such unostentatious perform
that OF Mr. Wyant, MI a. r. h!uer' nj ca" '"
and Mr.. Lathrop
OF Mr. Iathrop's two pictures here, No a. seems 10
me much in advance OF No. 4, both in the quality OF
the painting and in the amount OF elikeness attained
by the artist Complaint Is made. hD certain quarters
of the eooring of the flesh In No. 4; but unless Il
come from one who knows the subject of the picture
this complaint can hardly be allowed legitimate since
f. IN nature that the flesh might be stil more highly
coored, md yet be true. Complaint Is made OF the AT
utude as being that OF a sick man. whereas the COM
pie xiOn the subject denotes hardy temperament ana
strong he nth But the artist may retort to our ohec
say him nay 1t may. however, be allowed legit-
mate criticism on the artists way of presenting
hs subject say that is wanting In the sense OF HE
Che very sense which inc other picture No Az so
strong THIS want chiefly betrayed in the eye so du
we can hardly there is an eye at all. Us u an
eye or bnt on eyeess skull I" Certainly, there IL no
speculation In IT, OF course this deafness is aided by
the attitude aud the depression Of the attitude Is inte
SHED again by the prominence given to the cushion
against which head is leaning and which looks like
sickpillow. Thus strong, manly and independent piece
painting spoiled as picture. turned into mere STU
do exercise by the want Of something which the artist
has shown himself perfectly capable OF giving to his
subject something which it is plain his subject must
have called for by its very nature Again. this picture
Is at fault in the which 1t is painted The artist
does 10 have meant II for colossal anu YET IL
makes the impression OF man Of uncommon, not 10 say
unnatural size. At the same time, II may well be that
IL is not whit larger than life. This however is not TO
the point there is Of painting head so that II
shall look dwarfed. and another way of painting 1t so
that shall look monslrous and to be given in
either case why the wrong effect is produced The art
lists feeling Tor proportion is shown TO be al
fault In such cases, aud nobody as yet has been
wise enough make rules the following OF which
will insure not going astray That MI Lathrop is
not proportion bind" Is shown by another portrait
here No a. the head of younger man than Nc. A. so
full of vitality. so real, that without the help of the
catalogue the visitor would hardly ascrbe 1t to the same
hand When he knows that the same artist painted both
pictures he match their qualities; but surely he
will think that the painting Of these two some
serious space OF time must have interviewed To account
for this difference there need only the hypothesis OF
the sympathy Of youth with youth, but il is not the
visitors business either TO account for the snpe-
r.Ority of the one picture or TO excuse inc
defects OF the other What he may deduce
from these pictures balancing merits fairly with de
fects that the artist is Of conscious power, who
thath vain afrf
ing his own Ii does not recall that Of any school 1t
IL not Munich nor Paris London that these pictures
date FROM The head No AZ, drawn with great force
and truthfuness The Of the subject part
and parcel of the picture as is the case III all good
painting the welding OF mind and matter here so COM
pce that they cannot be separated by any force OF
thinking. but make impression of unity, like that of
any work az nature. BY this il not meant that Mr.. La
throps painting perfect. Far from IT, Only so far as
II goes, 1t is genuine. Aud IL goes very far.
The attractive pictures which Mr. Benjamin Porter
sent the Academy exhibition OF last year made an
impression that VIII hardly be sustained by his Portrait
OF Lady" No IN this CELERY. Tie pictures Of last
year. the young Lady With y Dog" and the "St.
Cecilia" pleasing in subject pleasing in color, and
took the artists beside with their skiful handling This
year the subject sober and the treatment
Is more reflective and in way dependent any
terua cha1m whether OF color accessory. Here ia
bumptious little bullpup to balance the rosy gracious
ness OF his youthful MISTRESS here is saint with her
rose wreath for halo and Der luie for a book
Of prayers, with cherubs about her whom heaven
has yet made sad The artist has sObery Invested
himself Of whatever advantage last years graces lent
him, and into the arena with nothing to prevent
our asking and answering the plain quesOn-is he pOr
trait panter Certainly be is one, II elkeness and
naturaness make him one for in these qualities this
picture is Of approval Here Is unaffected ease
straighforwar deaing with character, and sense of
harmony in composition, that wholly reassuring
laat
to whether MI Porter IL going to be painter or not
Last year his pictures interesting they were wanted
spontaneity. There a madeup air about them that
suggested private theatrcas, and the quality Of the
painting affected by this aItifciay; felt the
paint This there is an entire absence OF posing
hut then there terrible Offset Of tameDess and the
painting Is as commonplace as the Characterization
But the art OF the portrait painter to be both portrycr
and painter one to unite naturaness and pictorial
ness TO make interesting to all the world the man or
woman aye the child whose being, else, fee
fey due to some single breast.
If Mr.. Wyatt Eaton has disappointed some people by
his pictures this year. he has pleased Others and for
himself therefore. he strike balance between con-
trary Judgments s 1t is not easy to how any
can accept his Portrait OF Mr.. Bryant" either as
portrait or as painting. At the time 1t is TO be
confessed that IL Mr.. Eaton has failed IN giving
counterfeit presentmcnt Of Mr. Bryant, he has only
added another long list Of dismal failures. Every
fist, painter sculptor, who has tried his hand at
cordng postery what of man to the outward
eye was the author OF the "ThanatOpsis' and
the Lines to Julia" has given the suggestion at
least Of a big with abnormally big head. There
IL queer liking. sculpt0ls chiefly, for heads Of
the poe larger than human OF which the colossal Mem
non on staircase of the Metropolitan Museum is the
most fragrant example. This is to miss the point alto
gether. Whatever may be the actual height Of Mr.
Bryant feet and inches the impression that he makes
teen ON street, certainly is that he is small
by means underszed, but small. slightly bnt and
with head admirably proportioned 10 his body. The
poet's head NAV be larger than is common 10 IL