Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1878-05-03

saw, or rather from what they did not see, al
Phiadel pha.
In that show France was too far away from
home and too near the IN point of time to do
justice to herself. AT this one, OF course every
condition Is IN her favor, and she has made the
most of her advantages. The I'll, PLAY is yeiv
large and very varied, AMI great art has been EN-
ployed in the arTang, ment of II. Wherever il
has been possible the manufacturers of "a district
have combined for collective eXhibit-the silk
weavers of Lyons. Tor Instance and the ribbon
makers OF 1T. Euenne-a plan that gives the COM
mouer products certain monumental import
ance. The ribbons iO IN vast composition; the
silks the same. In all this class OF woven prod
ucts there is one great characteristic design of
beauty common TO work in every material alike, |
the best and the worst. In the English section,
on the contrary, one usually finds the design too
nicely prOportiOned to the quality of the mate rial
for common goods a rather common pattern, |
ana the handsome pattern only for the costest |
stuti- The French will run one beautiful dsgn |
through half dozen textures, and thus give the |
hu1er his choice OF beauty at all prices. The |
millionaire buys the real thing. The DefH en- |
plOyee the other and the first has little to |
show for the difference than the length of his |
bill. The pattern designers of France in all pro- |
ductOns of fancy and taste still unmistakbly |
the first IN the world, but their superiority does
not extend to the quality of material IN which they |
work. This true ~ 1851, and il Is true now |
1t Is astonishing how little exhibitions and inter
national communications OF all kinds alter the |
esseutAl character of peoples. The notions are |
still relatively Just where they were when first |
they came together. France Is still dependent on |
England for her agricultural machlnery-tbat Is.
for orig NAL ideas IN this work apart from ptrtc-
ular applications of them to circumstances aad |
local needs II Is not at eli unlikely that she
may hencetorth become more aud more Deepen
dent on America. American MANI faCtulers of |
this class of goods have for the first time done
in-ce to themselves in Europe at this show
They were vi course seen TO intnitely greater adj |
vantage at Philadelphia, but tnen France was not
there to see them. Ia small glass work France |
is behind lug land III qualify, before her in ele- |
gance of design, and her mirrors tine beyond |
all comparison. One of them, made at 81. Go |
balm, Is nearly seven metres high and its vast
face Is without speck or iaw. II Is rather too |
early to speak OF the machinery. The most n |
genious constructions IN this department are those
which supply power power to the rest. There are |
some seven or eight OF them, some made |
by Enghsl firms established IN France, but none |
OF such vast proportions and such perfect beauty |
of its kind the CUrliss at Philadephia, before |
which many devout men Of mechanical genus |
used to go every MOI ming to say their prayers.
THE ART GALLERIES.
The art galleries as has ALREADY been said d. |
vide the building lengthwise from end to end and
are IN eight grand divisions, not counting the mi |
nor ones which form what in BGv other place |
would in themselves be galleries of no M an size |
The French snow has been admirably selected for |
quality but not for varIety-t does not give the |
Committee of selection was very properly COM
posed of the best men, but these have shone a |
tendency to Judge all work sent in from the high |
stand point OF their own proficiency, and a. a
broad result to keep the show to themselves and |
to make their part of this Universal Exhibi-
ton sort OF snug family affair. The purely Law |
element in pic Oral criticism has not been ade-
qaaiey represented in this body, and as a conse-
qnence it, judgments are wanting in openness and |
impartialiIy of view. Stories are current of |
work in art in the shape of many picture, a.
they could lay their hands on Carous Duran
for instance, offered to send eight and thirty por-
traits, and Mile Jacquemart thirty-two. They
had to be politely informed that the art galleries
had their limits well the curios ~ of the pub
lie, and the gentleman was cut down to eight Sc
lectoD- and the lady to four This was peculiar
ly just in principle, for 10 country rich in ar
lists a. France, an exhibition is pre-emnenty
matter OF selection. The great public museums
and galleries have been laid under contribution
with the hest results. There are some choice
pickings from the Luxembourg, for instance
forty works representing about five and thirty ar
fists, among the latter Cabanel, Reg nault, Della
unay, Levy. Clmann, Feyen and Chintieuil.
These works include specimens OF both painting
and sculpture The work in mar lie shows rap
id growth of the naturallstc influence of Car
peaux in the attempt to render IN form alone and
without the aid of color all the freedom and plav
of lie-the laughter of children, the coquettish
grace Of Parl>ian women, the utmost diversity, in
fact, of facial expression, with CORRESPONDING
realism in the very texture ofiress 1t Is a genre
which, neither appanding nor regrettng, has its
existence noted fact. Other French iunoya-
tons in art who have been less successful than ar
peauX will not be represented III the Exhibition
Manet and his mPress0aiSfe school. They are
not discouraged. Manet talks of taking place
outside the building, stocking it with his works.
and thus Issuing call to the unconverted at his
own expense. The great picture from Old Tesla
ment hlstory-a mother keeping the vultures
from the bodies of her Cruclhed sous-which was
seen at Philadelphia has again crossed the sea to
figure here. the collection is the fl ne "Marceau
Lying in State with the Austrian Stall Saluting
the Body" which figured in the Salon last wear,
and which, with the "kObespieIre,' likewise ex- |
hbted, was the picture of the season. Portraits
of celebrities are numerous, as of Granier, the |
actress, by Nun atom, and Of Zulma Boufar, by a
Hungarian artist, Paezka. The French art show
is further enriched by splendid collection of |
portraits of national worthless. many of them
works OF equal value to the painter and the his
torian.
A good deal has been said in America about the |
composition OF the American art committees of Sc
lection, but / may be said that if there be evil
done by having too few professional men on such
q committee, the French example Just referred to |
shows that evil may result from having too many |
There are about eighty five works sent from the
United States, not counting those contributed by
American artists resident IN Europe. 1t is noted
as the general characteristic of works sent from
national in subject if it is cosmopolitan or French
in treatment. Painters are beginning to give the
life they have around them-the village school, |
native oaks, New England landscape, Sunday
morning scene in Virginia. Europe wants to
break new ground as much in art as in colon'za |
ton, and many of the pictures sent to Paris have |
in "a sense merit enough IN showing how this NAV
be done. They will. il i, thought by the critics
attract much attention on that account among the
French, who have keen eye for novelty in the
picturesque, no matter where it may be found
few of the English pictures, but only a few, will
render the same service.
Germany, though absent from other carts of the
show, came 10 almost at the last moment as an ex-
hibitor in the art gallery where France was onl,
too glad, though at much inconvenience. to find
her place. The German artists have sent about |
two hundred pictures and some few works in
sculpture. 1t Is not an adequate representation,
but it is still greatly superior to the made at
Philadelphia. 1t shows something of their four
schools-hc Naturaists with Knaus and Never
helm for leaders; the Realists, another band of
Impre s-iouists settled chiefly at Weimar; the Col.
orsts, who slide by the accident of residence If
not OF BIRTH into the school of Vienna take Ma
kart for an eXample) and who own Piloiy for
chief and BackliD, Lier aud Brandt for his lieut.
enants-- all represented in the Champ de Mars
and the other school of ldealsts These schools
NAV again be locally named as of those of Berlin |