The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-09-02
FINE ARTS.
SUBJECTS FOE AMERICAN GENRE PICTURES.

representing American art II sne Psrn Exposition,
that they have no individuality; that they do not
smack Of the soil; that they src class, American
in nothing, neither In subject treatment.
Though the jury has not ht 10 appertion the
awards TO the producers Of any Of the few dis,inc
nvcly American pictures those which are SO have
been singled out Tor mestion by the Preach writera
The charge OF lack OF national characterscs though
made in a somswnat general way. Is OF course aimed
chiefly al the genre pictures The landscapes are In
many instances from any such 'mpu,a,ion, and It
may indeed be said with truth and consratuation that
there American landscape school, which Is daily
acquiring new strength by the application OF oxpe-
rienco gained abroad 10 homo subjects
The American genre painter has, II he will but see
II. range OF subjects for his brush, we'll fitted
to many an European master hand, as diverse in
character In degree OF grandeur and pcturesqueness
those which found in the countries of Europe
We speak. OF course OF subjects Tor genre pictures
OF the present day. for stores Of historic similar
to those which The European painters have at their
disposal are not available here, except a slight
degree some few Of our artists have dipped into
their efforts Is proof that field we'll worked
q display might be made abroad which would awaken
have many OF our landscapes IN the present coiec-
lion. When II is siatsd that among the some iour
hundred painters represented on the walls the last
exhibition oil the National Academy oil Design there
were but nine or ton who seat pictures illustrative
of American life aud mann.rs 1t Will be
seen now great is our weakness this
particular Ofthe artists thus represented Eastman
johnson AMI Winslow Homer nave painted with muoh
success scenes from oar farm aud negro lie ; j. g.
Brown made many decided successes In his delu-
cations OF the gani7ls Of this CITY, and recently
in his picturing Of the Grand henan hsnermen Soy
mour J. Guy nov and shen paintea aistinctively
American pictures and should do so moro; 4. w.
Wood has given US oontrabands galore; Wordsworth
scenes, and has lately struck out knong ncidents
OF ths Revolution niue which Julian Scos. ha.
scenes from southern ME Ssvs shown what he can
do; Gilbert Gaul, In hts picture IN tue late Brooklyn
oxno..loa, was suocsssia! IN sh, line and shows e
exhibited y com ucndAble disposition to bring back
The days and costumes Of our great From
the above small list Of patntcrs and subecss cum W
seen little the field has boon worked, that tho
subjects those which lie almost a. our very doors
OF whch we wish them 70 treat, ana the sucseys III
working up OF which ~ competent hands Will gradu-
those OF dinsrsnt tries abroad,
generalization can only be attempted.
What could furnish better subscs Tor pictures than
and Porting uese explorers OF America and the thou
lordly ysvagesf Under master hand what interest
could be gwen 10 she dgurss Of the armorsd whites
and The per-cOlOred natives scenery the
mos. PICTURESQUE! The voyages Of Ponce % Leon,
ern scenes are ricu in subjects which Geroms
expressed 70 an eminent American Landscape
painter, described the figure subjects he
South America wbilo skstShing lsndscapes great
he would have made would have had motives abun-
dainty picturesque they themselves 40 NOS rise 10 the
grandeur OF the scenes wo have suggested. the re-
popping cApvas OF ths RUNS Left ny the Aztecs IN
New Mexico and southern Colorado would be u task
lie in New England the New Netherlands ana along
She Southern soaboard, tho Two former OF which
prices wh,en the regretted Elliot oSssisec for Inc
lew pictures be painted Of lie IN the New Netber.
lands from the descendants VI tho early Dutch
settlers ana others Is also q preof that such
p,cturss would now be very saisble. The
Indian wars IN New Eugland ana elsewhere and the
dsy. asa .nv min. o. incidents
mastery Of brushea WHAT would be more In
terssling than scenes irem The times when Lousiana
spanish and Frenchf Leaving the historic 0care
upon when We have but briefly touched let US look
around various phase OF American life OF
by drxughIsmen, have been comparatively Untouched
BY painters II may be truly said that the artist
mas no. yss wno s1s ~ wn powe
s... ~. ra.... o.ase.s... s..,. ..: e.ssr farm
Mississippi and the Soushera rivers reveal pic
turssqus scenes; negro LIE before the ana now
sions and roe neids Of tho SCUM and the Southern
seaboard ana farms OF the West are unworked.
Nearer NJ hand are the hsheries and The farm LIE
which has been, ~ above stated, somewhat used.
canada furnishes lake and rtvcr boating scenes and
much OF onne material IN winter, while the West
Indies Ne xico, Central and South America ron
genre stud,ss which certainly picturesque ugh
and American in the broader sense which Europeans
give 70 the word.
FOREIGN PICTURES FOR NEW YORK GALLERIES.
We hear from Paris that William H. Vanderbilt be-
leaving that city ordered important OF
G6rome, Messonnier, D6tsilie, Van Marcks De Neu-
vile, Lsfcbvre aud Others Among the pictures no
purchased in the Salon Leiebvre's Mignon," Tor
which he paid ~, oooc That the bargain is good
one evidenced by the fact that days aftsrward
the artist himself offered him 80 000 for H. He
bought Emile Villas Japanese Glrl' No. 2,245.
Among The PICTURES this gentleman secured from
Richard collection MesssVnnior's
ling lies Dsax van de vside,n Tor which no paid
lOlse, % which cost MIN some ~. 70Ot, and Corots
'Le Soir,r Tor which he gave 8, 0U0f
MISS Cathsrine Wolfe has purchased Lsisbvrss Lies
and has oraoreu another large canvas Of
that artist. The Messrs. Astor and Mr. Mnbank, OF
thus city, and Mr.. Martin, OF Brooklyn, are also
Among the pictures from the Salon which will be seen
hers and srs owned by New York dealers We note ~
a. CssrIes vi. . FreaerIc Kaemmersr's .Un Bap-
teme" and Jean Aubert's "LA Lscon d'AstrOnome,"
tns last OF which received a second class medal; to
5. y. Avery, joan Aubsrt's LAmeur Marchand de
Miro,rsn jean Jacquoi's .Jeanne a'Arc Pris pour
France" ana Albert Aubiet's 'Lc Due de Gusc 10 %
Gess A isss Tior " Eo
TirailIieurs" ana James Bsrtrand's Ls Ciore, and,
nnnly. TO Schaus 4 Co, Leon Pcrrautt's "Tendrosso
Maternslle," Maurice Leloir's "Derner Voyage do
vo.s,rs Pars," which received third class medal,
ana Hugues Merle's "Chariottc Corday"
HOME ART NOTES. OK"
Lafarge Is hard ut work In Boston the decorative
paintings IN Trinity Church.
J. q. Brown Gllbsvt Gael are back IN town from
Southampton, Long lsIAna. ssd leave In . lew days
TOR Beverly Farms, Mass, where they will DO joined
In their sketching by Y. Sehuchard, IT,. and possibly
by NJ +. II. dc Haas, who has also returned TO his
studio from Southampton, bringing some excellent
sly and studies. Mr.. dc Haas, In his trip Ess
poets spend some time ~ C0bsssst aud Msrplehead.
NJ. J. Hssde has Just returned from boston.
Lockw God 10 Forest Is down on Long Island
William II. Beard Is at work on q canvas called
s'The Tender Passion Universal, which represents
couple OF hppopetomi casting tender looks nj eaoh
Other Hs they enter stream side by side, while q
winged monkey, bow and arrows IN hand, sits on "a
plant and locks miscnievously on. "rhe Kspr0of,"
another oanvss, shows old owl on branch iectur-
Ing by moonlight PAIR oi owiota
Frank Waller, President oil the Ara Students
League, has returned from Europe where, la the IN
terosts OF that institution he has visited the ART
choola al puria. Lon nj Uubtin.