New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-04-19
FINE ARTS.
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN
FTFTY-THIRD ANNUAL Exhibition.

ably respectable works in this part OF the eAhotoh'
but the dIeaTy childish, schoolgirl ana schooooy Po
lures are in vast majority. II would be very easy
thing 10 do TO collect 200 and odd specimens or the
much abused things called chrOmOs-especialy II We
might have orr pick OF all that are published the Woru
over-whch should far surpass in interest and attract
iveness the goo and odd canyases that are hung III
this Corridor After going these walls patiently
again and again. bordering the whole display seriously
and earnestly striving put ourselves first In the
artists place. and then in that Of the acadeeahs' we
still can give ourselves no answer TO the qSesuons'
"Why were these pictures ever paintedP and why
were they ever acceDtcdF
However Il is much easier to answer the former ies
ton than TO answer the latter Poverty desire 10 get
sucudipg money without too much effort; the egghg-
OH OF foolish friends; the dong fondness OF pufpih"
parents; vanity; mistaken estimate OF one powers
such are few of the reasons that may De gwen 10
excuse, or 10 explain at least The existence Vi Su'
performances ms are toe most of these Corridor pictures
But why the authorities Of the Academy shouIu 'ihA
themselves Obliged TO accept these performances VI
why having accepted them. they should lhihh II opI-
gatory upon them to hang them; these are questions
that nobody can answer. Perhaps these gentle
men may urge that they have rejected nearly
as many pictures as they have accepted. And
tuueed We do remember hearing that there
were 500 pictures ana drawings, or thcreabous, sent
in and the catalogue contains 7l6 numbers emitting
the contents of the sculpture-rOom You 90 not IKE
we seem to hear the officers say you DO not h"e
what we have accepted! Think what we must nave re-
iected and be charitable IL your judgment oil u.s. IHs
sounds very plausible but way moi have perSeVeed Ia
welI-doing9 Why having pu their hands 80 OIaFeIy TO
the plough did these gentlemen look back 1hey
should have kept steadily with Their WORK "i ll'e
tom the result would have been good both for the pub
lie ana for The artists.
The pubIc trusts the practical sense and the artistic
Judgment OF the officers of the Academy, that they VIII
not leave 10 it the wearsome task Of hunting MP what
ever good work may have been sent IN hut that what
ever is worth looking At VIII have been discovered by
the authorities selected and hung where 1t can De seen
without trouble; in other words, The pubic comes TO he
exhibition Tor rest and enjoyment, not for hard worn
and torment, and it has right TO complain auu'S
wi en- II does not find what 10 comes for.
The artists too arr vitality Interested III this matter
because the inevitable result OF covering he walls Wild
such WILDERNESS, Of eIly asteoss badly PAINTED pictures
as are TO DE found in this Corridor land would thal sueh
were not to be found, in peIy in other parts OF the
exhibition must be to disgust the puhic al Inc START
and ave very un adorable prospect Of what Is to come
Rc.dcs such heaping OF things together necessarily
iupes unjust hanging; the cw toerahc pictures are
lost among those that not 10 be endured ana DoOouy
has time disposition to turn over aud "u"o" lhese
bushels Cba get at the few grains oi WAea lndI
IIay possibly be hid in them. Tie I1uit-hnlnS WIN
the Academy Is louder this year than We have ever
heard IT, ana lOudest in quarters where we are least
used 10 hearing it, As the puDAc taste Is all the lime
being improved and a., outside Of the Academy better
ana better pictures constantly being shown MS II Is
the mer,st common that the Academy, instead OF
opening its doors wider and wider every year, should
guard them more carefully, should make admission
distinction and by dong protect The good artists
against the bad ones
Hang thcm as well as they car he hung, pictures will
never be seen 10 advantage in The Corridor There is
only small portion O! the yalspace tEat. namely on
either side the leading Into the North Room ON
which pictures can be al al. Al the Sides ana ~
fine south end Of the Corridor, Tie space between tHt
wall and The railing 50 narrow, that u is impossible
for any one 10 see pictures that hung above Tie
line. Yet, this year. every foot or the "d''
space is covered, the pictures are hung o't
oil all reach OF eyes and several of the smallest arc
lupg the highest. Certainly, II must have occurred
10 many IayInan, that il he artist, hc would
hundred times prefer his picture should be rejected than
tina. it should be hung ANONYMOUSLY. what good mo-
tive can possibly be conceived for hanging Dir. Henry
Farrcr's etching, No. y, where II cannot be seen
except by climbing over the stair rails, ana hdLS
ing by ones hands M Farrer's little draw
iuE in the Water-Coior Exhibition more
admired tlun any other drawing in the col
lection IL the best by all odds the best, among the
youug men WHO are hOuoraJly striving 10 osnoi,A
among us the practice oil the DEL htul art o. etching
one would nave thought That what he has already
achieved would have won fog Inn AZ least respectful
treatment Yet one OF his best works Is hung N tir
present exhibition where It ought not 10 be hung II h
were the worst in the gallery. For nothing tAai 10
thought fit 10 be admitted at all, ought to be mug a.
TINS etching f. where it cannot possibly be seem
o. take The penand-ink architectural drawing Of the
Altar and Rercdos designed by Mr. Fred VINCE, ana
recently erected an Trinity Church. Ihs drawing ~
made from careful measurements by Mr George Martin
Iuss presumably student with Sir. Wthers. To make
such drawing is work Of no sliAil labor ana "h.h
Young man has completed his task, ne naturally feels
that he has made step forward IN ms preparatory
stu les As for the wisdom Of showing to the public
piece OF work like This, there may reasonably DE TWO
opnions-lor.unatcly for the young drdughisman the
public has no means Of comparing his pcn-wOTh
with the exquisite and learned draughtsmansp o. MI
WitEers hmsef-bu there cannot be two opinions as 10
the duty Of the Academy, once the drawing was
admitted put 1t where its merits ana dement's cOmd
DE fairly weighed. young man WORKS many patent
hours a task which he has set himself for his own i'm
movements when is finished, he determines 10 test IL
by the light OF the public square ne submits 1t TO the
Academy he hears that 1t Is accepted, he goes TO the
exhibition looks about for his performance, and finds
that in his case, public square means an mac
cessble piece Of the staircase wall and that II his
friends want learn how he Is getting on, by examn-
ing his work they may chance break their necks IN
trying the experiment.
OF course, young mans friends do not RISK
their neck few of them Will risk their comfort, In the
effort to find ont how he Is getting much less Will
the public put itself out for the same purpose And the
result is that put in inaccessible places, on the
sides of steep walls where halfway down. they hang
Ike one that gathers Sampnre or high up, perchcd on
the topmOst line like sparrows telegraph wires or
ike passengers on the Elevated Railroad; or down
upon the fooT-the Skye-ne. as one reckless person
calls It, because, as he says, only skyedOgs
can see them Therapeutics thus treated
or. simply not looked at at all. AS We
overheard one lady saying the other day. 1t is bad
enough my DEAR have 10 look at the pictures here
which you can see without trying TO look at those you
can't see."
The mpre ssion that Is made upon the educated public
by the greater part of the pictures and drawings In tins