New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-02-14
THE WATER-COLOR SOCIETY.
EXHIBITION AT THE ACADEMY.
THE SEARCH FOR A sUBJECT-THE BLACK AND
WHITE EXHIBITION.

ready spoken and it here only to point out that
while carried further In its execution than the study vi
Negroes" Its chief merit lies the sense OF life nat an
1t. The color not agreeable indeed this artist
cares apparently nothing about color, but the draw
ing is good and color Is too rare a charm'
nowadays, that we should grumbe at its absence.
Mr. Abbey this year. is not little disappointing.
The excellent whom he calls an October rose,
No. H. has certainly never been rose at any tme ana
October has not improved her prospects for becoming
But sic might have been treated more kindly than
she has been by the artist who has put her into costume
that would defy any beauty OF sixteen TO make 1t
tolerable. Or, perhaps, there might be something
to reconcile us to such monumental way OF
ressing, IL the lady were well on In her
eighties. But, now, there Is nothing In her
face figure justify the painter In having taken Der
for q subject. and nothing, Of course that makes IL
pleasant for us to look very long at her. However, II
we cannot speak as well of the lady herself as we
would like to speak, we can say OF the
artist that he il cutivating good style, ana
that he ia singular among our younger men
in the breadth and simplicity with which he works lie
is best seen this exhibition in the original drawing
No. AS made for Scribners MONTHLY which hasSs In the
Northwest along side the engraving from II made
by Mr.. David Nichols. The subject OF tie drawing IS
"Mrs. Robert Murray entertaining British Ohicers
while General Putnam escapes" Here Is good grouping
and much brilliancy in the execution; the story Is not
told and could not be- unless the medieval principle
of bringing several phases OF an adventure into frame
but looked at as group OF people naturally dls-
posed, the artists task is performed win cosderape
spirit. 1t is not, however cheerful thing to coneu
plate this cropping about for subject Oh the part
ngurc-pantcrs. about to say, rs If hsnrepain
crs everywhere present not much at loss for
n suhect as Ours. The Frenchmen more clever
than the rest, II IL true moro daring more
learned ingenious, but OF all the lrehch
PICTURES painted in the last fifty years, OF when
we have any knowledge, how small hummer
have had subjects that are understood cared for by
our generation The "historica subjects. the subjects
illustrating the times IN which the artist lived, paint
ed expressly to hit the taste OF his time-how few
of these hold their own for any long Time
after the artist has disappeared. Only the sim
ple subjects continue to please, the subjects
that are easily understood and enjoyed by everybody
that comes along and 1t will be noted too, that IN THIS
caso the survival of the est means the survival OF the
beautiful Uglincss ferocity, quecrness. btica-brac
have no chance. Ever ndil duality is hardly allowed
place in the permanent affections Of the world
We have no space here to discuss this matter nor Is
This the place. but the reader reasonably he asked
10 reflect ON the phenomena Of the revival of Reynolds
whose finest pictures his portraits oi women ana
Children are all being engraved again. the plates
of earlier cngIavers having been worn out In supply
iuc the wide demand. The pictures OF the Engi,h
laudscap painters OF the last years OF the last
century and the first years OF this are again
sought for by generation tired OF artlice
the widespread liking for the best French and Belgian
landscapes. John Cromc, OF Norwich. Georges Michel
GainsbOrouch, Daubiguy, Mct-CarOt, too, what 1T
tie he asks Tor III tao way OF material, and what "a
poeiic world he builds 1t. IT'S larks nest In the
grass but tac song that rises from II mis- the whole
heaven Some artists think it necessary TO run
all over the earth in search Of subjects for their pic
tnrcs They must siarte astound, else they
are not content: Trey paint Niagara and Nesuyis,
and the Yosemite. and Cotopaxi, and We say, what!
L. this all 4" And another man-GeorScs Michcl-will
pain; all his hfe apparently from one ana the same
sccnc-a hit Of the plain just outside Paris; and VIII
show il in all lights and al all times OF day and every
picture seems, and il, new ore, and now 1t Is bright
and SUNNY. and now dark and thundcry, now weeping
and gray but tue artist Auows that with the earth and
the sky ne can be ut loss Tor something to MAKE
picture Of.
our artists beginning 70 learn this but thus far
they hayc only learned half tie lesson. Mr. McEnt'e.
Mr. W T. Richards Mr.. A. II. Wyant, are content to
make their pictures ~ simple elements in tho home
andcape about them they treat these elements too
much IN the same way all their pictures The secret
ia 10 show the landscape under IA many
moods az possible. The same secret would save
the ngure-paintcr from moncony. and also save
him much OF the wearisoncness of search.
one o: the greatest painters Of our time. Mlle lived
all his life among the peasants Of arbizon and drew
lis subjects almost exclusively from ;l'r simple lives
ut hc hardly painted the same subject twice, or II
he did he varied II In material point Yet. without
cxaggeratng the traits and characteristics OF these poor
people, with their hard lives and primitive emloyments
he made them sublime the prophets and sibyls OF
Michael Angelo.
Mrs stllman's Bloom Time" No. GO, IA a very sweet
piece % painting, large treatment. and making poct
cal an everyday honey subec-a little girl who plays
with the low, hanging branches of an apple tree Ia
full bloom Barring something OF anguor III the clrs
expression. indicating somewhat less Of health ana
Youthful freshness than are implied In her beautiful
color and clear eyes, nd this picture very enjoyable.
the more So perhaps because IT IL in happy contrast To
the general low tone the drawings in the gallery.
rather amusing pass directly from TINS decorative
work with its sprDg-llkc bloom OF flowers ami childish
beauty To Mr. Magrath's embodiment OF Spring No
H. east room. This is pure article, with no touch OF
Spring. unconsciousncss. The adys face Is as unsym
pathetic as white Sevres dinncrp!ae, and the mind
served upon it hlvorlcss as cold lamb Mr. Masrath
can do better than this, charge him To Hing say
ambition: lie fails whenever he tries flight much higher
than his Gardener" No. 123 his SGeep Pasture,
No. 90.
II we spoke sligh,ing'y Of Mr. John La Farge's
"sketch" No. 34S, 1t not because we did not ace
that there something in IT, but because that very some
thing made Us exciting II does not 10 us com
ncndablc for artist like Mr.. La Fargo to send to an
important public exhibition sketch 80 slight ana I'M
decipheiabe this 1t is, to be sure. an experiment
and an interesting one, but what wonid an
artist III England France, having the same
position in his country that Mr.. La Fargo
has in this, think II 1t seriously proposed to
him TO send 10 one Of ihe chief exhibitions OF
the year such a fragment this! Most artists would
not LEI in their studios and indeed IL Is
not wise 10 shown it, 1t is IN" head and bust OF an
angel in which the lights hurricdy put In III white
body-color leaving the ground OF the paper for the
shaded portions; and the wings. combination Of moths
wings and peacock plunage aie given metallic iustre
by having Their color laid gold aud silver and
busted with bronze powder This Is what appears but
we speak with some reserve. The drawing Ii Dadly
Iun Inn, This drawback O; which we complained IN our