New-York tribune., 1878-02-05
WATER COLOR SOCIETY.
THE EXHIBITION AT THE ACADEMY.
PUBLIC TASTE IiPROvING-THE PICTUREs.

Is it alone the threatened passage of the
Silver Bill, the hard times, about which everybody
is croaking, that Is to blame for the unwngness OF
plcurebuyers TO open their purses this seasonf Are
there other work which would produce the
result the times flush. and the credit OF
the nation not at sskei May 1t not be- well enough,
that the community large has taken stride forward
in its arteducation, and demands more to-day OF the
artists who working for 1t than they, as body are
prepared to givei
Certain it is, that tho public does. every now and
again. ahead Of the artists and here is one reason
these annual exhibitions survive in spite OF hun
dred legitimate objections: they bring the artists ana
the public face TO face and by the choice the pubic
rapidly and dsnctively makes from out the great num-
Der of submitted it, the artists learn more con-
vincingy than they otherwise could, what Is going on
| outside their studios.
One great truth the public is slowly but surely getting
to understandable truth that art is with poetry
and, If ;his to anyone trnsm. let him run over
the OF the artists who in tmc have the great
est popularity the OF the pictures that nnd the
readies market and he will see that 1t is not the poet
among the artists who have the best time. nor the
| painted poems that have the prosperity with
pcturebuyers but that, in reality just the reverse Is
tTue and that ciencethe antpOdes In every respect OF
artanecdote scandal gossip, SATIRE sentiment and the
cheap domesctles the main stock in trade OF the
art time, while poetry is product.
II desires illustration to hand Of the prosperity
that waits art that is the reverse OF art and that
fights as poetry possible, he may be referred
the wonderfully clever drawings In the present e1
hbition by NJ ID. Burgoin OF the studios OF NJ Berne
BeecOur and NJ j. q. Vibert both well known artists
| OF Paris. These drawings belong. we believe
to a series commissioned by Messrs. Goupi
& Co.. and which that firm intends TO publish
When all done it will be found that these two lux
urous and costly by means exceptions to
the general rule that prevails In the ntung
up OF artists studios whether In France In England or In
Germany, but that there many more nXurl0us ana
costly-some, indeed which these two Will appear
PLAIN and frugal And STANDS TO reason that artists
who can afford live in this princey fashion must he
men whose pictures bought for large prices so 1t
will be found these very artists who 1--we
upon the top-waye; they are the men VINO thrive by
hitting the fashion OF the day the whm of the passing
hour; YER accom- npshed deft and acc workmenhey
are no more than So and 1t VIII be well FOR us when we
can think them II critic may moraize, he
| would say that much encouragement and much bad
lur in these otherwise attractive drawings
because they preach the young artist success WHICH,
though legitimate enough the world goes III the way
Of business to do with the true life OF AIT
than has tine selling OF dry goods
Is IL possible believe. for instance, that any work by
the now popular NJ Berne Belccour can expect more
than passing rcputaoni Even Judged by the matter-o
fact money standard that prevails land rot so oohsh
standard eItherD be feckOnod good investment
OF ones money put into such work as hs ana
| amusing I be allowed. 10 ati VT
cleverer e,amusing still, an immensely pros
porous artist the c"ckes of the hearts OF picture
dealers and sure Of the su ages Of the public that asks
! no more Of any artist than that he shan
uckle thea in the ribs surely II AIT were more widely
deeply felt to with poetry; II s mission were
seen 10 be TO appeal what Is highest deepest hoes
IN us TO quicken our senses, bring us acquainted
with ioyeness and greatness IN men and women anu To
make us snarprs in what true poets find in external
nature; ; surely II this feeling about art the
work " such an Yibet would hardly bring In
such harvest OF banknotes must be reaped TO keep
| up a studio ike this.
II were much to DO wished that. alongside these dis
p,ys OF sumptnosy and bricAbrac. there could have
been hung Of tho interiors of the studios In when
Met and Coro Rousseau. Turner and the rest OF the
few immortal Games time has produced painted the
poems that have them sure place above all rsk
of fluctuations OF fortune These men knew art ouly
As poetry and their pictures make appeal only to what
Is hghet and the human heart and TO what Is
universal Consequently times nor srasons nor fortune
with her false wheel. have any power 20 touch their
works, and who trusts In them Will ever nave
cause 10 think his betrayed. But the fashionable
world never worshippcd thcnl.
| "Thcn came brave CT, ~ pufnnEby.
| In siIls uai whistled. who but he
| lie schsaled en- naf All eye"
And the studios W crc were painted the pictures
30 sought for and held precious. would indeed have
sorry places for Glory or Tor Fashion 10 nave
| sought entertainment In.
That there - some practical acceptance the part
n, the general public of the fact that the best and most
enduring art Is the most poctical. Is evident and
II Will more and more appear as the com
munity has ampler means Of becoming acgnaint-
Ell with the higher forms Of art. with
better pictures with better statues than have thus
far been brought before H. In this exhibition OF the
Wafer Color Society. where, IL must frankly be ac-
krowcdeed there is but little Of the art that comes home
to artists the public instinctyely grayitates TO what
there nearest to the hest standard and the
first pctures To he sold ar, Henry F,rres Quiet
Pool" Mr. VIM. 4. Richards Paradise-Sewport,"
white the drif OF interest Is mainly In the direction
o the work that shows the most Artistic quality. great
advance In feeling for art when the Two htte specimens
ON siacqnct. Nos 10 and 49, property of Mr. W.
L. Andrews are found and coveted by sO many peo
pe As have already learned admire these two small
peces They expressive OF tho artstsoye for what
Is tendercst and eyanosccnt ia natural Deauy Yet
stacauet Is "A name unknown, and should never per
aps heard of bn had II no been for certain Lon
don tradesmaD" 'upholsercr," Mr. Daniel Coter. In
short, who. Notwithstanding hs profession. precisely
the in point OF fact that IN which MI William
| Morris contriyes to exercise his craft OF poet
| though we never heard him snecrod nj either rs
London tradesnan" uphOlstercr-has done art
and artists service in his snort stay among us than
can easily be reekoned II hardly worth while to sheer
AT the business of who has lelped us to see the
pictures that Mr.. Cotticr has at his rooms, the
| Monticello, the Michel. the Hugh Cameron, the Mars
the Netting. the Rousseau, the Met the OrchardsOn
and VINO. the genuine artist spirit. has brought to
| tho fore two young American artists. and made them
| known to their own countrymcn.
| II is not so much to be wondered at that public
which has been all too ready to sneer at great artist
like Turner. from having seen only one OF his pictures
should surrender at discretion when shown the glorious
sp, cnen OF Seymour Hadcn's etching OF his Calais
Pier" which II the Dackandwhte room, because that
~ 80 masterful work. complete aud satisfying
rs a composition, and rich In the transcript
that 1t cOmpels admiration But that The pubic should
ir ri ROC idlcs from Ihe,'