New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-04-01
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN.
FOURTH ANNUAL EXHIBITION.

FIFTY-FOURTH ANNUAL EXHIBITION.
The catalogue Of the present exhibition OF
the National Academy contains GI5 numbers reckoning
in the list together with the oil paintings, the water
eolors the drawings in crayOn the specimens OF wood
engraving aud the sculpture The list is long ard the
contents of the exhibition varied, but on the Whoe
the display is not OF great interest There Is no WORK
Of frsrac importance cther in landscape or portrator
hgure-subect The portraits make the best snow" anu
there few landscapes worthy OF note; nut III Ms
tory storytelling. the field Of fancy and the magma
ton, it must be frankly admitted there 10 little.
When IT Is remembered that all five OF the
rooms on the main floor, including the corridor, now
called the Central Gallery, hung full OF pictures
as the walls will hold, II must be said That TINS SUM-
ming up Of the result is not cheerful one Seeing no"
many pictures there noting how many dlhtfeht
names they bear. that these artists are not all
place city, but come to this assembly
from many parts. it is of course disappointing 10
find that so dry and dun a table is spread TOT us.
There is little very little, here that IS bad, less SUI
that rdicuOus complaint is that the most oi our
praise perforce be negative. that we do not ma
any food for enthusiasm and that In IN temple OF te
muses. our senses are 50 rarely stirred to break forth
into singing
Bu' surely in temple Of the muses.. one is justified
expecting TO find something happier loftier' more
beautiful than the humdrum world can give us and In
being disappointed when he does not iind II.
On the whole, the public, we think, will find the PIC
Room The finest portrait in the exhibition is Mr. Por-
ers Portrait of Lady" No. $40, and that Is III the
South Room but this artist has also in the North Room
delightful portrait OF a child-Or perhaps we should
saw seeing that cannot enjoy the style IN when II
Is painted o portrait OF delightful child. Here we
also find Mr.. J. H. Wits best head OF the
four he has sent. and the better OF
Mr. j. Carroll Beckwith's portraits and head by Mr.
Wyatt Eaton, much stronger work than any he
sent to his exhibition; good ont-odoorsl I'D f"rls
by Mr. Boggs a pretty subject prettiy painted 10y Mr..
Eastman johnson; two strongly painted heads-No.
l59 by MI julius Munney good studio work, ana No.
40 A Portrait" by julius Schedorn, more serious
and real piece Of painting. Further on are Mr.. A. H.
Wants scene near Weslport HrhOr" MI Henry
Fcrgusons Door Of Mosque in Cairo" and MI Fred
erlck Dielman's "NewsbOy."
In the South Room, Mr.. Oliver ]. Lays "Waching
the snow is painted with that artists usual conscicn-
tious care and with more pleasing result than he
always attains Mr George Inness eNpiodes again III
one Landscapes where the force put forth is out Of
all proportion 10 the work to be done; Mr.. John /.
Weir tries his hand again at Forging OF the
Shaft "a striking peace of realism no douOt
but with details that the layman is puzzled TO
understand; Mr. Jervs McEntee essays an
imaginative fight his CLOUDS" If he has come short
of actual grandeur yet the skill with which the mere
painting is done deserves all praise Mr. j. Carroll Beck
vs Portrait" No. $40. suggests too much the work
Of Carolus Duran IN theatrical air, az well as
IN the attitude of the subject; there is clever painting
here TOO though not enough for all the artist had to do
In the West Room there is little to dctain us ID TINS
I,ief review M Edgar NJ. Wards Pdernal Pride
is more ambitious and more successful picture thah
he has vet gwen us; Mr. ]. Alden Wcrs Portrait
No 49, is not likely please many people at hrst Du'
more viii Ike il at The close of the exhibition than Ike
it now. We find Mr.. john SargUnts NeapOiitan
children Bathing" very charming, and there are
seyeral OF the small pictures IN this that must be
studied more carefully than can be done on opening day
In tie East Room win be found Mr.. George W. May
nard's Summer Sea-" strongly recalling Mr. John SaT-
cepts way of looking at things; Mr. j. Guys Bed
Time Stories" as hard painted catroD, but saved
from total condemnation by the pretty faces OF the
children this distressing girl dong her Dest 10
scare ont of their Mr. Thomas Hicks fluids another
victim In Nh Parke Goodwin, and Mr.. Thomas Moran
makes such report of how things look in COmmunlpaw
when the ice breaks up TO make Us ger away from MS
picture as fast can.
The Hanging Committee have tried this year to make the
Corridor attractive and have placed here some OF the best
flower pieces In the exhibition, by Mrs Julia Dillon tho
yorite nowerpainter OF last years show Mr. John La
Fargo with two watcr-coOrs one, No 25 much better
than the other; Mr.. Frank Anderson's "Spring an
apcmoue peeIing up from q bed OF dried leaves;
and Miss Bakers apple Blossom" Here too,
in a corner, Ia portrait painted on porcelain by
Mrs H. T. Gray excellent piece OF work, well drawn
well colOred. with lady here at home who can manage
the difficult art OF painting in porcelain so well as this
why do our Decorative Art Societies look abroad for
Head Mrs. Gray might do all great service by
nnparting some OF her dircctness and clearness OF
method 10 our callow but aspiring flock OF chnapaint