New-York tribune., 1879-04-12
ACADEMY OF DESIGN.
FIFTY FOURTH ANNUAL EXHIBITION
THIRD ARTICLE.


but there are few IL will do 10 pass unnoticrd
Three careful studies Of rooms in private houses Two
! of them-Nos. 500 aud 527-palnted by MI waiter
| l.. Palmer and the third-No. 02S-hy MI
W. b. Baker. deserve especial notice. or MI fai-
mers two subjects one shows dwellinGhouse INTERIOR
I'm the bastard classic style thought handsome thirty
years ago large open one Into the othet OS
sliding doors. the doorway guarded on either sue oS
wooden columns with Ionic caps supporting an entaD"
ture. In the division OF the room nearest u.s. sehe
man sits reading and we look across this room ana tue
one beyond it to the front Of the house where the
windows admit food of light tnat brings every oOec'
| into notice i'm a most unoOmpromisiag manner Inc
style furniture and decoration or these rooms II
| rather mixed. Here are rugs from the E'''
and Shaker chair; japanese screen '"u
curtain cOrnices OF glded wood OF ho
| style In particular though, no doubt, at the uhe
they were put up the uphoserer charged them In the
bill as Louis Fourteenth that being then the name 10
swear by Then there pieces or orlehtaI PoIccl4n
which look costly. and Turkish embroidered laoie-
CLOTH and "A chandelier that might have como from hnu
| land-5ut no. we wrong the zuus their chandeliers II
they have any. like that. The mixture II VIII
be seen is incongruous but somehow, the impression
made by IL not IS dsagrcoabe rs ought to De II Tue
people who cram with decorative theories are Hsh''
| The reason Is tho that explains the maxine
of this elderly businessman the centre Oi TINS picture
| of wealth and comfort. Tho artist has shown US q
home where the generation still feels warmly TO
ward the old is not hurry to shake of Its associa-
tions with the past, but while consulting it own taste
and enjoying its life, IA pleased to think that some
links. homely even aggressively ugly though they
nav be- still bind IL to bygone days. IL Is this honest
sentiment we think that makes part OF the pleasure
the spectator feels looking at this picture Both this
and the artists ohor subject somewhat hard and
oyerabored execution has be escaped the error OF
almost all those who indulge In this infinitely realistic
| style Of painting tho error OF insisting upon
the spectator seeing everything equally well at once
still Is easy perceive that his aim is breadth ana
atmosphere and time he Is pretty certain to get what
4 he after. No 527, dining Room at Applicable, ls
more interesting a picture than the ono we have Just
been describing the subject simpler IN Its clements
things painted less costly than those IN No oOo
but they comforting to the eye with Their dark
and united MASSES ami the whole room seems
to us to teach good lesson in the art OF arranging
room so as to make much Of little. All here
Is natural and straightforward only false
note is struck by the introduction OF the jar
on the table, and the studiOuSy disarringed piece OF
embroidered stuff The jar il out OF proportion TO the
other things IN and II he no larger than u ~
IN reality Il still large 20 be where IT'S; u shoud
have been placed on the floor the top OF high
cabinet Placed on THIS table makes the young lady
look small. Ifthore not much good painting IN
these pictures Mr. Palmer's it would not DO worth
while to cruclse their details so minuteiy
In No. 52s Mr.. W. B. Baker has taken pains to de-
scribe distinctly artistic room, where, though no
/
been made to satisfy at good taste and
ease Of living Much may be learned from this attempt
to reform a little, without reshapng, or too decidedly
modifying the bleak squareness of modern landlords
room. Mr. Bakers eye for color does not seem 20 us
very good one hardly be the fault OF the room he
has copied that mOnotonOusy copperY5rown in
tone; sti this is defect. thinking, whether it
must be charged to the artist or to the owner
Other pictures in this room which we have looked at
with interest Mr. Il. Bruce Cranes &" Hillside "
! No. 52j, composed with a fresh eye, and pleas
! aBty singing Of spuus usme; IL unites with the
pictures Just spoken Of to give air Of refinement to
this corner Of the room Mr Geo W. Maynard's Good
Wine" No 51l, is amusing study Of peasant life;
there is little malice in the twinkle Of this eye as its
owner watches the rich folks carriages rolling by He
asks the naDobs what thoy VIII give to change places
with him. Another good picture among the smallest is
Mr. Alois O'Kelly's The Artistic Discussion" Here
is much truth Of facial expression. the attitudes
well hit there is promise here OF an excellent genre
painter iu some time at hand Aud Mr. OkeIly IS
not initiating anybody. either
Is it worth while discussing Mr.. George II. Halls
pictures any longeri We suppose not There Is no
faDtes' sign OF improvement but on the contrary
everything here points to conviction on the ARTISTS part
that no Improvement ia necessary. No doubt, either,
that such work this finds market. and there are
people 10 whom to say this. 10 to say all But. when
one thinks Of the artists who have brought back reports
! OF the East, and when compares what
tell us OF those regions. with such pictures
as these OF Mr.. Hall. there Is lodging
the conclusion that other Is playing false
with rs. As Mr.. Hall is in tho minority In his state
ments that tho architecture of Cairo Il made and baked
fresh every day. that dust aud dirt unknown, and
that the flight OF timo makes impression anything,
30 that the picturesqueness which from decay
and change is completely got rid Of and, finally. that
| everything IN this prim quaker|tsc clty is managed
with such mathematical and manof-war precision. that
not even cOat-ta dares for Its life get out of line
We must believe he needs to furnish every in
tending purchaser OF his pictures with his AFFIDAVIT
that what he says true 10 the best OF his knowledge
ana belief We hope he may be mistaken, for a gener-
! allydflsed belief that Caro- looks at all like these
pictures OF IT, would lead a complete stoppage OF all
pIeasure-travd thither; while II the ousne's-world
should really to be persuaded that tho two great
markets OF Caro- tho "Rug Bazaar" No 324. and the
"spce Bazaar" No. 231 are dOng no trade whatever
the spices wasting their sweetness tho desert air,
and tho rugs-a variety made Of painted
| tn-hanging useless feudal banners In
chapel of to-day the merchants meanwhile idly
sucking their thumbs aud trying to remember
how customer looAswe are afraid there would DO all
alarming rundown IN Cairo stocks.
However We had as lief believe Mr. Halls depressing
travellers tales Mr Jasper f. Cropsey's theatrical
| ones We might hope to wake up and find Mr.. Halrs
dismal report nightmare, and enjoy all the
on casting incubus, the picturesque loneliness OF
CairOs minaretted mosques tho lattc"d windows, tho
delicate carving relieving the broad fields OF sunny
/ wall. and all the gay hustle OF her crowded
| marts and streets. But, somebody said OF a
portentously solemn bi.-wig Nobody could be
wise as that fellow looked" declare belief
that u1 scape, Italy could ovor hc 80 iOgi
cally tleairo, as Mr. CropSey's pictures. And this
Lake Neni + In the artists finest, most illOgi
cal. most drop-sceuc, style. We expect 1t,
minute TO roll up and allow tho play to begin What
need b say how false any conceivable nature how
rdcuousy false to Italian nature the very opposite OF