New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-28
ART STUDY IN ENGLAND.
THE AcADFuy,s Ayyr,L reIZEs.

The AcADEN1s ANNUAL PRIZE
SIR FEEDE lex IEIGuroN's TDEFss-IBr PAIN
CIPAL MEDALS AND PRIzEs-FNTHUsIAsM ~
THF STUDY or ARIA GOOD WARS WORE.
PROM THE REoULAR CoHREsPOsDEST Or I'M TRIBUNE
LOSDON, Dec. 11.--A ceremony took place last
night ID the Royal Academy Of Arts more tAan
ordinarily interesting both in itself and in s bear
ing on the future of British art. The medals and
prz's annually given 10 the students distrib-
uted. Heretofore these Occasi ,ns have attracted
but moderate degree OF attention irom the general
public The event of last night brought together
"A large aud very miscellaneous audience not few
cf whom were drawn 20 Burlington House by the
desire to hear Sir Frederick lie ghtOn'- adj
dres.. | believe | am right in saving
that it has not been the custom Of late
years for the President oil the ROYAL Academy 20
enter upon any elaborate discourse of instruction
IN art such an occasion. But SIR Frederick
Leighton is not Of those typical BriiOns who
stand fast by rrecedents merely because they
precedents If he sees his way to doing a gDod
thing he Is stopped by rejecting that il has not
been done before. If his predecessors content
with polite generalties and Jndicious dilution OF
commonplace. that was not, 70 his mind. reason
for snppressing such more profitable and fruitful
teaching as he might find himself able 10 deliver 10
the students. HIS friends gave out, moreover that
u would not be taken III if the guests of the
should express their sense of is solcmnity by ap-
peariDg in full dress. HINTS of that kind readily
taken in a city where white ties the rule OF
polite society after D. M, and where a bonnet on
the head of n woman visiting theatre is an offence
to be- explated by fine to the box-Aeeper. Bnt 1t
must be borne IN mind that the word public, useG
IN connection with the ROYAL Academy, has a very
limted meaning. Ii is said 90 be rather less diff
cult to get an invitation Tor State ball NJ Buck
ingham Palace than for the annual Acad-
envy dinner. Private-view admissions may be had
with less maneuvring; but even for those the
privilege Is jeaousy guarded. Last night there
was, strictly speaking. no puDlic except academl-
clans and their friends. and students and their
friends. But more people were present than could
easily get into the great gallery which serves as
salon d hOrReRr for exhibitions. and many more
than could breathe comfortably when within
those haliOwed precincts. Il is not TIL next May,
when the Academy turns Snowman, that the multi
tude Will be recognized rs having any rights which
academcians are bound to respect. Turn Won VIII
be free OF the place on payment of your shilling
This would be "a suitable moment for supplying
some useful information 10 the teaching of the
Academy the number OF students IN the various
classes: the number of lectures delivered 10 them
the methods of instruction, and on But have
omitted 70 collect these valuable statistics, and
must content myself with remaTking that the stu
dents were very numerous indeed. l notion l.
abroad tina; the Academy does not do much for Is
money. 1t j. very rich, II occupies a vast building
the sire IF which was contributed by the pub
lie. and It has in its gift monopoly,
or almost n monopoly, Of such honors a.
can be won by success in ART. Probably u
has yielded in some degree TO tie narcotic inilu-
ences which sooner OF LATER, send most rich corpo-
rltons 10 sleep. But there was evidence enough of
J. 1 Lao
students. full Of zeal and enthusiasm over their
prizes and over their lucky comrades The cavl-
er- and critics and other disa greeabe people ought
10 have been present. | believe IN al seriousness
that many OF the complaints against the Academy
arc well founded and that il has given but slender
encouragement % OFT in proportion To- It's means.
But after seeing the present display Of student
work. certainly thought better Of the Academy
than have done heretofore The mere list Of classes
and prizes - imposing. and the collection Of COM
pcting works Is large enough TO show that the num-
Der of students must be large.
At o'clock. said the card. the galleries would be
omen AT nine precisely the chair w0nld be taken.
At nine accordingly Sir Frederick Leighton en-
tered body-guard Of Acalemicians and Associates
attending nin, the students cheering vigorously.
| suppose a thousand persons were present. Sir
Frederick wore gold medal supported the left
a fripate's signal-haliards. The medal was equal
in bgness 10 the saucer to tea-cup, and
is. was told, the proper insignia Of
President Of the Royal Academy. 1t would
90 far toward extinguishing President Of common
mould. but Sir Frederick Leighton is made
Of clay finer than the common. say his admirers.
He has at any rate, for many years past been
known as an ornament of fashionable drawing
rooms. where his fnely-sculptured head with IT.
crown of hair more ample than the unartistic Eng
lishman ventures on, and full beard now turning
gray and strong, clean-m0delcd features. offer a
sharp contrast 10 the prevailing Saxon type. IL
does not appear to be an article Of Academy ell
ouet that its President should acknowledge the
salutes of his students. He marched to bis desk as
unconscious of the homage paid him as if he bad
been Lord Beaconsfed amid the Aldermen at
Guildhau. The Forty were arrayed on either side
of him 10 light and left in a double row. not few
of them with faces at least striking as those
which they are in the habit Of producing on canvas
The prizss were announced at once. the President
craciouslv saying that he would postpone his adj
dress rather than keep the young people all the
evening in suspense In all there were some thirty
medals and scholarships and gifts of money. COnsd-
ering how the Academy has irowned on landscape
painting it gratifying 10 hear that the Turner
medal for landscape had been most eagerly com
peteu 1Or. 1Mehty pictures H""s ~ tHo s"''-1
outside. all studies of ocean coasts. and
when the President proclaimed that the
medal had been awarded TO Mr.. Henry Gibbs.
the popularity of Mr.. Henry Gibbs was as
serted by a round of cheers that might have been
reverberation from Midlothian. Only once after
ward was there another such outburst-when the
first prize for composition in sculpture, travelling
studentship was assigned 20 Mr.. I. s. Lee. Or per-
haps an exception should be made for the two pre-
miums for drawings of n statue or group which
we're awarded in succession to Miss Jane Mary
Dealy. The gallantry Of the school broke out at