The sun., 1879-03-23
1nE SOCIETY or AMERICAN ARTISTS.
Mr.. Louie G. Tiffany never exhibited any

| better WORK thnn no mas contributed 10 tne pros
ont collection of the Society Of American Artists.
| His Market Day" in n Brittany town mo. 3Gl.
isa very satisfactory picture OF its class aud
his Street In Roccabrunna" mo. 9ll. IL an cx-
| quisito bit OF color and drawing. Mr.. Tiffany
| exhibited some tme since n picture OF which
| tho subject had been found in Duane street.
| New York. 1t was O success: II made diroct
| and very favorable impression, and it probably
| aided more to his reputation than anything
| else he ever did. Tho subject WIS nm ordinary
downtown corner, q bit Of an old street not
| ordinarily suggestive OF picturesque qualities
| and Mr. Tiffany did not take any particular
liberties with II. but treated 1t on it's merits and
with, II anything. little too much literalness.
II Mr.. Tiffany would bring to bear upon New
| York subjects. like that chosen in Duane street,
| the same quality Of artistic observation and
| apprehension, and the same method OF general
| treatment that are apparent In his work when
| he ia concerning himself with a French or
| Oriental subject. we should very soon have
pictures from him that would have much
deeper Significance than anything that he can
possibly attain in the present apparent direo-
| tion Of his efforts.
| There should be more Joy over ono decent
study OF dirty Now York tenement house with
its familiar accessories. than over ninety and
nine regulation proprieties from Normandy or
| Bagdad. Deep shall be the debt OF gratitude to
the men who lead tho way in independent ex-
| ploraton at home in preference to seeking
vicarious knowledge of nature in the unnatural
| atmosphere OF foreign studios. To be familiar
with the achievements and the methods OF mas
| ters In art implies an artistic education that
should inspire to independent and original
| thought instead Of involving weary servitude
in the byways OF shallow imitation. With tech
nical requirement should como the power to
see. and n painter who comes back to America
after years OF study may DO accounted as one
| who has wasted his time II he can do nothing
better than itcrato Brittany and Turkish rugs.
! There are countless subjects on Manhattan
Island that would grace the Salon. There are
| brick walls about New York good rs any in
all Brittany. and they have just as valuable dis
coorations and their details OF decay are Just
as interesting. And yet nothing will do that
has not the European glamour uponit
Mr. Arthur Quartley, whom dispensation OF
Providence has condemned TO work at home.
painted year or two ago as vulgar and con-
| tiguous thing rs New York harbor. 1t was
exhibited In Paris and tho most respectable OF
French critics forthwith impaired their Ameri-
can regulations by applying language to il that
was identical with that which they used in
| speaking Of French pictures. 1t was not alone
| that they gave 1t equal rank with the work OF
their own best painters Of subjects OF similar
| class but they actually discovered real senti-
ment in IT, and what appeared to be true
poetic quality in its general motive and treat
ment All OF which must have amazed and dis
| concerted poor Mr.. Quar,ey. who painted his
| ferryboats and ships and steeples and towers in
the deepest humility and with n sort OF resent
full apology. because the result couldn't be given
| Brittany name.
No intelligent person who has studied the
etchngs that Mr. Whistler has made Of old
warehouses and wharves on the Thames bits
about Mapping and the lower river can doubt
| that he would have found Just as good material
| on the water front OF this city. There are few
things that arc more interesting or valuable in
| their way than the etchings in question, and
any day about New York will reveal thousand
| equivalents to them in the matter Of subject.
| When some feeling OF this kind inspires Mr..
| Tiffany he will go back to Duane street or the
| East River and humiate himself. Or he might
| 20 land II Mr.. Samuel Colman would only ac-
| company himD out somewhere on the North
| Riva- and 800 tho oun rise behind New lork-a
spectacle which the best efforts of Venice and
the Adriatic from one end to tho other do not
surpass. OF course Venetian sail has i'm
mense value AS decorative object and local
| color has its advantages but both exist Just as
| palpablY and every whit available and
| valuable in the material that lies neglected
about us. Local color and form are compare
lively Incidental and trivial Depth Of purpose
and seriousness Of motive are the Interchangeable
things that prevail under all conditions In the
mean time the artistic possibilities that are pre-
sented from the prosaic footing Of a Jersey
City ferryboat are worth considering. They
should be looked into. II only to learn how
nature in her propitious moods can mitigate
such things as the Tribune building and the
New York Post ONCE. befrending them with
the veil OF her morning mystery. and assuming
for the moment that kindly sort Of Office that
makes the moon 10 be the sweet patroness Of
Indifferent architects.
There Is no special quality in the streets ~
Paris that makes them inspire NJ D6taille or NJ
De Nitis. for instance. For the matter OF that.
one may find studies in the streets OF New York
which. under suitable conditions arc AS dis
tnctly Partisan rs anything that has been used
by the artists who seek their subjects in Paris
streets. The view from the corner OF Twenty
fourth street and Fifth avenue OF which the
central feature is made to be the Hotel Bruins
wick is not ouly very distnctively French in
many OF It's features. but IL Is obviously sus-
eeptihle OF picturesque treatment There was
a wretched trayosty OF its winter ASPECT I'm the
lato wnter color exhibition, but il only went to
show how devoid tho artist was of any real
feeling for the better qualities Of his subject.
Tho same applies to every other branch Of art In
who make American pastoral studies. and
Wyants and q ffords who are "a content with
American landscapes rs Mr. QuArtey is with
New York harbor or the Isles of Shoals but they
are few and far between. For one su IA we have
dozen others. each perhaps Of equal technical
requirement. but striving after empty inspira-
tons OF foreign claptrap-the unattainable and
the worthless.
Can any American artist say what permanent
value or real interest lies in the empty things
that Mr.. +. A. Bridgeman is striving after? Is
not comparison between his work and that Of
say Breton or Mlllet rather discouragng2 Be-
side these artists. who were contont 10 look
about them and lcurn simple truths Of nature
herself in humble ami unaffected way the
gentleman who seeks his inspiration in ancient
liome and tabled Egypt cuts a sorry figure
Thcre Is a certain gorgeous apothcoss Of brio
a-hrac that the genius of Fortuny could cncom-
pass and which has a fatal fascination. 1t has
won a place for itself in contemporary art but