New-York tribune., 1879-04-26
ACADEMY OF DESIGN.
FIFTY-FOURTH ANNUAL EXHIBITION.
FOURTH ARTICLE


even 10 ihe Transforming eyes OF The most p"eucN
! Suu.mcr-boarder, do our waters look so beauiifny
] clue as this artist has painted tho Mediterranean
feet however the blue OF this picture ~ not N me
least exaggerated everybody knows who has passed
even a few weeks Of Summer at Naples. II IA, 20 be
sure very daring FOR an artist speak the truth 50 M
rcserycdy and OF MS who not yet III the sefe
and yellow leaf remember well the Tdicule and IN
creduy used to poured out on the heads of our
| sO-calpd prc-Rapbaelites for their Insisting upon
| painting tue grass and trees greeh' tho
| sky blue. and shadows whatever color
Heaven pleased instead of the color decided to be the
true one by the studios Tho fault with some OF the In
povatipg artists Of that time was not that they ms
stated faots-thcy rarely did this, yehemently "a u
was charged against tem-but that they were so ln-
tent upon reporting the separate facts win scfupuo
! truthiuncss, they not seldom failed I'D uhie
| thcm into q harmoniou3ly truthful WhoIe' IhS'
however, was not result Of theiT -ySiem'
as f. shown by me many clever men who are WORKING
upon 1t at present some of them in fantastic WayolherS
In more orderly fashion, but all more or less succcsouI
IN their effort to make harmonious whole out OF an as
scmbage Of local truths The whole school of ltaah-
Spanish artists with their French and American lh
| ors, are following in the track cleared lof
them by the pioneers Of twenty years ago, although
| thoy owe, perhaps, nothing to those pioneers be-
yond the ACT that by their labor the public NINA was
prepared TO welcome the later comers BcSieS' theSo
later men O more accomp lSiheh'' OF oIe
grace, whether naiurN OF hclulltI anu "i "''O "''
! feeling than were our Americans Of the tine we are
| speaking Of and they give us in ways so much
more to enjoy than COuntrym n dl ihat we 81" no.
| perceive TIE foundation on which bo'h NolA'u
10 h, the To this school belongs Mr. Sargent an"
he does moi merely promise 90 Dc one o its most hf
i1ut men, hc is already surh lie made 10, rist appear
! llcc amoa-u last year az the Kurt Gallery with
lovely little picture. "Gl'hcrgg oysters % Cauca!c
a picture 40 bright and sunny, and tru'. II delighted
every body and hou-h hs canvas IN the hhr| LNhi-
| bl..u q. this year dd not find mum ia
! yor .rt lie the artist-"ircic, the one III
! hc pres, ut exhibition ought 90 bring blcN al Dis
finds .cc.s Tcnrysuu'. line translated !or the eye
.Iy h1vs the ucacoca'- neck M hue the luminous
sapphire breaking into emerald aud ONYX lights ana
thcse bIonz" and yorr cupds srewcd Ike shells along
toe golden sands The dark mead OF the swimmer sport
ir- -IopLu-ikc in tie near blue; the biaddes undcr
tie shoulders OF the urcAn who j., about 10
venture on tus sea glory, b'dlcrs almost too wen
painted for. though yer'ues would hardly have made
them better he would have subOrdlna"d them nor et
/ them play 80 chic! q part; The daring OF III" blue
shadows no moro avlacious, though tAan Na'uro her
self Who altc on northern SHOWS and tropo sards,
thus pays with Eqpjs ia- for tho lnt 'hc takes away
astIythr beautiful bodies these children painted with
siful modelling and sucl purity OF cOor-tAe-c things
make up the chain of Oi tho prCttcst pictures Ia
| The present exhibition.
Itlsuot however as a scientific statement that Mr.
Sargent OF rs this picture TO ~ but his impression
beautiful combination Oi eiiI, I 'i tl'If ilt II
II b. not worth showing rs this, its scientific accu
racy would avail Il no,hug with artists with lovers
Of art. As a rIlr, we Americans demand great deal
too much Of artists the scientific side, and are too
ready to accept a mere scientltc Statement
as art If only 1t be little dressed
up with color or other ornament. At the same time We
reject OF pasa by with Indifference work of art that
happens to be wanting TO us to be wanting IN
accuracy of drawing truth OF color, 10 matter how
much higher truth there may be IN IT, truth Of life and
expression. or course neither accuracy Of drawing nor
truth Of color be despsed They sources OF high
pleasure they proofs Of I'm the artist but In
Judging the work OF art whole. we must remember
that the highest pleasure not from tie thing
that can he dispensed with but from he thing that
not Be dispensed with Now, the thing We cannot do
without iu work OF art IS life and II we have lfe ana
lie abundantly, drawing and color will take their place
subordinate though sul noble whose ministry It is to
make the revelation Of life more graceful and moro
| splendid
lust above Mr. sarrent's picture piece by ifr. NJ
J. Heade Tropical Flowers" 70. 120 This Is a neat.
carefully painted scientific Illustration Of certain botan
zeal facts but II is not work OF art without any
acquaintance with tho particular plant 1t represents 1t
ia se 10 trust this report OF 10 made with scrupuOus
! fidelity TO the original But the visitor
! VIII step for a moment into the corridor
and look at No 81, aspiring" by Mr.. Frank
Anderson ho viii how nice observation and careful
| painting may make picture IN case and nothing
but diagram another. Mr.. Anders0n's subject is
only a flower the hcpatica showing its sweet face III
a patch Of woodland, the cold and drOTsy earth open
ing blue eye TO greet the buo sky OF Spring He has
not made much Of his subject he might in color for
the wood side is seldom entirely and for orny drah but
there enough here mark tue distinction trying
| 10 sct forth. OF course there many people who
think honest reporting OF facts every BIT as good as
poetic Interpretation OF them, Bnd with such people
there IS 10 use III arguugj 1t is not matter for argu
ment IL matter for feeling TO decide. Just as there
are scores OF people wnO look at and admire Mr Heades
| picture while comparatively rev either look at
| admire Mr.. sargenPs picture hung just beneath
| IT, so there are many vino stop and look
| with delight at Mr.. W. NJ. Harnett's " The
| Social Club" No H. Corridor at Mr. Kilbourne'S
e Fish," No 113. Corridor; or Mr. s. J. Guys a Bed
time story" No. 242, East Room. or eyon at Mr..
Marston Ream's various irupieces, and fLd oil this
minute painting this high finish they call Il, tho most
admirable thing IL the whole gallery And yct cOncod-
Ing TO each these works all that s most ardent adj
uifcrs demand is Il plain tLat In Of these
examples has had nothing to do with their pioduc
ton, that they only me hancal toysi
Mr. 5. j. GUYS large picture shows the artist as hard
and uucompanl and yet ~ pAinstakluc and .kllfu
eyer The visitor will vain try nd 10 this picture
anything that painted careessy without cOn'snt
reference to the modal The a,ituds Of the bsdiish
| gih who IS iudusirlously worrying these two
| Hule turto-doycs In tine bod by telling them
| some frghtful story, ts casy and true aud
! from her hair 50 her button-aiters shs Ia un-
| ir,peaoh.hIy correct. But .hs IL nevertheless all
paint ana so Is thing else IN tint, sbcrous but
nIOal unpoloria picture. TEo only thing mat helps
save The work is tho faces oi tic children, IN which
su.e. in'Intiro v2cuty IA well given, thengh their
| round uide-opened eye. are unmisaEsDly glass
| Last year Mr.. William ~ Hsructt had several pic
lures IN tho Exhibition OF the general character
| thi, Social Club" and they attracted his attcn-
roo that Il always given to curiositics. 20 works
| IN vIicn The SKIN OF tho human hand
Ia .tiou.ly displaJod working I'm deceptive ima-
on of nature An .s.ay might written on this sub