National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1880-04-13
A CHAPTER ON PICTURES.
A Visit to the National ACadeny's
Collection.
An American style of Art Adopted-Ovor-
sights of the Hanging Committee -
Criticism of Some OF the Finer
Worits-Sovoral Washington
Artists In the List-Good
Prices Commanded.
Now Yori, Art Exhibitions.

WO WttkS uRO lnB DOClbIy Ol hncflCNu
Artists opened Its third annual exhibition,
and now the National Academy has flung
open its doors and invited tho public to its
Gfty-iifth annual show.
Tho American society is young thing aud
cannot boast marble building for its pic.
lures, but modestly exhibits in Kirby's gal.
lory, $40 Broadway In this exhibition u
smaller number Of pictures have boon hung
than last year, tho catalogue titles ending with
No 1862, but though small, it isa fine cx-
hibition. Ask the average New Yorker what
constitutes this society, and you will he told
that IL is formed by few young fellows
with such cxtrpvagant ideas in art that they
havc been Obliged to SGT up n little autocracy
Of their own. In point of fact, its members
are painters in the fullest sense Of the word,
many of them pupils of tho best Paris and
Munich schools, comparatively young men
who havc broken away from the convention.
alitios Of old fogyism and havo advanced to
higher plane of art method.
The day of Sweet" pictures is over; Mt least
IL is hard TO find an artist nowadays willing to
admit hc does not paint broadly, even though
elcvating his nose at the new creeds." 1t is
one thing to hold the mirror up to nature, and
another to teach nature how she ought TO look
The new generation of painters are driving
the Old follows to the wall, and thoy may MS
we'll submit gracefully aud adapt" rs well as
thoy'cau. But enough Of creeds
In the present exhibition there are many
fine things, and ono will be repaid by taking
time to look at them. Entering the gallery
from the staircase tho visitor will be struck
by Harry Chase's vigorous marino, "On the
Flemish Banks" 1t is no easy thing to do
pict water in motion, but In this picture the
artist has caught tho true feeling, and his
herring boat rises grandly with the heavy
swell
A. II. Thayer's "Nymph and Tigers" us an
example OF the nude in art" is fair piece of
colorng. The anatomy is firmly drawn, and
altogether 1t is meritorious work. His land.
sCape, Autumn Afternoon in Berkshire" (iO),
is n poetlcal, dreamy pioco Of coloring, depict
ing cows in pasture amid tho Berkshire hills.
Vague, yet full of feeling it is strong in its
very vasuenoss and one falls into rcvcry as he
gazes at 1t.
Near at hand are two landscapes by Ross
Turner, promising Washington boy, now in
Munich, that are good in color, aud show dc.
cidcd Improvement. A pair of still.life panels
by this artist are well hung in another part of
tho gallery. A portrait Of Carolus Duran by
his pupil, John s. Sargent is a mastcrly piece
of painting William NJ. Chase also exhibits Il
superb portrait of General James Watson
Webb, besides other portraits aud pictures.
His "Out.of-the'Way," representing the lower
corner of dilapidated brick building in
"back alley" In Munich, is fNne study in sug.
gestion of detail.
No 40 is Portrait" by Dora Wheeler,
pupil Of Chase. An impression sketch, IL is filled
in simply and strong Y, all the softncss and
tlutlness of the "lace 1Ximgs" being well rem
dercd. Those in the hat especially come at
you" in most positive manner. Other por-
traits worthy of mention are "Fcucing. g.Mastcr
Lcnac, douglas YolS;" Portrait of Artists
Mother" by William L. Marshall Portrait of
the Artist by George d. Brush, aud others by
WYATT Eaton and MCICNcu
No. SO, Mother aud Child" by Miss Bartol
of Boston, pupil Of the lamcntcd Hunt, is
very good example of that masters methods.
There is an absence Of high colorlug, usually
dcnomhated "hcsh tints;" yet both heads
stand out from the canvas grnndly, No, lie is by
Elizabeth Whitcman, also pupil OF Hunt aud
is another Gue study. 1t is tho full l.length
figure of boy of twelve playing the violin.
Walter Sbiraw has two or three small
pieces of pOrtraiture, ono of these "Jollity"
tNo. So, appearing TO he the head of his
"Gooseherd," so favorablY noticed last year.
Tho marble Quarry" (S2), by the same artist,
contains number of figures Of men and
horses, spendidly drawn in regard to pose aud
action. The picture, however, is uufn' shed.
George Fuller exhibits two pictures that are
full of feeling, "a Portrait" ISl and wood.
land road with figures, cataogucl t6D. boy
and Calf" A warm haze over tho picture
gives striking effect
"a Piece of Water" (73l, by ]. II Twacht
man, is small but good April Clouds" an,
by the same artist, for "grcun" picture, is II
charming one, The study is an old house SUR
rounded by trees in the midst OF rolling
landscape. Meridian Hill near Washington,
will furnish just such another study. No 49,
AN August Day" is a poetic little pastoral,
by Charles Melville Dewey, in which fake
white prcdomnates. A couple Of sheep re-
icvc the foreground. MI Sartain's Avenue
I, ..,,'. I
pleasing. The sunlight on tho roadway ana
upon the house at the head Of the avenue Is
we'll rendered w. $. Nacy's Dartmouth
Marshes is good. "Fagot Gathcrcrs," by w.
p. Phelps, and Sunlight in the Forest" by
McEwon, are fine forest interiors. The latter
especially 5 striking from its broad aud sug'
gestivo treatment, George Iuncss, jr., OK
Landscape" aud l02, "A Watering Place"
which are gems. No 70, ANY Mans Land"
by A. II, Wyani, il a thoughtful study, full
of suggestion and sentiment, A wild, rugged
landscape, accompanied by "A dark, wicrd sky.
The title seems mos; fitting.
William Gcdncy BnnGc, an enthusiastic
young artist, whom it is pleasure to know
and bear talk, has three characteristic Venice
pictures, marines mos. 55, 90 and SIl, which
could only have been inspired beneath an
Italian sky. The larger of the three "AIom-
ing-Venice," was sold for 81 900 during the
first week of the exhibition. Eunikmgs
" Cattle" with its warm autumnal foliage, is
an attractive picture. John Lniargo has
"Study" of the artist when
young man, with an admirable landscape
A stilliro pieco No. 3O) painted |
by this artist in 1852 with its eight" lines |
and literal 6uish, can hardly be called an |
example Of his present work, Charles IL, Mil |
lers "Old Mill" is good, aud last, though by |
no means least among landscapes, may be mon
toned Swano Giiord's Low Tide" As an |
example Of this Gue artists work it is fully up
to the mark lie also contributes October" |
i had almost forgotten Abort p. Rydel's |
Moonlight" 1t is u little thing but large |
enough to hold dark bit Of landscape, some |
water, calf and distant hill dark and |
aud above all, literally cald.bue |
clouds and a moop 1t is piciIro that doubt. |
less nine tenths Of tho visitors never look at, |
but a little study soon conyiIces one Of its |
handling.
Josephine b, Kibbs's Gower.Ieces go
and 63) are tonl erly painted; the holly. !
hooks are especially good. There are many
more pleasing pictures, but you must come
and look for yourself If you would see them
all.
A marked feature of this oxlibltlon Is tho !
impartial manner in which the hanging com.
uilleo have endcsyolol 10 do their duty. !
tuntl bulurs and members have beon treated |
alike, and pictures received upon their molilS !