New-York tribune., 1880-02-13
FINE ARTS.
THE WATER-COLOR SOCIETY.
THIRTEENTH ANNUAL Exhibition.
fEocnt,d Nofica

sunny rooms and the crocus-yeow cards. OF the sod
variety sproung in all directions In the corners OF the
frames, cheerful sign that tho year has turned
1t true that large number OF the pictures sold thus
have been small in size and low in price, but beside
that we think this somethirg TO be ENCOURAGED two
things must be remembered that we arc speaking OF
whar has happened in the opening days OF the eX
hnon and that tie best DRAWINGS here are, with con-
paratively few exceptions, the smallest ones.
1t is greatly TO be desired that there should be kent up
by our artists a supply OF small picturesque effective
drswnes like many these walls For. though the
demand for such may not appear to be great on super
fetal view yet every sale OF pictures at ancuon SHOWS
the demand for small works TO be considerable ana
there De doubt IL is steadily growing The sze OF
the average American purse and the size or ihe rooms
in the average American house, make small drs"lhes
ID works OF general, better suited to our heeuS
than larger ones Add that IN truth, water color Is
seldom employed TO advantage Un large Scao' Al
least the larger the drawing, the more 1t seems he'es
saIy employ body color II we would get the TeIWsl'e
strength and solidy, and without insisting TOO much on
distinctions OF legitimate" and illepihmate, or de-
nvgg TO body color rs some inclined to do Inc name
Of waercolor "a manifest injustice, since The art began
with the universal use o. body-color may express
preference for the transparent effects obtained by
washes, tue colors being kept rs pure as possible.
As ror the preference held by Us in common win
80 many persons FOR small bits OF stained paper TO
square soet of the same only that artists ia gen
cra, Ike writers, preachers, poets can more ehsS HI
q smal space tban large one there is something III
the maere itself that suits it better TO hghi hueh'
treatment of its subject. and enables TO he rea more
effective with its means in small space ihaA IN large
one Let the visitor to the present exhibition iook at
Mr. F. Bopiinson Smita's large and wc-eH ,cuted
drawings certainly, by the general verdict among the
best m the gallery. and then ask himself whether they
are really more Effective than the lIto bits In the East
Room sigued &c. P"-(George POegenbec s-nunibered
25s 90, 2GG whether they have more ligh more air.
whether irshor IN thc artistic Of the lerm' thcy
ere n reality larger" than these small drawings Or
comparison may be made between the "nrKs
of smele artist. between. LET us say,
tie large drawing by Mr. Henry Farrcr,
in the East Room. No. l7j. sweet is the Hour OF
Rest and his smaller drawings scattered through Inc
five rooms Is that tins lHrgc aud stately draw
ng far advance OF this artists previous WORKS OF
kc uporsuce 20 Size both in its COMPOSITION ana III
unity Of mpressiOni but TO our thin"inS IL i hoI
more important, far as pictorial quality is con
cerned than several of the smaller works by Mr. Fafer
in the exhibition. Certainly 1t Is not more effective
,lan some OF his etcings In the Northwest Room adm
uch Of the effectiveness which does undoubtedly be-
long TO IT, is due s0dy OF mechanical treatment
which alnes 1t 10 ol-pauting. However, 1t Is good
thing that not all Of one mind; ana though lh
the opening days OF the exhibition tine lovers o. small
drawings have shown themselves IN body ana carried
off many a prize yet the large pieces OF paper have
their friends too and will be made przes OF IN their
turn.
The new departure in the getting up o. the catalogue
must not passed In silence, though we VIII say
at once we do not very heartily approve OF H. Onr
objection is practical one; the new catalogue Ia
nnhandy 1t does well enough amusing record OF
the exhibition to have lying about on ones book-iable
but OF a catalogue Is 10 carry about with
one on 10 the gallery, and IN practice ii Is found
that this particular catalogue Is little more OF an an
noyance than catalogues In general The paper Is
handsome but hck the page II much too large for
convenience and consider the illustrations as carry
ing the slip-shod, harum -soarum style, 20 much
the fashion nowadays, TO an absurd excess In very
few cases do these illustrations do Justice to the pictures
they profess % represent aud ndeed would be remark
able considering the scale 10 which they are drawn
they did It might be well 10 publish q
catalogue Of the exhibition In this style for
hose who might wish 10 have such record.
but IN that the illustrations ought to be made
with more care and deliberation. The catalogue
FOR use in gallery Itself ought 10 be modelled upon
that OF the Paris salon. book OF six and half inches
nigh by four inches broad that for the year 1870,
containing 7j5 pages and the titles and artsts names
OF no less than 513i works, Ia only one and half
inches thick. 1t must bo remembered, too that the
French Catalogue contains great deal OF Official inOr
nation for much OF which societies would find no
use though we think 1t would be useful to give with
each artists the biographical particulars that
are contained in the Salon Catalogue thus the name
of the artist gwen and the place OF his brth then the
name of hs teacher and the Titles OF bis contributed
the distinction Of having all goods for eae marked III
pn prices from which there positively be no de-
duction." To thinking, our own institution might
wit profit follow the same respectable reticence
But we hope to see the day when except as record
OF the exhibition be bought by those who care TO
have it, there shall be catalogue necessary Tor those
who merely look at the pictures Let each artist
papt m plain black letters tho frame OF bs picture
his own name and title OF his work and thus rid us
of al old fashioned small but very eheotua source OF
worry
The Corridor this year contains OF the best draw
pgs in the exhibition. Among these however, we can
not find 1t in heart to place the owerpeces that gar
Land the door head of tue stairs leading into The
North Room. They do III several instances III ls true
show great deal OF labOrous painstakng on the part
of the artists but most OF this labor Is thrown away 80
faras pcto1al Effectiveness IL concerned Our favoreo
last year. Mrs. j. Dillon is by no means up TO her Old
mark this eeason her flowers are woolly and not well
chosen: Agnes d. Abbatt's "Old Fashioned Flowers"
No 5O3 lightly loosely painted, with much indiVid-
ua truth nature but these again are not nlerestinG
and the effect Of the whole drawing Is thin and tame
Beside think Miss Abbott what pictorial flowers the
called flowers were, many OF them at
least poppos and holyhocks peOnes and tulips
and lilies, narcissuses, marg0lds, dahOdOwndhes, and
so forth and Artists have got into queer way
| OF snuDbing Old-times Of late by making up
a Ist of p0ke-bOnnets, leg o. mutton sleeves. gOred
skirts tight breechcs. sawy yourarsc coat collars. and
the rest and Trying palm OF Oh us as old tiDes
lust as II beauty. and high health and animal Spirits
aud manIiness did triumph over absurdiues OF cos
tuIne then as they do to-day And Miss Abbatts flowers
belong To the system An artist ought not to take
up with the small fry OF the garden unless he or she
: lrows how TO balance their nsgnifcance with some
thing either III the treatment or the composition that
will make "A picture of them, IN spite OF themselves
When will our artists and all. learn that the ceies
part OF their business paint pictures 10 please the
mind through the eye! We do not want studies OF nat
ura history portraits Of eecentrcities. moral les
sons the artist for pictures ana unless he
can make pictorial whatever he touches he should carry
| ybat talent he has 10 the merely useful, material
| Aeld wherein IL can find fit employment.