New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-04-18
FINE ARTs.
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN.
FIFrY-VIFTu ANNUAL EXHIBITION.
rTrfrRD ARTICLE

THIRD ARucLEl
On entering the South Room from the East
Room and beginning the OF the pictures in their
numbered orderw attracted not 10 dazzled by
Mr.. Albert BierstadPs ashore Of tho Turquoise Sea-
This picture by an artist who is nothing, was
nothing II not sens ltona-for Of late years afr Bier
stadt exhibited but le-aords subject mRtter for
q great deal OF talk among tho visitors to
the gallery, but is in reality not at all
theme for serious criticism. It is, Of course.
possible thar, somewhere on the planet, and per-
haps In well known locality there may be sea
which breaks upon the shore in the high coOred manner
here depicted But Il s supposng TO be fact so I'M
usual and eXtraVagant performance on the part OF
nature that, as think, IL ia not tho
business OF art to reproduce it, except tt be
Tor scientific purposes and in that case the artist
IA bound his defence to state where,
and when, and under what phenomena
here described met with But this is tring. Both
the title Of the picture and the picture itself fanciu
! Mr. Berstadt does not pretend ever to have
seen appearance exactly like what he here
| portrays he is only eleVating COM
mon sensible experience into something pOetca and
filter for artistic treatment Ton his welknown theory
than would be the unadorned truth. This would he all
very well II the artist had made his picture consistent
II we we're 20 have OF such color as this vast
| billow Of peacock .bue-green nOt the color
| Of turquoise at aD, rearing itself up, and
| just curling ready to break-we should have had
other phenomena accompanying lt, showing TO be in
faryand the only place where it would DC likely to DO
found But there is IN reality nothing else in tho pic
re that 10 extraordinary and the wave ia as much out
Of place as real peacock with h1s tail spread would DO
na Quaker meeting house. Indeed appears that
the whole of the picture Is contriyed for the pur
pose OF throwing the into prominence even at the
risk OF upsettng atmospheric laws there sunlight
anywhere in tho scene and this brilliant wave, whose
color could not exist without sunlight somewhere Is
backed by n thunderous cloud which actually trails its
! oil dow fhp Howl
may b. SAID too that the attempt 10 make tho blow
beautiful by loading all its vast face with this in
color, really defeats itself great deal less ef
this brilliant blue green would have gone much further
II is directly contrary to the method Of nature. who
algays economies her splendid tints breaking them up
and distributing them and producing far richer effects
with them than she could do by greater prOfeness.
The present catalogue OF the Academy is distinguished
by unusual number Of printers plumbers. and 1t
would appear Il the proofs had not been read at ALL
The title of Mr.. Eierstadts picture printed wrongly,
and we shall hnd many as twenty important
| blunders In the remainder Of the list In this
| South Room little picture by Mr. Edwin
| Forbes, " Poughing" IA called ROughing," but
this Is not rough Br. Forbes 1t is on Mr. May
nard to call his "a Observation-Disclosures" " A Mexican
Portrait" title that has puzzled not a few persons.
The corner Of the South Room, where Mr.. Blerstadts
picture hangs, IS filed in with mosaic OF pictures
! that bOh in size and color absolutely
killed by the proprquity OF this stunning neigh
Dor We shall probably weary readers by reiterated
complaints OF the in which pictures treated
! by the usual OF hanging committees, but we are
always hoping that 10 time good Will come OF re-
monstrnuce against real though doubtless unattended
| Injustice. What is the use, ask for the
| twentieth time, OF hanging any picture where it
cannot be seen n II be worth accepting for the
exhibition put 1t where II be enjoyed. II It be not
worth accepting reject H. There ought almost to DO
room by itself FOR little pictures Look at the number
| of I'M Dic IN
M 10 better place than that OF seto TO others Of
iuportlTCc-itte stOnns in mosaic to bring out the
more brilliant and effective portions OF the composition
IA We cannot see without glass the Young Soup
tor" Of Mr +. T. Martinez, the "MarIgolds Of II. T.
Van Horne, the Ohio Woods of Miss Annie e. Shaw, or
tho "sto1my Morning In the Sabine Country" Of Mr.
Dwight Benton, shall not attempt to do them justice
81 far se6 them they do not look like pictures
that would he properly hung lower and dare they
do deserve hang all In snch an exhibition no this
National Academy ought to be II Is enough that
uey seIye no purpose whatever where they are hung
either for enjoyment tor warning and 1t Is also re-
grctably rue that II pictures admitted here but
such as do American art aud tho Academy itself credit
We should 1ud the exhibition very muen smaller one
than Il IL.
Mrs. $. r. MacKuight's my Name IA Audrey" No.
3i2, beside that the title IS interchangeable not being
snakesprarc's Audrey" at al--ls specimen Of tho
fashion which II all the rage today Of making tneat
rca and fantastic pictures ont OF the shaws and bonnets
and short walsted gowns OF our grandmOthcrs-mere
masqueradIng which has reality, much less
any promise Of permanent unemployment in
Il. The only motive for such picture this Is to hit
folly as It o. and make little capital out Of passing
within OF the hOuEThe here depicted Is homey
her costume. and as the technical skill
employed Is inconsdcrnbie We do not what
we gain by the presence OF the picture. However,
II - quite as mertOrous performance Mr. Branda
gees Cavalier next 1t, No. 3I3, and the Turquoise
Sen may congratulate itself having two such dulcol-
ored neighbOrs (bu indeed, the only light there Is in
this dull corner comes from Mr. Bierstaots calcium
light to set OFF It's brightness.
Little can be SAID for Mr.. George InneSs, jr's, The
Coming Storm" No 351 the stout horses held firmly by
farm-hand stout rs they, are not enough to make
picture Of and they subOrdiunted 10 any general
interest so that must look Rt them hOTees-Only
thil. and nothing Mr.. Iuness Ia an artist who
gives vigorous promise In his execution, but he TO
have nothing say Yet says this nothing In such loud
voice We half there must be sOmethlngni
Thus far while recognizing this artists natural ability,
he seems impatient OF training and bent on carry
ing of the prizes his craft by force Of animal
spirita NAV lot OF these. but We hope for
time when they shall enlisted tile service OF themes
that have real title to our interest, some ar
tistc completeness all events, which picture of
Mr.. Innesss that VIC have seen has had.
Here is Mr.. Thomas Allen, jr's " Herd OF Jersey
Cattle" No $50, o picture made interesting by the
landscape Less than by the excellent paint
ing OF the anmas-a picture which does not lose by
beng looked from little distance, and yet IL capable
of being enjoyed by We call 1t rather good
siart-oR for q young painter than wholly
satisfactory picture but It has genuinely good and
interesting qualities very disposition of the land
scaue elements shows a fresh and independent eye.
tr,es and the cattle hudded In their shade