New-York tribune., 1880-04-04
FINE ARTS.
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF DESIGN.
FIFTY-F1FTH ANNUAL EXHIBITION.
rePCONn AR11cfp1

1t is an uncomfortable truth that if the duty
OF n critic were confined this year noticing only the
reasonably good pictures IN the Academy Exhibition,
his task would be quickly done. We will not be so pc
dantc TO hold mp TO the artists an ideal standard
| compare them with their own best work In the past
time and with the work we about in other exhibit
tcns, in pictureshOps and private houses the common
run OF modern pictures. Nor Is 1t we alone who com
plain Of the depressing ee3t-upOn the mind and upon
the spirits OF this years exhibition. We do not KNOW
what the artists themselves saying about 1t in the
| studios. but we know what good MANY people in
widely different "sets" are saying abont IL outside Of the
studios and if the artists TO know the general Opin
Ion we will tell them that the result OF their abor Is
not considered interesting. Now. have no wish to
make ilfeeng, nor to increase It, if it exists, winch we
sec no reason TO believe; but, with all the positive
faults Of the Exhibition OF American Artists and with
| all Its shortcomings we sure thai n great
| many people find it interesting. 1t ia at least
provocative Of discussion. ais this good or badP
:" Is this beautiful. or uelyl" Is this skill. or awk
Wardness T. Is this KNOWLEDGE or ignorance 2" These
are questions that asked all day and every day in the
smaller gallery; but ever hears any questions at
all asked in the bigger one No doubt something OF the
reason for this duness and of life Is to Oe found in
s very fdct that there two societies instead Of one
III he present state OF Art I'm this country there net
| material enough TO make more than ono
| society with one yearly exhibition. All hands
ought to regret there was reason given
| lor secession and TO regret al much that
e'el inc secession took place Ours not the first coun
"1 IN whlch conservatism and youth have come to log
eerhea ana Uit their thumbs another. but
erVatsin has always In the long run had TO give way
Tor Change Mt least progross f. m urai IN man
ana the old AT enaps not only people of whom
vou ue snd they spent their tine In nothing else but
ei'"er 10 tel or to hear some new thing. We all like
novelty and TIE mere fact that we might exnect to find
IN INC Academy whatever new tnng might be doing bv
toc younger men as they along would have kent
uph popular interest in the yearly exhibitions when
dcu 10 De Kept up for the reason that when new thing
presented itself was pretty sure either to be skyeh"
'r Fv'e'eu' III Other words, the Academy acted like
Othcr close corporations the world over Il was no bot
ter and no worse III thI, resnect th,n .h
faris Salon or the English ROYAL Ac,d
emy or the EngIh Old Society a,
FalnterSin Water Colors There have been sccessons
from every one OF these Institutions and there will b
sccessots In time from tho scccesslonsts when th,v
begin o harden and mature II do not multply bv
separation Ike some zOOphytrs iustituons-political
religious. sccntc and ariisi.c-do SO munly and tho
experience Is now 80 common that ought not TO be
surprised or worried al it.
But the time has not really tho Academy 10
shed younger society The time Ia indeed come for
II 10 shed OF ts bgUtry and urOvncalisn-ir the
direction of tie society cOndhlyr passed the hands
If IT'S intelligent and educated mefnbcfs-lncn OF the
wod-it would have been saved i0r many years TO
come from the present oempIcai0n and The sccydcrs
would have been saved from The results of cir own
Il
III ordcc to leave the pa-cnt hive with show ~
| numbers they were obliged tl take In who had 10
! clIm whatever 10 their compan0n-hlp. They started
of on HEIR pilgrimage with peas IA their Shoes ru; IN
ny tlcmscyc' and peas. too. that turned ont 10 be 10y
10 means boiled. What Is the result Roturn 10 the
Acaeily exhibition trc hest pictures In The sor cys
gallery and shold hnd ;hc Academy Ii-t 20 much
refreshed and enllycned Leave them where they nrr
ard hey are swamp" by lot Of careless. prc.cnious
and inferior work th1t has :ro; place n ctr cx-
hihiiion. II 10 plain that the younger hen should
! have shown more ODslinlCy and puch, should
| have kept painting their beet, and seuding.
ana sending. aud sending until They made their way by
sheer perseverance, 10 the walls where they belong
Who can cav that this year thir pictures when they
have sent them have not brcn well ircnedi not Mr.
Weir hung well a. Mr.. Ifcksl Il not Mr Fuller
hung well as Mr.. Bler-iadi Docs anybody supuo.c
that II Mr.. Sargent had sent his "Caroius Duran"
Mr.. Chnsr h5 "Gcucrl Webb" Nr Harry Caa., his
81 on The Flemish Eanks" Mr.. \. W. Thayer his "Au.
tumn In 4 BERKSHIRE Pas;ur'.' Mr. A. T. Rydcrhc's
Moonlight" Ir Brush bis "Misgcs," and half q
zen others Their pioturcs-;Lo Academy would no,
have accepted them, and hung them well tool or does
anybody suppose the Academy IL 10 stupid that Il
would not have welcomed such genuine piece Of scu-
ture as Mr. On Warmers bust of Alden Weir or Mr.
ST. Gandcns's Prc-idont WOosoy"i And had they nc.
cepcd Nj -. Gauieuss beautiful work they could not
have placed 20 urIrsily ani with sucn Ingenious bad
ness M the friends ~ Mr 81. Gaudcns have done I.
looks II cerain udicroHs attempt NJ Invasion Of The
Hanging Committees province about which TIE studios
arc aughing had been IN THIS particular lu-inncc a
least successful.
However II may be III the future the preaent cond,nn
OF things ~ uncomfortable. Take The Corridor for IN
stance II has had amusngiy bad pictures I'm Il |
than II las this year. hut never before was II 40 |
tame We 70 about and about. seeking Tor some
thing sOdy good stFkinga at last II comes 10 ts
that pictures we would not look at NJ first we begin
TO endure then pity them. and af a, we are ready
q ulf f,cu
are in TRUTH three four things here that by the orce
OF contrast are not bad and one Mr. john soiincets
"Whiio Turkey" No. 75. Is good positively but II
Is noi hung where II should bc Mr. Ebners "Uuu.
garan Fortune Teller" No. -, Is natural compost.
ton with good painting In II Of the studio kind clcvcr
work Just like that o. fy other people, hut then one "a
always glad 10 SEQ even recipe well carried ONT Mr.
LyellE Carrs Country Printing Ohcc." No o. IN also
creditaDle bnt the cOoilng IL dry and sapess sucl
painting misses certain life there Is in everything
even stoves ana od trousers have life OF their own
nnd II Is the painters business 10 discover Il and reco,J
IT, not to put or with conventional syinbos bo,yo,
'kliuily painted Another dry piece OF palntlnp nut
hllhiul u some nspccts Of nature IS SIR TLomas
Aushutzs The Way They Live" No. I2o-n ncpro
woman hoeng young cabbaRet, as-sicd by hdr children
me O whom Drngs pitcher with wnter for the plants
Ihcrn Is bit or fruit painting IN Corridor Chrrry
tpc" No 1913, by Mrs l.. NJ Se0tt whlc IL tb, hc.t ~
Nc horticultural specimens. though DogWoud Bios.
oinS, NO. $50, by j. H. Baker, seems To bs n good
''ihting II one had only ladder 10 e by Thlss
00r account TO render 0f tho Corridor bn # IA pretty
eary AL we can find II In conscience to sny In its
aVor' Mr. Friedrich llenerdngei's Dead Hare" No.
2 sas we said IN our first notice OF the GU.
Osy ana remarkable One but these things are only
10 maAe amusement FOR idle people. The difficulty OF
oing them Is Immensely exaggerated BY ignorant poo
lc; they belong To tue class OF "rcels bottles. i
orOus Oients ivory sphere In spher"" heads Of Christ u
nsraved with single ilne, yards Of chain carved
NJ OF one bit OF wood or bone. Not that Mr. Ilclner
ngers picture ia not entitled 10 stand high IN tho curl
hty class; by mechanical althc substituting for tho
uglnesses OF hHlf'pancd pine wood the equally real "" ""
uRhnesses OF paint put with brush and left :"