New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-06-07
FINE ARTS.
THE PRIZE CHRISTMAS CARDS.

June g. the day on which the decision of the judges
made known, more than five hundred peope visited Mr.
MOore's gallery to examine the collection, ana discuss
the awards among themselves On Friday and Saturday
the attendance was also large and the exhibition Is
to continue open for another week. there will be ample
opportunity for forming Judgment the result Of Mr.
Prang's literally conducted experiment.
1t seems to us that no person competent to form
opinion in such matters doubt that the judges must
have had great difficulty making their awards. And
even it their wsest course would have
been to declare that of the designs offered de-
served the first prize OF thousand dollars and that no
one of them deserved the second prize Of five. hundred
dollars a decision in which we believe the discerning
public would have sustained them. But. we suppose.
though their decision would have been sustained 1t
was not In their bond to have acted upon 1t;
the money must be distributed as Mr.. Prang
had directed. and 1t looks very much as
it, the impossbity of fudInG anything ON the walls
really deserving of such handsome pay they ha0 Dhdeo
their eyes aud settled the matter by sort OF Nirgiian
lots with the points of their waking-sticBs. HOW the
award which no one doubts TO have been made as hon
eslly as possible likely to be looked upon by pam
people, s perhaps TO be prOpheced from tie hciaeh'
which took place while tile writer was making his notes
An elderly lady addressed the proprietor of the gallery
and most auay. and with evident desire TO KhoW'
mt the Question point blank: Can yCu tell me, sir, on
what grounds the second prize was awardedt what
its merit and what has the design to do with CHRIST
mast" Tie only answer that could be made was mat
figure which the design consists Is giving Chflst
mas greeting But dear me-" said the lady, with
little appealing shIug there are 80 many here thal are
more appropriate to the and far prctteI- Dnt
what was the use Mr.. Moore could only deprecauhGv
assure the lady that the decision was not his and that
the committee had doubtless acted on what seemed 10
item good reasons.
In the Of the award TO Mr. Sander of $500 for
the second prize it is difficult see in spite of the
ladys Gcmur that the judges had something to 60 upon
Mr. Alexander Sander is thoroughly educated aich-
tec who, pupil or assistant, If we mistake not OF
the late Voletle Due has had all the advantages Of
the best French training beside the uncommon advdn
1age of the uence and instruction of one OF the most
learned aud delightful dTaughtsmcn OF our time During
the short time that he has been living and working in
our city, first the assistant OF Mr.. Russell Sugis
anu then after his return from brief visit to France
rs the assistant of Mr. Herer in whose office he holds
at present an important post, Mr.. Sander has made
mark in his profession q draughtsman and
designer of ornament Of no common skill He is well
known too to refined aud delicate TASTE and lie
has earned quiet, but undEputed place in the small
circle Of those among us whose judgment in matters
that relate decorative art is, we stand at present.
final.
All this being so 1t does not yet follow that Mr.. San
ler's design for Christmas card must necessarily be
good All that we could certainly predict IN I'D
vance would be that whatever design he sent in would
be be correctly and neatly drawn; that would
violate weknown laws OF design and that it would
be probably pretty, and certainly innensve The fall
lacy Of those who suppose that the best teaching III
schools studios Will create the ability to design where
Il does exist In embryo s illustrated here in the
OF VolleteDuc's pupil, II most painfully Illus
trated IN far important ways by the master him
self ViOete Due had nothing to learn of~5nyb body in
the world to the history theory orpracce of arts
of design he knew all that has been done in this field
In world, ana he knew, IN each the why and
wherefore Of failure and could state the
sons his knowledge in language clear that BODY
could understand him. His knowledge Of architecture
exhaustive; writer ever approached bun in the
extent OF his accumulation OF facts In the ccarness
with which he perceived the principles on which tic
least as well as the greatest Of these facts rested
And then this he added the charm OF that tire
less pencil OF his, by which step of his argument
was illustrated with those drawings which have gwen
him name aud fame apart that, now he is dead,
the French Government is proposing to itself the pur
chase his portfolios the best monument 10 his men,
DRY. Well with all this learning. Knowledge. percep-
ton, skill OF hand VollctleDuc deporaby want
ing Ill the power to design; nothing that he did, In
architecture ornament, has any merit, excepting
what may be found In tasteful aud apprecative copy
of beautiful original. When he designed anything of
himself, it to be unsatsfactOry-lt was often
ugly So far as this side Of his work concerned all
bis learning went for nothing because he had no spark
OF the fresh creative power that gives life to true
design And so 1t Is with Mr. Sander. In spite Of his
lelrnng and In spite OF his skill. his Christmas cards
present only mechanical qualities, only artificial grace
we miss originality and appropriateness. The design
chosen shows female figure very lightly clad with
nothing the head and the bare feet slipped into
sort OF moccasin while short red cloak-a large cape,
I'm fact-bOrdered with swans down. futters in
the air. Tie girl, nymph stands with
her feet pressed close together and bending her
body somewhat stifhy forward blows US a kiss. The
attitude aud action are unconsciousy no doubt, but
none the less directly borrowed from Il charming
French figure which may be IN several Of our fash
iOnabe shopsa little girl in shirt bewitchngy short
all "A bap dis 49, he
THIS figure OF Mr.. Sanders s set In an oval panel
framed in rectangular border, which Is hlcd In with
purely conventional pattern in lines ard zlgzaes OF gold
upon red II we wish exactly where such work as
TINS stands relatively TO that produced FOR the market
IN France have only TO examine the stock OF bonbon
boxes in shops like those of Malard or ArIaud. We
shall there learn what chances in competition with such
work design Ike this OF Mr.. Sanders would have Of
carrying of second prize.
But il Mr.. santiers success is applicable on certain
grounds, that OF Miss R"sna Emmett in getting the
first prize OF Thousand dollars not understandable ON
any grounds Here certainly is no design worth speak
3ng ONO skill special Mechanical excellence, and
no beauty prettness The fitness OF tho design
TO Christmas time Is only partial and the main part Of
IL IS only please persons who accustomed TO
the highly rtualIstc services Of certain sect. The
design consists OF rectangular panel placed cngthwsc
and surrounded by border. The panel contains four
or five figures Of cnOirbOys In white supplies singing an
anthem out of their books while one Of them accompanies
OIL an outandish lutte. Now, although such group ms
This could not be original since the model exists from the
times of Van Eyck and GOzzoand Della RObbia down to
English some body pictures, OF chorboys
aud the other OF girls, familiar enough II
was perfectly legitimate for Miss Emmett To try her
hand at the wewoIn but only on the condition OF
adding beauty or grace expression to what had been
done before however that these boys OF
hers puppets rather TOR they are no more are neither
beautiful graceful, has any one OF tho faces any
expression whatever TIE supplies are such az were
vhare ar @
sort Of Mary Stuart fashion dcsrucveOf grace OF out
line wigs by the boys for hair grew