New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-25
ART IN PHILADELPHIA.
p,1Nr1vcs py AMERICAN ARTISTS.

YEAR-A CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF SOME Vi
THE PROMINENT PICrUREs-AN UNHAPPY MANIA
FOR CoLoRING BIG SHEETS OF CANVAS
,veou A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRiDuNE.l
pm .pEIpHIA, Now pa special exhibition
consisting of pictures by American artists at nome
and in Europe is now open at the PennsyNaha
Academy of the Fine Arts IT is the second year Oh
holding such an exhibition, and while the number oi
paintings is somewhat less this year than last Nea
the present collections whole much the Detc VI
the two, if memory serves Alright. Inc cataosuo VI
last year contained nearly one hundred anu my
more numbers than the present ohe- o
of these 116 were water-colorS' una"
incs in black and white and objects ticketed under
tbe head of scplptnre; while this year the exhbi-
tion is made up entirely of paintings. There are
425 numbers in the catalogue, and the pictures are
very well hung.
II seems IL the critical observer that on the whole
fine exhibition shows o decided growth in the Ill
rect;on of technical training There is better draw
inc and better cooring as rule; but there are GER
tainlv fewer interesting pictures than can oe To
mcrobered last year Then there were Mr. Plcknens
much talked of Road to Concancnu" ana also MS
"Fdre of the Forest" then, too were seen Tor the
first time here, Mr.. Bridgman's Tents OF inc
Nomads at Bskra," and his women
of BisEra Weaving" while his Funeral
of n Mummy though it had been seen AT
Mr. Averys rooms IN New York, had not as yet
been exhibited in public on this side The water.
picture that has created good deal OF interest IN
Philadelphia was also shown for the first time In
public at last years exhibition, Mr. Thomas Ia
kins's a May Morning in the Park" Nor Is there
found any picture this year that seems to strike
unite so strong a note as Mr.. Kenyon Coxs Lady
in Black -: certainly his Pink and White in the
present exhibition cannot compare with it either III
interest or execution. There is some skill In tins
plcture, and the drawing Is good,
but the cooring of the flesh seems very
unfortunate Either the paint has changed or
else the model has been kept too long. Ana theh
the subject is nothing but model, young nir SIT
ting naked for nothing but to be painted and to
contrast her flesh with the white fur she is sitting
upon and the white wall behini her, with the result
that she herself suffers much by the situation
On the other hand Mr.. Charles Sprague Pearce,
hars-working and intelligent artist has not handl-
capped the present exhibition so heavily as he did
that of 1850 with his Sacrifice of Isaac" which
picture, however, still hangs in sight in one Of the
corridors. His Execution of John the bap-
tiatD 70 mo,e reasonable effort, and
though academic to the backbone, has nothing in 1t
to create a smile such was irresistibly provoked
by the swooping angel of the former picture. Nor
u
Grams and Mr. Theodore Wares; nor for the "O5-
san" of Mr. Woodward; nor for the "Dcborah" OF
Miss Dodson. though one wishes this clever artist
had not left the public without anything to repre-
sent her on the present occasion Miss Mary Frank
lin however who last year rather challenged interest
with her hfe-sze" Page takes back all her promises
with an inexcusabiy bad, atrocous" Prlestess OF
Bacillus" picture which would be the worst
in the exhibition, by all Odds il Mr.. ;. H.
Crane lad not CALAMITY come all the way
from Munich to draw attention from the ladys
work with his Wreck Of the IIesperus." Mr.. Pick
nell too is long way off from his Road 10 Con-
caneau and his Edge of the Forest Yin this years
Meadows of st. Vast" n commonplace work
enough. Mr. Ealins's "Mending the Net" shows a
singular Indifference TO picture-making but each OF
these figures is pain cd with knowledge and care,
and would make valuable study by itself Apart
from them the picture Is OF no value, nor
can one IMAGINE what this exceptionally skill
fol artist proposed to himself in painting
it. Mr. Eakins has another picture here
which believe has been exhibited in
New-York It's called " William Rush carving his
alleeorical figure of the Schuyull' and here again
one must wonder that the artist would6e at. Will
lam Rush's dongs are hardly worth chroncling, but
if was to he done at all it worth doing well.
Praxiteles is said to have made MP his Venus
from the cxcellenccs of several models Mr.. Rush,
Mr. Eakins appears TO say, had model made up OF
the defects of several women. She has the look oil
being all clad III leather and her limbs are no
credit to her sex. But Mr. Eakins cannot paint q
picture wholly bad and besides the humOr Of 1.-THE
professional stolidity Of the models mother,
who sits quietly sewing the hours away,
is good piece Of observation. Mr. Charles Spraguo
Pearce's Execution of John the Baptist" sho VS.
the same want of the faculty Of composition shall
say the same Indifference TO this vital matter, that
was indicated by his pictures OF last year. st John
Jneels so near TO his executoner that the latter,
who is rolling up his sleeve for the blow, viii have to
make serious stride TO get far enough away to
complish anything. And there is look Johns
face that seems 10 say he sees the position and
homes to profit by it. The figure of the hesdsman
reminds one distinctly of Reguaults Moor. in Une
Execution sans Jugement" but is far less terrible.
The John is still less impressive; the face is
without elevation, and the whole picture has an
Extensively "made-upn air. Surely there have been
enough of these studio religious pictures; they
serve no good purpose whatever.
Mr.. Moss's Raising OF Jairuss Daughter" in tho
exhibition OF 1880, was "A picture of the same sort
as those of which Mr. Pearce seems fond, but it
vas moro impressive. The present Jesus Teach
ing in the Temple" is not successful, and neither
shows the scene as it may be supposed to have
looked historically. which was Holman Hunts ann
in painting his famous picture, nor has it any par
ticular merit as an imaginative composition. Now
such work ought to be either one or the other of
these two things else why paint at all' Mr.. Moss
paints very big pictures, and is always expect
ing something from them but always disappointed.
On the other hand he is skful in subjects that call
for delicate perception Of homely humor, as in his
"a Difficult job and A Tune Before Breakfast"
the former, cobbler looking rather rnefully at
shoe that has better days; the latter, man
trying tune on the flute If, on the ono hand, Mr..
Moss seems to belong to the school of Benjamin
West in these little pictures he shows himself