The Portland daily press., 1884-04-05
From an Occasional Correspondents
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ANnS hnN MISS EeFry-Ihe EuRl1sn acc
tors superb Stage Effects.
From an Occasional Correspondents
PHILADELPHIA, Mar. q, 1884.
Every Thursday afternoon there is an orches-
trail concert at the Pennsylvania Academy of
Fine Arts. The rotunds above stairs, the COR
ridors and transepts, and even the grand stair
way Of the building, are sure to be packed on
these occasions. The Academy students are
OF course present in full force, recreating them
selves, after their artistic labors, with music,
and perhaps glance at some favorite picture.
The School has one Of the most interesting
permanent collections of works Of art to be
found on this side OF the Atlantic. Here
hangs Benjamin Vests gruesome picture Of
death on the Pale Horse" and here are sew
eral OF the finest portraits of the elder Peale
and of Gilbert Stuart Passing along the gall
leries, the visitor notes two or three lovely
landscapes by Salvador Rosa, several of the
grand historical scenes of j. B. Wittksmp,
lew charming marines by Joseph Vernet-
once part of the Bonaparte collection-and
specimens from the easels Of Washington ALI
ston, John Opie, Henry Inman, Adrian van
Ostade, Angelica Kaufman, Daniel Maclise,
and hundred other painters OF celebrity.
Robert Barrett Browning, the poets son, has
an historical picture, "Fhe Delivery to the
QUESTION in the Netherlands" canvass which
attracts much attention, and holds 1t, too.
The Academy possesses a very large eollec-
ton of engravings, etchings, etc., illustrating
all schools and periods, in great part the be-
quest Of the late John s. Phillips, who spent
thirty years in getting it together. Here are al
so to be found some fine marbles, Greenough's
bust Of Lafayette among the number, groups and
statues by lombard, Ceracchi, W. w. Story,
Clodion and others, and great many copies Of
famous antiques In the school department
below stairs are additional plaster casts of most
of the great sculptures OF the Old World gal
leries. Besides its permanent collection, the
Academy at present catalogues nearly two
hundred and seventy-fve works on deposit, OF
which about sixty are sculptures, the rest
paintings. Some of them are exceedingly val
liable.
The first object of this school is to educate
painters and sculptors, both men and women;
but far as possible the directors of the insti-
tuition extend its advantages to artistic crafts
men of every sort, engravers, die-sinkers, il
Illustrators, decorators, wood-carvers, ETC., and,
lastly, the Academy opens it's doors to anna
teurs. The basis of study is the nude human
figure, but the student must 90 through pre-
paratory course Of drawing from casts, etc.,
eithes here or in some other school, before he
can enter the life classes. Minors are not ad-
mitted to the life classes without the consent Of
parents or guardians. Men and women work
separately. Besides the study Of the nude fig
ure there are lectures on artistic anatomy, IL
Illustrated by dissections, in which the more ad-
vanced students may, if they wish, take part.
There are also lectures on perspective and
composition. Each student is taught both
modelling and painting.
cart is long" After three weeks hard
work in the life class, one of the students ex-
hibited rather rickety-lOoking clay modelI
with the wires which held it together project
ing here and there, and with very dirty and
decidedly Inexpensive face, guiltless of any
features whatsoever. Yet the young lady
thought that her work was coming on very
well-so slow is famel Someone remarked
that the feet of the "Venus," as her fair crea-
tor had christened her, were rather big-they
were almost as long as her arms. EYES," said
Miss FL -; THAT is to conciliate Mr..
E. [her instructor A big foot he ap-
proves and rarely crlticizes, but a small foot,
even if it is perfect in form, he can't abide"
To spend an afternoon among the students
at the Academy is decidedly hilarious expe-
rience. One naturally expects to find the dew
otees of the aesthetic themselves beautiful to
behold. Another illusion gonel But it doesn't
matter how they look-they are simply the jol-
lest set under the sun. Men and women all
wear "gowns," and the men, in q sudden ac-
cess of artistic aspirstion lately made them
selves lew GOWNS, GOtuk al bu6 CuLLluR, mt
ting and finishing with their own fair hands.
One young man declared that he sat up on
certain eventful night till long after twelve Of
the clock to master the moods Of his sewing
machine and finish his "rig." Everybody
agrees that this young mans gown is "lovely."
The ladies greatly affect primitive, meal-6ag
sort of garment, worn without hoops, which
makes the tall, thin girls look unutterably
long, and gives to the short, fat ones the APP
pearance Of inflated balloons.
Besides the Academy of Fine Arts there are
in Philadelphia two or three other art schools
of note, one under the charge of Charles G.
Leland, the author of the inimitable "Hans
Breitmann Ballads" The School of Design,
for women only. occupies what was SI.;o tbs
home of Erwin Forrest, the actor; bat the
house has received large additions to fit it for
its present uses. The life class is a feature
here also, but etchers, wood engravers, design
ers of fabrics, decorators, ETC., receive in addi-
ton the special training required in their varis
GUS crafts. The room where the designers
work is especially attractive, and is adorned
with antique and modern carvings, reliefs in
plaster, and modellings Of every description,
together with color plates and specimen fab
RIGS. Here and there one may see a student
working up plant design from nature, or
combining with more or less artistic effect
geometric des gns and conventionalized forms.
Results the most practical show how efficient
are the methods of study. Many OF the best
designers of our leading manufacturers are
graduates of this school. There is no prettier
more delig tful employment than the design
ing of art fabrics, for rugs, wall hangings,
curtains, etc. Women with the requisite IA
cility in drawing, IL they possess patience, in
dustry and health, together with good eye
for color and form, aud perhaps even more for
proportion, can hardly turn to a better BUSH
ness.
Last Saturday night Mr.. Henry Irving and
Miss Ellen Terry closed their farewell engage
ment in Philadelphia. "Much Ado About
Nothing" scene from "The Merchant of
Venice" and ''The Bells'' were the plays pre-
sented this time. Seeing Irving only in come
dy, one might be inclined to agree with the
critics that he is not a great actor. His play.
ing as Benedick, in "Much Ado About Moth
ing" is all but grotesque. One might venture
to say that he has no deep sympathy with his
part. His intellectual conception of it is good,
but bis lack of sympathy and his peculiarities
of face and carriage prevent its realization.
One young woman was overheard to say, "I
don't know what is the matter with his legs
but they're not nice; they're regularly nasbyi"
Certainly he screws them about in a very de-
plorable fashion. Miss Terry as Beatrice is al
most without flaw. A great part of the charm
is in the marvellous grace and lightness Of her
movements and attitudes. The portion of the
play where she was least satisfactory, and
where one saw Irving at his best, was in the
scene in which Hero's virtue is accused. Iry-
ine's action here was perfectly natural and un-
strained. Miss Terry played just little self
coDsciously-her Beatrice did not forget her.
self utterly in her cousins woes. Whatever
may be the differences of opinion as to Irving's
merits as an actor, everyone agrees that as a
stage manager he is unapproachable. The
setting of his plays is perfect. Few plays,
however, afford finer opportunities for stage
effects than "Much Ado About Nothing" aud
one must see it under Irving's management to
realize its beauties. E.H.R