New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-05-19
THE ROYAL ACADEMY.

vearlv exhibition of the Royal Academy used
70 be regarded as a means of Judging the art work
done in England during the twelyemonth. 1T was
readily assumed that the best pictures were TO be
seen in Burlington House. The Grosvenor gal
lery has now 30 be taken into account. but the
GroSvenor is not and never was means OF lmme-
date redress for any mistake at the Academy in
the admission of pictures. Sir Coutts LINDSAY loi
obvious reasons, gave it TO be understood that
picture rejected by tho Academy would not DC &C,
copied the same year at the Grosvenor Artists hau
TO elect bet ween the two ifndeed they could DC sa
TO elect at all AT the Grosvenor where an invitation
from Sir Couts Lindsay is necessary TO inc picSeh-
ta;icn of any work of art. To the great maJoIiy
of English artists the Academy remains the chlei
exhibition If only because 1t is the largest 10
them and to the public equally the system by
which II is made up is therefore matter OF huch
importance and it is important, though IN less
degree 10 the American artist, since he Is yearly
coming more to the front in the art spectacIeS Oh
London
The duty OF accepting and rejecting pictures sent
in for exhibition deyolves the Council OF the
Royal Academy. Ibis council consists of ten mem
bers all the Il. AS serving in rotation except that
when new X. A. is elected he takes the hrst va
cancy in the Council and does duty for the fnn
term of two years The Hanging Committee Is
COMPOSED of five members of the Council including
tribunals there is, understand, no formal appeal
The Council though body formed in some sense
by lot ia arbiter for the time being OF the tate OF
ali the outside artists-may reject or accept
picture az will and make or mar the
fortune of a Young artist. The most brliiaht oe-
ginner may be left in darkness while the most ene'e
of Academicans still hangs eight ifs of his Sc
nile mbecity on the line. All pictures are sent IN
anonymously and in theory are judged solely Oh
their merits. In fact the work of ali but the new
est men is known at glance, (supposng them to
he English and though nobody doubts that the
delicate task of selection is done conscientiousy 1t
would be difficult to deny that queer results are
sometimes obtained In the of foreign artists,
whose exhibits are this year considerable, some oI
tiiese results deserve special mentions
One of the pictures most looked at and talked
about is the Vaccination, of Dagnan, IN when
slightly repusive subject is treated with singular
skill The painting OF the flesh of these weather
beaten mothers is study by itself from ITS con-
tempt of the commonplace articles 50 often en-
ployed to heChten effects. These cheeks are not
bronzed red skinny smoke-dried, but hard ana
raddy with outdoor life. and firm with health
Some of this robustness of texture the de-
hrhtful little babies have inherited
and most true and tender their babyhood
is Whatever else may be said of it there are
few pictures in this exhibition, ana none
by any artist Of English birth, painted with more
curious and minute knowledge. Well, this picture
was simply rejected. The fact Of its rejection came
10 the knowledge of other artists, and they remon-
strated with the council against throwing out a !
work by Dacnan. But who is Dagnau = was the !
answer and it became necessary TO explain to the |
executive body OF the Royal Academy of Art in Great
Britain that Dsgnan one of the most eminent |
OF living french painters.
Far M on the wall of Gallery No. You may, II !
You have good eyes, spy out picture OF Eastern
life. described in the catalogue as Cairo from The
Bridge Of Kasr-en-Ni Hung as il is next TO the
cornioe of room twenty feet high, it would be rash
20 say much more than That the general effect is
Oriental and truthful, aud that the canvas has
great animation and variety. The painter, how
ever. is Belgian, Emil Waueis, OF European repu-
ta;jon lie was none the less rejected, and it does
NOT apDear that anybody on the committee had |
even beard of him. OF thought his picture deserving
Of moro than that casual glance which |
c1nsigns so many works by unknown !
hands TO outer Punishment. In his case
TOO friend ntcrvened. the picture was dragged mp
from the cellar and continued its upward Journey |
ill il found resting place, wosee, near the cell
ing. The compiler of the official catalogue further
avenged himself on the intrusive Belgian by alter
inc his name and even his sex. He is named twice |
over a" r iiy" Wauters | shOuld much like 10 |
see the experiment tried of bringing down Mi. !
Wautcrs's Cairo" and placing II by the SIDE OF |
OF the Ruth in the Field Of Boaz," by Nh j. L.
Herbert H. "A picture Of the most paltry Kind
In the seventh gallery hangs a picture by
Bouguereau painter so popular IN America thal
there can be no need of saying a word about hls
reputation French critics of the Albert Nolh sort
s,cak of him as old-fashioned and his works
as good for expectation; which IS possibly
true enough IN q sense, but does not prevent MIN
from ranking still among the most distinguished OF
one French school. " lie does" as heard q critic
saY. "at any rate all that Sir Frederick Leighton
can do, and does il better than Leighton His
contribution 10 the Academy, entitled La Mutt,
Is a full length nearly nude fe-, ale figure Of life
s;ze. Tie limbs draped but not hidden by
black veil. The pose is difficult
one the drawing iTrcproachable the flesh painting
a good example of the smooth surfaces Characters
tic Of this artist-Smooth, yet less wavy than
Jeighton's This picture is hung in a second-rato
room and not on The line. 1t occupies something
more or less than onc-sxth of the space devoted to
She inonstrous in every sense cattle piece Ia Mr.
Cooper r. A.. on the line IN Gallery No 2: less than
the space taken by the portrait of Mrs. Henry Eel
lows to winch is attached the name of Philip H.
Caldcron. Il. A.; as watery picture as can any
where be seen. Huge canyases by the dozen could
DO named, each velng. with the other IN pre-
tentious incapacity, mostly signed by X. AS which
glare al YOU from tue .host Conspicuous
spaces in the best galleries pictures which no
competent person would think worthy OF being
compared with Bougucreau's work. Yet ACCIDENT
clans have beenheard to grunble at the position al
lotied 10 the FIenchman; inferior and limited as
tits
why should foreigner be allowed in the
Academy at ALI" queried one BritOn. The ques-
ton is an explosion of spirit of iGsusr selfish
ness seldom heard outside the Academy, not often
heard IN it, not expressive of the controlling |
opinion in Burlington House expressive of nothing |