New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-05-18
ART NEWS AND COMMENTS.
THE WEEK IN ART CIRCLES.

The ffty-nintb annual exhibition OF the Natonal
Academy Of Design closed last evening with sales OF
pictures amounting about $500 at catalogdePr
This the smallest total since the exhibition Of 1880
For obvious reasons the results Of the last two weeks
have proved disappointing In the extreme The Academy
receives nearly $1,000 iron the sale OF lo,OOO single
and 800 season tickets, and 900 ea,aognes oo I%
The pictures sold since the last time OF writing are
Making an Acquaintance z; A. Moore, S3g,E i" In
Scelv s25: Fruit w. n. Brown, $500; and Take
your Choice Widgery Griswold 800.
Last wear the sales Of the Academy exhibition
amounted to over 10000 and the receipts from tho
sale Of catalogues, 1900 single and 300 season
tickets about $1,000. In 1857, iZo pc'me'
we're sold for $40 600 and 6, 700 catalogues, $4,000
ain ole and 500 season tickets found purchaser Inc
largest amount was reached in 1881, when To pic
lures brought s42s3S and the other sales CONSISTED
81 90 600 single and 800. season tickets ana I,oOO
catalogues In 1850 the sales Of pictures amounted
ycvIars are issued for the autumn exhibition Of tho
Academy, which will open Monday November s.
closing on Saturday November 70 WORKS WI ne re-
ceived at the Academy from Wednesday OctoOsr ID
70 saturday the 18TH inclusive City lists OF pictures
should be to the secretary OF the Academy on or
before the 18th OF OCTOBER Vanishing e"5 WIZ w
Friday, October 81.
The Salmagundi Sketch Club have leased the gal.
leries of the Academy for their seventh annual ex'
hibton from December 10 10 December 70. Circulars
and blanks with full information viii be ready ana
mailed to all artists early In October
was placed on exhibition in the gallery Co.
ON Thursday 1t IL over two years since the artist re-
ceiyed his commission from Mr- Robbins Battell and
during that time he has occupied himself faithfully ana
conscentously with the subject in winch ne mas ie,,
strong personal interest MI hoVenaen nas ILL
Captain Avis, John Browns iailer and gathered la,
formation from members OF the Jefferson Guards Oh
Charlestown Va who guard at the JAIL on tbe
| day of the execution, shown in this picture by
curious coincidence the building at Plymouth Meeting
Penn used by the artist his studio, was, In antDc
ium days a station of the famous underground rail-
way" by which many slaves were helped 70 freedom,
From Mo Houenden has gathered many S.
| full hints. OF the various portraits OF brown when no
| has studied one of the most useful was photograph
| loaned by DR.. FuTniss, Of Philadelphia. an extract
| from THE NEw-YoRK TRIBUNE OF November D,
/ 1859, describing Browns appearance az ne energe1
from the JAIL helped the artists decision TO soften
somewhat the harsh features OF his subject ana " I'M
part an expression genter than Is usually seen In the
portraits and betting the occasion. In bis inquiries
| Mr Hoyenden found the tradition preserved of The
TRIBUNE correspondent who risked bis life to be res
ent before aud at the execution and "hO eseaPeu uo
lection because he young that he was taken To
be mere boy and suspected Of being the author
| of the letters to fHE TRIBUNE n
| Mr. Hovenden has chosen the nSnehi Wheh DIo"p,
descending the steps of the Jail on his way to ne
gallows Eaused to kiss negro child In its mothers
| arms. The brown suit and carpet slippers worn oy
the old horO az well the rope around his neck, nave
been ascertaned by the artist to be historically correct.
| The cords pinioning the arms barely allow tne ei,
hand 70 grasp the railing, while the right Is eNehed
I'm gesture full of pathos. Browns head Is slightly
thrown back and the face therefore little foreshor
eued The white beard against which the round black
head of the negro child stands boldly out and the up
right of gray hair serve as accents Dut IL seems
that something more Is needed AZ tne lel " . tio
behind is the sheriff with the warrant his acton
expressive of astonishment at the scene and armed
citizens, good Southern types crowd inc doOTT%@y;
soldiers on each side OF the passageway keep back the
excited crowd of negroes, mulattoes and whites; On
the left bruallookng guard tlrusts back With the
butt of his musket cringng colored man who tae,ei
hat in hand, pleads for permission to approach ms
woudbe saviour. Acoalblack negro boy an excellent
ype, thrsts his head forward beyond the guard ana
there are other minor actors in this stirring scene
1t is evident that Mr. HOyenden has been thoroughly
in earnest and that this has been 10 him serious WORK
A. such it should be recognized for ambitious and IN
tegent attempts to portray scenes IN American his.
tory are too rare to pass unnoticed. What the artist
has aimed at is present faithful record on scene
which, take IL all in all was perhaps the most ena-
aoteIistic in the life of John Brown This Is not an
imaginative work. not especially suggestive picture
in the emotional artistic sense but rather an nteec
tua effort at transcription, plain AngoSaxon, rather
than French The difficulty OF rendering the actors APP
parenty unconscious has been too much for the artist
to overcome, which is not surprising n OF CON
seriousness HIS hsHes nave the pos piaSt.ao9' "a. ds
their statncsqueness may be termed tor lack OF oGer
phrase The figure of Brown and that OF the crouehing
negro the LETT haye been more happily rendered than
| tho others. Mr. HOyenden has been handicapped by
the necessity of painting all his picture III the fore
ground and the absence of any relief afforded by dis
lance gives slight effect of fatness. The general lines
OF the composition converge toward the chei and cen
tral figure that OF Brown bat IL that this figure
| should have been more fully accented either by
|
As It is the soldier on tho left with his vivid blue mi
form gaudy stripes and cheyrOn. is prominent as 70
distract attention from the leading motive Of the pic
ture. His musket and bayonet form rigid unpleasa ant
line diagonally across the canvas which objectionable
because overc0nspIcuOus and harsh as wei, although
the artist would say that ii 70 break the vertical
lines OF the upright figures In noting the lines of per
specye those OF the horizontal beams the roof OF tho
wooden porch euIi0usly at fault. There Is ex-
Gel painting upon the figures. and the artist has
evidently bestowed upon each OF his models quite as
! rs Y
Perhaps the picture suffers from the fact that al the
subordinate characters rendered with much care
full effort the figure of Brown himself has received.
Certainly the impression given might be more strongly
felt # the paistakng labor OF the artist were less OBJ
vious The picture IS painted in high key the walk
| in the immediate foreground showing hOeraI use 81
French grays No important picture than this
has been brought forward this year, and Dir Hoven-
denis work is entitled to tho large share o popular LII
| tercst WHICH no doubt it will receive.
The Art Union for April just received, attributes
tardy appearance to the delay caused by the intro.
ducton front'pIece Of an artotype reproduction u
M. Belstadts painting Rocky Mountain Sheep"
The reading matter, which is less 10 quantity than
usual includes articles upon the Academy and Inncss
exhibitions, London etter, communications upon the
art tariff, sketch Of the late George Fuller and
paper upon A New Southern Art MuseIn' the Telir
Academy az savannah, Georgia Ii appears that the
old IeltaT mansion and large OF money leti
to the Geo gi Historical Society by the daughter Of
former GOlerno OF the State 10 be used IN the estaD
| >hment Of Academy Of Arts and Sciences Mr..
Gail L. Brandt the director. has spent the last year in
Europe selecting examples of japanese art ne tho Am
stedam exhibition, pictures aud tapestry paintings By
Schaudolph at hunch statues at Vienna, casts from
the Vatican sculptures at Rome and from the statutry
in the National Museum at Naples, including the
Fauese Bull, woOdcarymgs at flolence casts from
statues in the Louvre; and IN England. casts from the
Lgin marbles. Mr. Brandt purchased paintings 10y
Braith, Iugcl, Brutt. Oestcrly, Won Mail Rondui,
Kaufman and Hacker among others. The schools ai
this Academy will open practicable, and they
certainly have before them wide leld Of usefulness
The London correspondent Of The Art Union"
vyrifaat This IN no the last Voar Of