The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1885-08-14
ODDITIES IN ART.
A COLLECTION OF cARlcATURES ON
EXHIBITION IN BOSTON.
Reaching the Heights Of Realism Turn
er's '.slave ship'--FestivaIs Of the
''zigzas Coterie''-A Big show OF
Extravagant Caricatures.
tCor Brooklyn Eagle I


picture exhibitions was the display Of Carl
cature, in Boston. This was not collection
of caricatures Of men or events, but piece
Of genial satire on art itself Painters are
quick to detect whatever Is individual In o
mans art and by exaggerating his charac-
teristics it II easy 10 -proauce caricaturo -
Oddities OF subject, peculiarities Of drawing,
the use OF tone and color afford themes
enough for those delicate pretenses Of imita-
tion that young painters of ability are apt
In evolving. And, as between wit and mad
ness, so between picture and caricature thin
partitions separate that which makes one
noble and the other ridiculous Under
names like ~. J. Anything" and ~. NJ
Gaugandsmile"- Of Enneking and
Gaugengisl-t these young Bostonians pre-
sented series of clever taksoffs for public
inspection. A "Still Life" by Emil Snarl-
son." exhibited group of glasses and black
bottles, together with fish and lemons; and
the height Of realism was reached in ap-
pending real herring and lemons to the
frame and canvas, SO that they hung out Of
the picture and streamed over table.
Turner's 4Slave Ship" always Legitimate
subject for ridicule, showed the usual to-
mato colored sea with iron rings and other
ponderous objects floating on the surface, as
In the original Bastien Lepage's Joan Of
Arc" figured as the ultimate Of the paint.
er's ideal. A slight change turns her into o
washerwoman, and the vision that she sees
through the back Of her head. appearing
like outline puzzles amid the branches and
foliage, are clothes hung out to dry in the
little yard. The media employed in the pro-
duction OF the pictures are oil, water color,
charcoal, mucilage, hair, old fish, dried
"A Irxro ofh has nj nd
It is said that while the want Of feeling flor
the c..ricatured ones) is deplorable, the tech.
nique is masterly The righteousness Of the
show is empha' sized by . sumptuous setting
Of rugs, flowers, brio -a-brac, screens, dra-
peries and divans,
The catalogue Is amusing, and the adver-
tisements are the choicest part Of it Some
Of them read thus: "A lady who paints for
her own amazsment will take few pupils
in the same speciality" @An art student
whose health will not permit him to study
between meals, desires to abandon art and
become a critic" 1An artist who has suf-
fered many years from an infamsd palette,
desires to state that he has been entirely
cured by the use Of a preparation Of btu.
men. Sold only by the stick, like glue"
There Is no harm in this fooling and the
artists who are rsputed to bs angry at being
carticatured are foolish In manifesting their
displeasure.
The pupil of well known landscape
painter, q young men Of wealth and leisure,
who belongs to clubs and all that sort of
thing, but who has dash Of the
Bohemian in him, inaugurated some
years ago q series Of annual 3jam-
borees," known as the festivals of the
@Zigzag Coterie"-the term "zigzag" having
evidently been applied as significant of tho
effect of similar celebrations on the home
ward gait Of the participants In the mid
die Of the room stood a hat-shaped bath tub
filed with ice, and pointing outward in all
directions from the rim, like guns frowning
over the ramparts Of a fertilization were
magnums of champagne. Two speciality
artists from Tony Pastors In burnt cork
and preposterous striped shirts, were jing-
ling the banjo and rattling the bones, and
leading Off in popular songs, in the choruses
Of which their audience joined. On table
was round Of msliiauous fromage do Brie,
plate of schmeerkase, hard tack and long
stemmed pipes On this fund Of Joy the
company made liberal demands, and, what
sver private jealousiss or differences they
may have entertained before the show be-
.au. they left the building loyal brother
hood.
The unique feature Of tho occasion was
the display of caricatures like those lately
exhibited in Boston, nearly all the artists in
the ibuilding contributing. There were
Turner's Of amazing fire and fury; Corots so
loose and vaporous that written explana-
tions Of the objects were appended; battle
scenes in which the entire scene was con-
cealed in smoke; landscapes in Curriers'
style, with trees as stiff and regular as tele-
graph poles surmounted by brooms; still
life pieces in imitation Of Chase, painted
with towel; Munich pictures, with notices
annexed, Offering prizes to the one who
could tell which side was to be hung up
ward; portraits in exaggeration Of the
styles Of certain artists, and Venetian pict-
ures In Bunce's manner, that resembled can.
vases on which somebody had unexpect-
sdly seated himself, causing the eruption of
half dozen Of bad eggs by SO doing.
Hanging above the pictures was q plaster
head Of Ajax, made CHASTITY by painting the
nose q lurid vermilion and tho eyes Jet
black. This reconstructed antique was
.absled @Bootjax defying the Jsr ey Light
ming" The festivals Of the Zigzags were
several times rspainted, with q bigger
show of csrioatures each time, and greatly
augmented feed and attendance. At last
the thing expanded so that it became nsces.
on hand to furnish entertainment, and 90 to
much expense for decorations and supper.
That destroyed the spontaneity and reck.
less charm Of the thing and it was given
over. ' ..'...