The morning news., 1889-05-19
AMERICA's EXHIBIT.

Ihe American exhibit, it must be admit
ted, is entirely creditSble to national pride
II taken comparatively and not from the
artists way Of examining a canvas. There
are in all 54l oils, the subjects being fairly
divided among landscapes, figures, por-
TRAITS, marine views, cattle and descriptive
and decorative works. Artists, who study
in Holland and finish their work in Paris,
stand at the head Of the foreign residents.
Americans, who study everywhere and
paint at home, are not inferior to
TO these IN any intrinsic virtue.
SO far as the present collection
or American works is fair test no better
work is seen here than Chase's. No more
successful portrait is exhibited, although
those of Sargent compel admiration by
their force aud audacity, than Wyatt
Eaton's of Mrs. Glider. There is no land
scape equal in sentiment and feeling to a
solitary work by George Inness. But with
a country of unsurpassed scenery. with
moral history deep enough to afford
that ideal prospect essential to art
and with incidents to inspire legitimate
scenic ambition, the American exhibit may
te said to be devoid of national self-respect
Our artists are unable to discriminate be-
tween parish and a nation. Our painters
VIII become parochial if they undertake to
be national. Every other country pro-
claims to the assemblages of persons who
gather here from all quarters of the globe
that 1t has national story, a ma
tlonRl landscape and moral elevation. We
show for sculptu and history of one
war St Gauden's portrait of Gen. Sher-
man. For the moral and brutal side OF the
same epoch we have Hovendon's John
Brown" and for the colonial period Walter
MacEwen's admirable "Stadhouss in new
Amsterdam For another portion Of our
c crI0 0~iO So
nately for our national aid 'Ths Quadroon. y
by George Fuller, the first American
painter who did not find it necessary
TO ALLEVIATE either his heart or
his brush, and whose beautiful
work, modest and characteristic, but rich
in color and sumtuous in tone, will make
every American feel a little better after
seeing the full abject submission of SO many
Of our ablest men to the dominance in
them, as well as in the craft in even the
best of schools, Of ths grammar Of
their art. American painters are the peers
of our best writers, but there is not among
them the spirit Of lofty and courageous
serene and living Americanism correspond
ing to the character given to our literature
by Longfellow, Ha wthorne, Holmes, Whit
tier and Lowell Yet the very material
which has stamped their productions at
once with permanent fame and national
character is peculiarly suitable for pictorial
art.
WOMEN'S WORK.
Some of the strongest work on the walls
is that of women, especially in the Holland
exhibit, but the relative total of women's
progress in art is not imposing Although
IN execution her status is excellent, in i'm
agination or creative force she is practically
without position. In the French exhibit Of a
total of 532 artists in all, only twenUy-seven
are women, and Of these only three can be
said to show creative force. One is sister of
Rosa Bonheur, another is Virginie Demont
Fremont, whose artistic instinct, like
Bonheur's, is direct inheritance. All
others are represented by portraits or still
life, or other initiative or decorative forms
of art.
In total of 272 exhibits Of sculpture
twelve of the exhibitors are women. Only
one shows original creative work.
Among ia exhibitors Of water colors.
charcoal sketches, pastels and porcelalns
twenty-nine are women.
Among 200 exhibitors of engravings and
Autographs fourteen are women. None of
them exlbit original work.
MARGARET F. SULLIVAN,