Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-02-13
THE EXHIBITION.
Opening of the Loan Exhibttion-A Spec
tacle af Beauty.

tacle ef Beauty.
The Loan Exhibition at the E Is. Croker
Art Gallery, conducted by the Ladies Mu-
scum Association, an Executive Committee
of eleven ladies being in charge, opened last
evening very auspiciously, About 800 per-
sons attended 1t is within the mark to
say that they were pleased and surprised;
all of them expressed themselves in the
warmest terms commendatory of the ex
hibition. San Franciscans present were
open in saying that it surpaSses IN beauty
snything OF the order ever held in that
city. A fine orchestra played in the exhi-
bition hall, concert music from 7:30 to $50,
and then the lecture room for danCing until
1870. The people visited every floor of
the building, but many left the picture gall
leyies only TO return again and again.
These galleries have not been lighted since
March. 1885, In the meantime the pictures
have been rehung. aud the statuary
put it, and the whole appearance Of the
gallery changed by the reaojustment, and
scores of pictures are now examined as II
wholly new additions, the rehanging bring
ing them as a revelation.
The main hall and library contain the
exhibits. These are about 5000 in num-
her, and are of surprising richness and ex-
quisite beauty. Il is not the purpose this
morning to enter upon q description of
these articles, but they will be noticed il
detail. 1t must suffice TO say that they are
such as will probably not again be grouped
in Sacramento in tEenty years. Most of
them cannot be seen in stores and the vast
majority are from private collections, upon
which hundreds of thousands of dollars
and from fifteen to twenty-five years have
Inl
painting The Driving of the Last Spike
all the evening had a large crowd of admirers
in front of it. It's historical value is more and
more developing, and ten years from now il
will be regarded of priceless value because of
the relation it has to State development.
The Paris salon medal picture, .'Circe," shown
in the main hall, is q great attraction, but to
say that it is due to vulgar estimate of the
nude in art, is not true Probably there are
gross people who cannot conceive Of the human
figure representing the finest lines and greatest
beauty the hand OF nature has fashioned But
a statue or painting nom the hands or a true
artist that is not intended to address lascivi US
taste cannot be interp eted as vicious, except
by those who cannot look upon beauty at any
time but to lust after it. "Circe" is the nude
in art but its genuine merit lies in its art aside
from the subject treated. 1t is a study of the
human form that proves the artist 10 be one of
skill. II is not q great work in the sense of
greatness among paintings, but is by no means
one of the lesser works. nor one of mediocre
order, and in truth comes close up to the line of
y
picture in the exhibition, ard coldly chaste
enough for an iceberg critic, is The Tempter,N
by Carpenter, an exquisite conception, and
remarkably fine example of artistic feeling.
One case in the exhibition contains 81 900
worth OF lace, another % 900. Some OF The
cases are bowers of loneliness ii delicate hand
work and the mastery skill of craftsmen Some
have rare old antiquities, some wonders III
wares and others rich collection of bronze
and metal worked goods. But not half the
classes can be now noticed The free omnibus
lzrac tyraa aurar los faiar
freely availed OF. The night was so beautiful,
however, that many preferred on the return TO
walk, and this disappointed the car company,
which held late cars. The exhibition opens to-
day at 10 a. NJ and by the way, the day light
is the time for close examination of the delicate
and wonderfully fine exhibits in the cases. 1t
closes at p NJ. 1t reopens at $50 and closes at
1920 P. NJ. Concert music up stairs in the even
ing to $50. Dancing in lower hall 9:30 to 1870.
The management runs a free omnibus from
the west side of Third street at to the Gallery
every few minutes, beginning at 7:30, and re-
turns guests to the cars free also. The admiS-
sion to the whole building with all its treasures
of art and curiosity, the cabinets on the lower
floor, the museum collections, the loan exhib-
its and the four art galleries is but 25 cents and
for children in day but 10 cents. Anywhere
else but Ia liberal he arted Sacramento such
wonderfully beautiful and instructive exhibit
ton would be placed at 81 ticket. The ladies
, announce so much for so small fee that their
exhibition is by many thought to be cheap
who have not yet seen it: Tonight Professor
concert music: Opening march, " Leader"
| Catlin; overture, Devotion TO Art" Gumbert;
| concert waltz, Santiago solo. for clarionet,
| Concert Aria" performed by William J. Flan-
| nigan; medley selection, Dudes OF So Boett-
| ger; eoncert gayotte, Circus Rentz; melody
in F. Rubenstein; galop, Bon Soir.''
| Mrs. Z. B. Croker came up from San Fran
] cisco TO attend the exhibition, and was last
night greatly pleased witness to its successful
| opening.
| A New York business man of prominence
visiting the exhibition last night waxed ex-
eeedingly warm in his praise of it. and said the
people of Sacramento ought to realize that they
| have in the art gallery a treasure of which any
| city might well be proud. He declared to
/ large group of Saeramentans that such an in
stitution, for its educating and refining influence.
would in any Eastern city be hailed as an in
estimable blessing. He declared also, that as
man OF the world and much travelled, he was
| more than surprised at finding such an institu-
/ tion in a far Western city.
Edgar Mills, of San Francisco, visited the ex-
| hibition yesterday afternoon and expressed
great pleasure and much surprise at what he
saw. He was one of the earliest Patron mem
| bers of the California Museum Association.