New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-03-31
ART NEWS AND COMMENTS.
rHr WEEK m ART CIRCLES.
sA,ra AT THE AoADrMY-ARr NEWS HERE AND
ABROAD

m. ,.ooy arrangement OF the Academy galleries
,,,A N keen most of yesterdays visitDrs from ap'
urecstng tho strength and variety Oh the oAipl,.on
Academy exhibitions have usually had dennle ona.
acter recognizable ct FIRST but the pfesent
demands more careful examination. IL Is lmplop'
abIe mat any Academy exhibition has offered an
equally important display Of portraits and
Tho pleu air. school IS aptfy illustrated IN .he o.
ce,ls1t work Of Mr.. Amanda Brewster 6ewel, MT
sercf and several Others. No Academy exhibition
has lad so much @light and afr" and few nave onoiou
40 many serious efforts at deal' ngiro WORK Iiine
s needed 10 discover the merits OF the exniDon' Ou'
the private Wow OF yesterday seemed long enough W
cnlt the interest Of tho visitors. The artists are
likely 10 be Of various opinions. One OF the youn 80!
men saw in the exhibition the last gun OF the oo
school, Another might argue from pictures IN inc
south and east rooms that tho "old schooF was eas'
serting Itself But It IS true that this exn'Dluon
does mean the continuance Of change. Inc wofK OF
somo OF the older men is nearly done. Their pictures
are no longer subjects for discussion for serious as
eussbn would be difficult without seeming brutality.
But The change noted IN this exhibition ana IN ths'
of ast year is an inevitable one and IL means gen
eral advance In technique at least, even houHn inc
earntnoss and fidelity Of the veterans remain unsur
passed Yet it is one OF tho Older painters George
InneS. who has painted tho picture OF tho exhonon'
But no ono thinks Of Innesss age.
Another Important work. the largo painting In
the Hands Of the Enemy" which has evidently cost
Mr. Hovenden 50 much thought and time and patient
labor was sold yesterday TO Mr.. Robbins Batten' tne
purchaser Of Mr.. HovcDden's John Brown mo
price was announced as 90 60o and the sale is cor
taInly noteworthy NominAlly at least, tho picture
was sold IN the Academy for price possibly never
before paid at an Academy exhibition. moreover
tho subject was neither landscape nor pure genre out
sem-histoncal 1t is simply lack OF announcement
which has killed American historical painting ana
driven so many artists from the grand style or
really serious art to comparatively inoonsequential
experiments with storytelling or color alone. NO
doubt very few could ever deserve distinction In the
full meaning of the word, but they should have tho
opportunity For tho opportunities which ne has Iur-
nished Mr. Batteu deserves credit II 1t is riie mat
"A Is considering the establishment Of small gallery
of American historical art at his homo In Norfolk
Conn., the results will be awaited with great interest
Among other paintings sold yesterday were Au
ttnnns IT, Bolton Jones, $500; Harmony" Hamilton
Hamilton, e75o; "a Bit of Venice Burr IL Nichols,
500: Pride Of the Yard,' Mrs. ). r. Murphy, $50;
ssprinnimsp J. Jolly. $50; The PottorIP George
De Forest DruSh 81 900; solitaire MuSicale,' j. D.
Chalfans, $500, and Long Island Home" MIS- j. y.
Murphy, 900.
Tho exhibition Of whIstlers "notes' at the Wun-
aeriieh xalIery win close next week The members
Of the Pastel Club have not decided finally upon tho
time or place Of their exhibition, but It WIN prob
ably be held in April and presumably at this saiiery'
A eonoeton Of nineteen watcrcoiors by Mr. Robert
nurns wilson may be seen at the gallery OF hossrs'
RIaerner A Co. For the most part these arc studies
Of Kentucky, hills, Toadways forests and
uplsnds ON the edge Of the blue grass country
A few pictures represent effort at IDEAL treat
uacnts Of the figure. IL Is evidently tho sentiment
which the artist has felt IN those scenes that nc
has eudoayored TO express in pictorial form, but the
imperfect knowledge Of tho medium VIII probably
cause most vIsto to prefer the verses accompanying
he plet,rea Doubtless Mr. wilson's work In water
eoors is Of great interest to his friends, but public
exhibition, with a formal Catalogue and invitations
cannot DO called judIcious.
Mr.. william sohans sends catalogue Of tho Dun
can eoilsetion Of London which Is to BE- sold at the
Hotel prouot, on April IS I would be interesting 10
know the recent history Of the "Dlmcan collection
OF London for some Of the pictures arc hoso
which were exhibited BY NJ. Dnrand'Rnei
and the American Art Association at tho Academy
OF Design only years AZ that time most Of the
pictures were said 10 belong 70 pri-ste owners.
perhapE an Duncan was one OF tho NnerS, but,
considering the consequence Of tho pictures, his
private collection must have been an extraordinary
one Delacrul1's "Amcndc HOnOrable,4 painting
Of great distinction and HIS vast sardAnapalus' arc
both included. Tho latter viii be remembered as
pIctura Of much hiStc-~al interest on account It's
reception In tho salg of 1897, where this declaration
OF romanticsm was attached by the cassolsts almost
a. bitory as GePlcsulps "Mcdusa' uenners
Fnlornca in the Duncan collection win DO recalled
ss the large picture ut the west end of the south
gallery in the Academy In the same gallery were
two large upright landscapes by Rousseau painted as
decorative panels hur the house Of Prince Demidof,
hut pantcd In tho artists later PERIOD Ike the land
scape in the Davis collection, when his powers were
waning. 1t was Lbvy's Diana Surprised which
WIS shown at tho Academy, but the Diana Surprised
in tho Duncan collection 10 by Lefevre study VI
greyhounds by GeTeme, and paintings py Mehn'
and pueE are among the uJrty-three SCI down IN
the catalogue Tho sale offers another opportunity
10 obtain the aAmoads HonorablsH for this, country
According 10 n. Henri Rocheiort, who has been
describing sales at tie Hotel Drouot in "GalEnans
Messengers these auction rooms are dangerous places
for the unwary. Every gentleman who strays IN
side this ugly building should know that In nine cases
out OF ten ~ he ventures 10 bid for an article put up
Cor sale Il Is the owner Of that article who pus against
him. There is nothiRg to distinguish the owner nom
tho rest Of those In nc crowd He VIII take UP the
article like any one else, look at II attentvey, put
Il down. again ask to see II, and scrutinEe u as u
he had never seen Il before IN his ne AIer ms
sham play no WIN k goo S rT Sna t b S or as long
he thinks he can DO 80 without iSo peru ap AMI sboT and
| tho article is knocked down To YOU
Concerning the purchase Of pictures or curiOslties,
NJ. Roehefort repeats that tho buyer must BEWARE
"The fact sn be says, that dealers 10 general are
sorry lot of rogues Their speculatons IN pictures
arc Just as tricky as Epecustions IN stocks. Ihey
get up corners, they run up prices and form nngs
they let each other In and they lot the public IN Win
\ a barefaoodness that is simply astounding. when
painter Is in the hands of dealer his pictures arc
quoted at given price They arc worth so much Or
nothing. II picture, matter how inferior, passes
second time through the Hotel prouot ana o0es nov
fetch the prearangcd price, 10 goes PACK noio Wv
| asalep,s ,eanernaum,, where he piles up his
/ stock in trades NJ Roehefort considers that inc
Americans have done moro than the French 70 prop
| agate AN excessive admiration of modern pictures,
It cannot be too widely published, for the benent Oh
this class that than half the pictures ana A1o.
| signed Fromentin arc by Paul Delaman, an artist
who studied Algeria before Fromenun, ana whose
sketches and studies were bought up At hs deata an
nroparcd by the dealers. Numbers OF pictures siRneu
Jules Dupre arc by Victor Dupre, only the doae nave
Eieked the signature. VI pictures ny Diez .nste "a
| the Hue HOnhpafUs hnu