New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-06-11
COLLECTION
IRON STAFF CORRESPONDENT or THE rRrBrxEl

Chicago, Juno THE difference between the
art exhibition Of the Centennial and that Of the
present Columbian celebration is the difference
between period Of narrow limitations and one
of which the boundaries have rcceded until they
can no longer he easily fixed. In 1875 the OK
tent Of American achievement in art could bt
measured without difficulty, and could the
extent Of our intercourse with foreign schools
Now there are the data in the Art Building OF
the Fair to show that besides a great deal OF
good work done in this country, there is much
more implied for the future than tho most san
guine estimate would have comprehended fifteen
years ago. II is apparent, also, that the lmpor
lance Of America in the eyes Of the world as
reflected in the magnitude of various national
exhibits, has enormously increased There are
points in connection with the foreign representa-
ton which provoke reflections less fattering than
tho above to American pride. For the present it
is sufficient to traverse the general character OF
the collection Of works Of art with which the
spacious building designed for them is crowded
TO its utmost capacity. The extraordinary bulk
of this collection is, like the size of the Fair as a
WHOLE impressive in itself The Art Building
contains 1873 rooms and alcoveS, as we'll as space
on tho ground floor in the rotunda and the courts
which stretch from the latter to the four points
OF the compass All this space is occupied.
The exhibits from Spain and Russia are not yet
ready for public inspection. They will be before
the end of the week. Elsewhere in the building
everything save an occasional picture or piece OF
sculpture is in position. II Ia in very national
way that some Of the nations have contributed to
the collection. The tone of II, In fact, in some OF
its most Important sections, is official The forces
Of Great Britain are led by Sir Frederick Leighton,
and the atmosphere which he and his colleagues
have transferred from London to Chicago is not
that Of the New Gallery or Of the Grafton, which
is newer still, but that Of the Royal Academy it.
self This leaves unintroduced to us some OF the
most progressive and indviduaNzed artists of Eng
land. In a preliminary survey the only pictures
seen which tell of the distinctly new and uncon-
ventional impulse in English art are by Wilaon
Steer. who has been affected by the impressOnism
Of Monet, and applies 1t to the treatment Of fig
urcs. and by c. W. Furse, portrait painter who
cmulates Whistler OF such men as Walter Sick
ert, VINO is an echo in England OF what Degas is
in France the British section contains no sign
But il gives good account Of such English art as
has been in its own country recognized and ele-
waited places of honor. Those places of honor
are chiefly distinguished by the initials r. A.,
which have in turn become distinguished AS the
synonyInes Of routine art. Yet an Engshman
is made one Of the forty Because Watts, Orch
ardson, Millias, Henry Moore, the late Frank
Holl and Sir Frederick Leighton have been iden-
tilted with the Academy is no reason why their
works should not give distinction, they do, to
the British exhibit. These are the strongest OF
the official chiefs Grouped around them are
csscr Acadcmicians. Briton Riviere who paints
animals in nerveless way but with nnapproach-
able finish, is one Of these. and his fellows are
figure painters ike Petite. Poynter and Dicksee.
who have virtues but not enough to have deserved
the canonization given them by tho Academy Then
come the outsiders, and among them one or two
like Swan the animal painter. are brilliant, while
Others are Of far less power without losing indl-
vduality or being reduced 10 the dull common
place Of the lowest Academic level. 1t is, on the
whole not AS good n collection as Great Britain
could have sent us, but in places, nevertheless, il
shows the country at its best.
As England has repeated a Royal Academy in
Chicago. SO has France repeated in the same
place Salon Of the Champs Elysees. That, as
must 10 everywhere known by this time, is
very different thing from a Salon of the Champs
dc-Nars The latter represents the new re-
gimc Independent Of governmental influence. The
former represents the old. and is not altogether
free from the trammcls of olicialdom. In Paris.
of all places in the world. that which is new
is least likely 10 prove the best. but In the
Gaze of tho rival salons it is heyord question
that the Younger of the two has tho more vitality
on its side II j. not plain why the adherentS
Of the Champs-de-Mars did not come in greater
numbers 10 the support Of the exhibit at Chi
cago. The management OF the latter was not
exclusively In the hands Of their antagonists.
Gcrome was president Of the jury OF admis-
sion, and Bonnat was one Of the vice presidents.
Both belong to the older clique. But Puvls do
Chavanncs. who helped found the new Societc
Rationale dies BeauN-irts. which occupies the
Champs-c- Mars. was also vicc-prcsident. lie had
colleagues too. on the jury, who were OF his
own coors There could have been no question
Of favoritism Puvis lie Chavannes himself has
sent nothing to America. To learn what one OF
the most potent Of modern French artists is do
ing il is necessary to leave the exhibit prepared
By his country and 90 TO the collection of pictures
in the United States section lent by private in
dividuas Here there are works by him. as there
are also by Dagnan-Bouvcrct, Cain. Monet and
artists, who are similarly alb
sent from their own department From the alb
srnce of the imprcssionists Of the new mystic
school of landscapists like Cain, and
Of ngnrc-paintcrs like DagnanBouveret. it
may he perceived, however, that with
the French. AS with the English. tho
aim has been 10 leave participation in our Exhibi-
ton principally to thosr who have been Officially
at home. Benjamin Constant. Boil
cuercau, Bonnat, Gcrome Maienan. all pillars Of
the old Salon, these have hcer in the van at
Chicago, and they have brought scores OF printers
from their own stratum with them. They have
not monopolized the walls. GervcX, Carolus
Duran. Ducz, Blanche, lsanaelli, Courtos and
other Champs-deM>rs mn ara represented. But
rs will he shown later, these artists through the
smallncss of their number and through their
failure in some cases T. send enough work, do
not set the measure. To speak Of ahsenteeism
ipropos Of any Of the National exhibits in the
Art Building might seem equivalent to criticisng
a collection for that which it is not instead OF
Tor that which it is, "a method susceptible OF un-
fair employment This however, Is unavoidable
when the first question asked Of each collection