New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-15
ART AT TEE WORLDS FAIR.
TX
THE LOAN EXHIBITION OF MASTER
PIECES BY FOREIGN ARTISTS.

EDUCATIONAL POSSIBILITIES IN THE PICTURES
At CHICAGO-TnE NEED OF A STANDARD
OF CRITICISM-nOw 1T Is NOT PRO
vIDED by THE GALLERIES IN
WHICH IT i EXPECTED
ORION STAFF COMPLEMENT OF THE rRnr.xr)
Chicago. June 29.-liy raising the popnlar
standard Of TASTE and by giving impetus 70 the
development Of professional education, the art eN-
hl5tIon at Philadelphia at the time Of the Cen.
tcnnial most earned its right to be remembered
\ knowledge Of what constituted good art was
then much Of an exotic a. the ability to pro-
duce it, The American section in the Art Bdild-
ING here is the conclusive proof Of how things have
been changed in this country. Now there is an
American school with large American cOnstit-
ucncy, and an intelligent, spontaneous artistic
sympathy Is not absent from the foundations Of
either. Such sympathy. however docs not per
mcatc all American civilization, and although we
have advanced far. the ist point to be con-
sid"rcd in connection with this international eX-
hbtion remains the same as that which pre-
scntcd itself most urgently upon the earlier oc-
ca>ion The collection in the Art Building is Of
d. character 70 give pleasure Will the aftermath
among the people Of the United States be benc-
fetal In proportion TO the magnitude Of the en-
hibtion? Time alone answer that question,
but it is one which enters largely into an analysis
/ of the situation.
The chief anxiety Of those who regard the
artistic side Of the Fair with concern is not
that it may he amusing but that il may
leave the mass Of Americans whose homes lie
apart from the centres of information with more
exact knowledge of the position Of each nation
in the scale OF modern achievement, and with
SI1rncnp1 Of ris nd i1fio
National pride need not plume itself upon the in
crease of culture in our great cities and nattrr
itself that powers Of discrimination are common
few hours IN the Ant Building are all that is
requisite 10 lower it, crest. One of the favoritc
pictures in the exhibition, 10 Judge from the
numbers who pause before il and from their
Mandatory EXCAVATIONS. Is n hit Of domestic genre
by Philadelphia artist who marches far IN the
rear Of the American school. The success of this
mcdiocrity and Of others like him is not without
H. humorous side. 1t i largely through their
Influence that "A low view prevails in many
quarters and that the galleries again AMI again
rsound to the most comica uttoranccs But
this only dcrpcnS the regret that the exhibition
should be marked by A. many Deficiencies rs have
been indicated in the examination of the various
national sections
TIE TEXTURE NEEDED
For those who can make the Necessary cor
rcctions II j. not matter Of serious moment that
certain countries should De- na1c1utcly repro
-cntod 70 them il means chiefly qualification
Of their enjoyment. To the unniiatcd il means
the creation of falls" impression and the erection
of IN imperfect standard of criticism 1t was
much - be desired that some tombstone would
D." provided by III" management There could have
been more usclu! adjunct TO the exhibition than
all an -Drie ,f rD .ri.s utrlp of
the most distinguished painters of Europ" GATHERED
together therein. By exercising the ,cvcrcst crit
ci~n and excluding every picture offered not actu-
ally ma~;,ry collection of rcfcrrnc" mi .ht haV"
been formed 10 which the public might hay"
turned To- - text book. person unfamiliar
with French or Spanish or Italian art and aSsum
h ing, ~ in IL" circumstances he naturally would
that those nations had sent their hcst the Fair
could then 90 10 III" gallery of honor. AMI in
the light u An authoratiy" demonstration by
conn rtcnt committee OF selection. confirm r."
vie his impressions.
II j. possibly tn" belief OF tho managers Of tn"
Fair that some such scheme ~ thi, has been
carried ont in the nllin! Of three rooms in the
Am r.~an section with loan collection Of foreign
masterpieces" ~ a matter of fact il has been
only partially accomplished. This collection has
Introduced a serious flaw into the exhibition, for
il is not a collection OF masterpieces solely, bur
one in which masterpieces and quite ordinary
works of art are mingled - tho utter confusion
Of the uniformed uclodcr 1h"-" are Strons
words But when II j. recalled that the tit" OF
the collection and iii" claims which have been
made for II would seem to sanction III" great
, public unused 10 Ill" testing of pictures in adj
nsting their rule of criticism to that of the Fair
il will be admitted that strong words per
Missile. II j. 70 small matter th1t picture 10y
Van Beers or Fantn-I1tour or l"febvr" should
he offered n a masterpiece 10 the inspection of
persons incapable Of discerning the gross absurliy
Of the thing Since the loan coll"ctio1 is mad"
up Of paintings in oil it is cypcdicnt TO review it,
contents briefly before passing 10 th" works IN
other mediums which complete the exhibition in
the Ant Building.
THE FEATURE PROVIDED
The loan collection is In III" first place t">ti-
mony 10 the grasp which frcncn art has upon
the Imagination of the American collector Forty
five Of the siNtv-two men whose pictures liSHr"
on the walls belong to France. They may b"
divided into three groups. First there are the
paintcrs who began 10 rcvolutioni2c landscape.
and 10 affect figure painting also, more than hall
a century ago After them come the impressions
ISIS The third group il composed, not Of I'll"
members Of one school, hut of miscellaneous
hand RANGING from ,;rcnzc and lnercs To N'ls-
sonicr and CarouS-Duran. II IL plcaSinter 10
dwell upon the beauties OF an exhibition hrHt'
and nothing further need he said Of IN" draw
backs 10 the loan collection until the 'aufhrn'I'
attractions Of the latter have been touched upon
They are strongest in the division of the French
representation presided over by Corot Among
the twelve pictures by that master there are thr''
large landscapes which are finely Characteristic
Of him. One is the majestic and famous or
plansT The second is the great Evening" OF
the late Mr. Gouds collection. The last whl'h
takes its title Of the Shrimp Fisher from
figure sealed with due subordination to III" ha'ur"
motives in the scene, is less brilliant thah '''I'rr
nf is counsuion. hut il quite H. rich n thcN ar"