New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-01-28
THE CHRONICLE OF ARTS.
EXHIBITIONS AND OTHER TOPICS.
ATTRAcTIoNs-AN EXHIBITION bf
TWELVE AMERICAN ARTIsTs-THE MC-

NICIPAL ART sOCIETY-MURAL DECo-
RATION IN ENGLAND.
The spring Academy will be opened to the public
on Monday April Q and will be closed on saturday
May Il. Works will be received from Ihufsuay'
March 8. to Saturday. March 10, inclusive. Inc
usual Clarke. Hallgarten and Dodge prizes are an
nounced. At the Keppel Gallery an eXhipl'oh Oh
Autographs. water colors. drawings and etchings
by RaYet. the French draughtsman. will be opened
Tomorrow On Wednesday the American Art AS
ISOLATION will throw open an exhibition OF the works
OF belonging to the estate of the late George l.
Seney 1t will include all his artistic treasures MS
oils. water colors. etchings and engravings on
Thursday the water coiors by Mr. Hopkinson Smith.
at the Avery Gallery. Will be replaced by some land
scapes by Mr.. c. H. Smile. At the Fif;h Avenue
Auction Rooms there will he sold on Wednesday
and Thursday evenings some paintings now on view
and belonging to more than one owner. IT Is mis-
cellaneous collection. embracing old and modern
names. but beyond few clever pictures by Inter
berger Corcos and Madrazo. II contains nothing OF
interest The Fifth Avenue Art Galleries VIII he
the scene Of the sale next Tuesday and Wednesday
evenings OF the pictures mentioned In the next
paragraph The American Fine Arts Society con-
tinues its interesting exhibition OF Dutch and
Scandinavian paintings from the Worlds Fair. and
on February will have a special feature for the
Increase OF the shows popularity. In the shape OF
n lecture by Miss Cecilia Waern. n Swedish lady.
who has done some good journalistic work recently.
Twelve American artists have combined to make
the exhibition which Is holding at the Fifth
Avenue Art Galleries. They show altogether about
80 pictures. They 4. f. Bunner. \. y. A.:
Percival de Luce. J. H. Dolph A. y. a: w. Yer
planck Birney. John j. Hammer Stanley Middle
ton, Hamilton Hamilton. y. A.: Edward Moran. J.
Francis Murphy. y. A.: Henry 7. Smith. Robert
koehler and George II. Smile, y. \. There is a
little good work in the exhibition. Mr.. J. +. Murphy.
for example has a number Of very charming land
scapes-sincere indivluazed paintings. with as
much strength OF technique In them as there IS OF
sentiment and feeling Mr.. Hammer has several
excellent outdoor studies also. No H. RAINY Day
East Gloucester No. 40 "a Foggy Morning
Gloucester Harbor." and No. %. "Crab- Hunting"
all by him. have pleasant color and truthful at
mosphere. Mr.. Koehler's pictures. especially No.
10, "Smithy in Bavarian Highlands" and No. 49,
"Carpenter's Family" the latter an interior in
the spirit OF Ihdc or Israes. deserve notice for
their substantial workmanship and for the occa-
slonal good quality of their tone Mr.. Dolph's cats
and dogs are painted with finish and are amusing.
Two of Mr.. Mi1dleton's figure studies 40. G. Jap
anese Belle" and No. Is. "Ansoetta." may he
selected for certain ceverness of execution.
Some OF Mr. Smillics landscapes respectable.
and so, too. are some Of Mr.. Moran's marines. The
collection. as a whole however, has no nsprati
In It, 1t means chiefly clearance OF twelve studios.
and while this IS doubtless good thing for the
StuNIOS IL ~ oi Ifyvit44b butsst VI AH'l
with the greatest curiosity ana concern that al
herents Of American art must look forward to the
competition proposed by the Municipal Art Society
This public spirited organization. announced In
The Tribune few days ago wishes TO adorn at
It's own expense. the General Sessions room In the
new Criminal Courts building IL viii. In so doing
the first piece 81 mural decoration with
which a municipal building in this city VIII have
been embellished Mural painting needs almost
han Tho -
ago. 1t receives 1t in France ana nourshcs 1t
does not receive Il here but private enterprise
done something 10 foster Its growth AMI now the
Municipal Art Society comes forward In The place
OF the government. Its mlnisirat!ons should prove
even more eflcacious The terms ~ the competI-
ton are likely 10 De far favorable and stlmu-
lating than those in which the typical Alderman
would be apt 70 express his ideas The bet mr.
lists Of the city interested IN the scheme and
they keep tho matter on q thoroughly
artistic basis. Il Will then De purely question ~
the artists ability. Now. have men who can
paint crcIitahe mural decorations bit how many Of
them Will compete? VIII tho best decorator we
have. Mr.. 1afarge. have anything 70 DO with the
contest? VIII Mr.. Abbey AMI Mr.. Sargent pause
In their work for the Boston library 10 sirug-
gle for the privilege Of painting n Now York court
ROOM Whom. after those painters. have W. lcfi'
Mr. VIII H. Low. Mr. Kenyon cox. Mr. Frank
Fowler. Mr.. Frederick CrowninshlelI. MI Maynard
Mr. Dodge. Mr.. Mict. Mr. Earle and the r,st Of
the group that decorated the l0mcs and SO on at
Chicago last summer The list contains some prom
Using names. with others that mean nothing.
Doubtless the competition VIII attract many new
men who wish 10 try their hands at something
larger than cabinet picture. II is All lottery
There Is no firmly established school Of mural
painting In America 70 which the new society can
appeal But the great value Of this initial effort
will lie not alone In the actual paintings executed
for the courthouse. II Will reside also in the en-
enlargement, the impetus. given II art In general
and mural painting in particular. There is nothing
Ike precedent. With local clnce made beau
tfu by the hands Of artists Il Is odds that others
will soon show the fruits OF that example Always
providing that that example IS "A good che The
jury has delicate task before it. Upon the sound
ness OF It's judgment the future of mural decora-
ton here Tor the next decade unqucstonaby do
pends
Apropos OF the Municipal Ara Soclety's plans and
the whole question of mural painting IL is inter
estlng to read the comments Of THE London
o;lobe" on the topic as 1t IS presented by recent
events In the English capital. VIII anything
come asks this journal. "of the idea Of dccorst.
ing the ,r walls OF the Royal Exchange with fires
our public buildings should be adorned with dccora-
have ever taken any practical shape. that We may
be forgiven for doubling whether. In the present
case. there will be eventually much 10 show. No
doubt the two frescoes already promIsed-th one
which Sir +. Leighton IL to supply as "A gift, and
stoned Mr. Il. VI. Macbeth to painiI~lll in due
course be completed; but Judging by the analogy
remain for years as reproach to the empty spaces
around. II Is only necessary 10 quote the South
kensington Musesm where Sir r. Ieighton's Arts
OF Peace and Arts OF War the only repre-
sentatives OF long -prOjccted SERIES refer TO
the Houses OF Parliament. which are lamcntable
as the scene OF so many incomplete performances
and unfulhlled promises. TO prove the Significance
OF such remark: but. unfortunately there are
many other instances which II would be possible TO
adduce. There IL In our partial attempts at dccora-
ton the unpleasant suggestion that our artists
so unfit for the production of work any large
scale that when they have completed the first
samples OF the adOrnment which they propose for
some public building Indignant people rises in
protest and insists upon blank baroness as prefer
| able to their best performances. The Intelligent
foreigner would lnfalbly to this conclusion
after inspecting the hall OF the Houses Of Parla-
ment. whore Mr.. Poynter's 81. George stl awaits
the companion saints designed for the other panels
after visiting the South KcnsingtOn Museum
where lunettes destined for wall paintings are used
simply hanging spaces for incongruous odds and
ends lie would argue that nothing but a national
incapacity TO decorate could account for such dis
regard OF aesthetic opportunity. and he would point
TO the lavish use OF decoration by his ariOts
as evidence OF their possession Of powers non-ex-
istent here" We venture to add that IN. "intelI-
gent foreigner" would be quite Justified In his argu-
mcnt. England has school Of mural PAINTERS
no school that Is worth the name. Watts and
MADDOX Brown could not alone sustain the reputa-
IL, H.. fin fb.r tpArIf L. tho