The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1896-11-29
THE NATIONAL ACADEMY.
zHsEzLI sx EXHIBITION oFPICrUREs
werts or Ola Acquaintance. and or New.

NHN y - NNS -haSA hNAN
envy of Design will show that the works in the
galleries have In great part been contributed by
hrtista who arc not on the Academy's list of
membership. Including seven works of sculp-
ture, for which. IL may hs said In passing, no
word Of praise can be given. ~notNoven by stretch
Ing a point for aminbility's sake. there are $40
works in the exhibition. Only twenty three Of
the eiRhty-eight Academicians and sixteen of
the thirty-nine associates send pictures. These
thirty-nino men are represented by seventy
two works. 30 that very nearly four-1fths
Of tho exhibition Is made by outsiders. The
conclusion must DO that many OF tho Acad-
pmicians and associates are Indifferent to
the showing made by their institution
In tho autumn, for no such disproDortion can
be noted at the spring exhibitions. 1t would
pesm, under suoh oonditions-and the apathy
here mentioned has prevailed in other years rs
we'll as this tho painters who are prone to
complain OF hard-hearted juries would be eager
10 take advantage of the free space in the Acad-
pmy's galleries. That they have not done so,
that o comparatively small number OF works
VAS sent in this year. and that they were not Of
high average quality, are facts which may be
explained by one of two suppositions: Either
The artists are doubtful OF the advantage of ex-
oibiting at this season of the year, or they are
tending their pictures elsewhere. 1t is probable
That the catalogues Of the exhibitions at Chi
pago. Pittsburgh, st. Louis, and PHILADELPHIA
would furnish pieces d CONNECTION in arriving
" q judgment. In addition to works
exhibited last spring in New York, many
new pictures painted during the summer
have been or will be sent to out-of-town shows.
Prizes, medals. and purchasing funds seem to
be potent attractions. Shall w then have to
besttr ourselves to see that our pictures are not
taken from us by more enterprising citiesf 1t
will be a pretty piece of business IL New York.
where almost all of tho American artists of
ability who live in the United States reside,
becomes the centre for foreign art and the
F. country towns" become the capitals of the
native school. The American artists abroad al
ready look upon the question as being settled in
this way. and the dealers who exploit the work
of European artists have their places of bust
ness in New York and in Now York alone.
There 10 food for thought in the situation for
The officers OF the Academy aud of the Society
of American Artists. 1t is no use to anathema-
tize the public because beguiled by dealers.
Mr.. w. Day Streetor is one of the newcomers
who In the present exhibition contribute can
vases of interest and value. His small picture
In the south gallery, called Study" No. $50, is
soundly painted. 1t shows a figure of a woman
clad In white drapery fashioned IN classic folds.
The bench on which she is seated is covered
n black cloth with a Greek border of
yollOW,h anu u lighter tlnb Ol yellOW appears III
bands at the neck and waist and In her hair.
The design is simple but extremely effective,
and the general effect is one of completeness.
IL is a modest attempt but everything Is well
done. While the drawing IL correct and SYM
pathetic, the chief charm of the picture lies in
the soberly devised scheme Of color. A por-
trait, No. 1T, by George Hughes. which
ought to be on the line, and another portrait by
the same artist, No. 10. show artistic breadth and
give promise of still better work. Both pictures
are Of mall size. The first represents a lady in
= gown of yellow and white and is light in as
pect; the second is dark and quiet. Good stu
dent work. less complete than in the canvases
Just mentioned, is shown in "Svensk Flicka."
1877, by J. Harmon Moore. and Portrait of
Miss c." No. 233, by w. r. Leigh. is excellent
In intention. 1t 10 q large canvas. depicting @
Toung girl in white seated near the trunk OF q
tree, and the wood which forms the landscape
setting is carefully and not untruthfully rem
aered. But while Mr.. Leigh's drawing Is good
enough to pass muster. and SO plainly honest as
10 call for praise. his color is quite without va
The values in the picture are carefully
but it is unpleasinR ON account OF its
of tone. At the head of the
stairs. in the corridor on either side
of the door leading 10 the north gallery
are d" Fisher Girls at Etaples." No. o. by Frank
T. Hutchens.a and Preparing the Soup" No. 5s,
hy Wallace Bryant The artists names are new
Md the pictures, the one an outdoor and the
Dther an interior effect, are fairly good speci-
mems or the sort OF Salon picture with which
young painters make their debut in Paris.
There are good qualities in both canvases. Each
Of the painters gives evidence of having studied
the problem of picture making and each OF the
pictures shows successful treatment over and
above what is required in painting simple
,tn1taa frnp, natrra A . tha ~, a-l - ~
corridor a Decorative Panel" No. 40, by
George Burroughs Torrey. and 1.-The Little
shepherdess,' No. 80, by Sol. Kann. ex-
the same sort Of endeavor. Mr..
nude figure 10 not very pleasing
II type and not very happy in color, but
II Is q serious effort and worthy OF consIdera-
ton. A portrait in the north gallery, No. 80.
by the same artist, is better in color and more
Mr.. Kann's large picture is almost
good enough to be quite good. II he had been
to take a much smaller canvas for his
and he would have fitted size more ap-
to its character II he had done So.
probably he would have made his sheep less
wooden and his landscape moro atmospheric. |
The work as 1t is shows earnest purpose and
achievement quite worthy OF note. A nice bit
OF color Is given In the small picture. l.
Soupe," No. "a, by Eanger j. Couse, where
. girl with a pink skirt stands before
an open hearth. but the picture is some
what papery. A large canvas with nude
in sunlight. Boys Bathing" No. 90. by
Alexander Grinager. deserves mention for cour-
age in attacking q difficult theme and praise for
no little knowledge. A landscape called Early |
Evening-Winter," No. ITO. by John Noble
shows rather com petent treatment, but
ia lacking in personality and character. An I'M
compromising portrait of a lady. No. 1856. by
Milo Up1ohn; a very good animal picture,
e Inquisitive," No. ESQ. by Francis Wheaton, |
a shepherds dog and lambs; and two
genre subjects, An Old Beau" No. 1870, and
Singing Lesson" No. 1TG. by c. T.. Proctor, |
are other things among those exhibited
by artists whose names are unfamiliar
that may DO included in a list of what is
best by the newcomers. To Offset them, how
are such pictures as the meretricious Co
No. l75. by w. II. McEntee: the caro-
less and exaggerated "A Reckless Rider" No.
Al, by Gean Smith, and a considerable number
of small ventures, which by reason of the limited
space each occupies may be passed without
mention. though taken together they are factors