The herald., 1896-10-04
BuRNE JONES. FAMOUS PAINTING.

only on January 25th last, and Millais
died last month. The new president will
be the ninth in the history Of the Acad-
emy. Sir Joshua Reynolds being the
first.
Many things enter into the selection of
. president Of the Royal Academy which
to Americans may seem to be out of
place. The artistic capabilities of the
man, for instance, are not Of so much I'M
portance as his standing at court. If he
should happen to merit the disapproba-
ton Ct the queen or of any of her i'm
mediate circle, he at once becomes inn
possible. Millais would have been elect
cd president eighteen years ago when
Sir Francis Grant died, but for the dis
pleasure of the queen. Millais had mar
ried the divorced wife of John Ruskin,
and in consequence was not persona
srata at court. Time had seemingly
toned down the offense in the eyes Of
his election upon the death of Lord
Leighton.
AN OPEN QUESTION.
There. was not the excitement over
the new presidency when Leighton died
that there Is today, as 1t was then gen.
orally accepted on all sides that Millais
was entitled to the place. But now it
is quite different matter. There are
at least half dozen artists Of the first
IS4uk WIN bT0 TeSdTQeu ny themselves
and their respective followers as candi-
dates for the high honor But the OBJ
jections against one and all of them are
numerous.
In the first place the president must
not only be a commanding figure in art
circles and favorite with the queen,
but he must be a social power. He must
be familiar with the intricacies of the
best society. to gracefully dispense the
hospitalities of the academicarV. More
over, he must be a man of wealth and
able to entertain on an elaborate scale.
He must be conservative in his artistic
feelings and jealously guard against the
admission of radical innovations. Ec-
centric characters like Whistler, no mat
ter how great their merit, must be
frowned upon, otherwise 1t would be re-
garded as jeopardizing the whole august
structure of the academy.
The men who seem to stand foremost
among the candidates for the presidency
are Laurenz Alma -Tadema, Hubert Her
komer. William Quilter Orchardson,
Marcus Stone, Edward ]. Poynter VAL
entine Cameron Prinsep and Sir Edward
BurHe-Jones. Five years ago the latter
: was classed in the Whistler group Of &C.
oentrios. but Of late public opinion has
undergone change, although it Is
doubtful II Sir Edward is potent enough
to reach the presidency.
ALMA-TADEMA's CHANCES.
II the matter were to be decided simply
Alma-Tadema would beyond doubt Sc
cure the honor. There Is one thing
which stands in his way. however. and
that Is his foreign birth. II the English
people are liberal enough to ignore this,
his chances will be better than any Of
the others. Alma-Tadema was born in
Eriesland in 1886, and is consequently at
the ripe age Of 60 years. In everything
but his birth he is English, and this
VIII doubtless carry some weight. He
became naturalfzed Englishman in
1S1S ana his wife is an English woman.
6ne was Laura Epps, and as an artist
ana novelist has won extensive fame
The London home Of Alma -Tadema ia
one or the centers OF the European art
world. Both he and his wife 60 extern
eively into society. and their own en-
eertainments are Of a magnificent order.
On this score, and It is an Important one.
as has been pointed out, he would be an
acceptable leader Of the Acadenicians.
Artisttically he is considered to be the
premier Of the London art world He
received his art education in Antwerp
and Amsterdam, and is member of the
Royal academies of Munich, Berlin.
Stockholm, Vienna and Madrid His
best known paintings are representa-
t1ons of NEUROLOGICAL scenes. and in this
particular work he is pre-eminent.
BURNE-JONES NOT POPULAR.
Sir Edward Burne-Jones is not a pop
ular artist with the public at large and
while his merit is Of the exceptional kind,
his chances Of attaining the high honor
are not regarded as very great. He is
the leading exponent of the romantic
school. He has marked facility of ex-
preston, and his faces show his great
power to Interpret poetical thought.
Valentine Cameron Prinsep Is said to
be the favorite Of the prince Of Wales for
Which the other candidates will have to