Year: 1864

out OF "a Ledger romanccf


How gracious is the contrast, we turn fron this
work TO the beautiful art Of Eastman Johnson Thus
far almost the only painter Of the figure IN Amer
ica, who shows both depth OF feeling and skill n ex
ecution. Mr. Relmont, we see with regret has hung
JohnsoRs "Savoyard" miscalled, in .hc catalogue
1.-The Chimney Sweep" at the very Top OF the wall,
where only good eyes see it, adrawing which LHys
or FrGre nigh be proud to father We wish it could
have had good place in this gallery. side by side with
this charming picture Of the yonng g2 knitting which
we greet again with sincere pleasure How carefully
and firmly painted How deicate'y studied How
purely felt and enjoyed One such conscientious painter
as Mr.. johnson, are happy in believing win neu'
traze the evil influence Of 20 men who neither care
what they pain, how. There is another picture by
this artst-two children sitting by stove which
ought 20 be looked at long II has all the truth TO nature
OF FIere but is not On limitations it is AMERICAN h
French.


1t must always he painful to speak Of any man as we
are moved TO speak Of the painter of the March OF
Sienus," but we would be glad If any words of ours
were found severe enough nip such atrocities in the
bud. We should think we deserved well OF the people
il we could make man afraid and ashamed TO paint
such loathy things any more. Fortunately ior our
young pcope no such unclcan work Of his as has OF





dsgures these But body look with pleasure
with satisfaction even such work as tLis--n his
gorge does not rise when he looks at these obscene
goash faces then be may hope to look at anything Tie
world can show him without winkng. Power these
pictures show, power to seize all that is animal ana
bestia in beasts and by an infusion OF human eXpres
SION make us recoil with disgust from the suggested
relationship. But if this is all that this mans art can


~ 1aya tltn ali
fort of seeing any more of it, Nothing so low as these
pictures has ever to our knowledge been deliberately
and habitaaly painted by any other man since pagan
days They find their proper counterpart In the Etrus
can vases and the Pompeian frescocs alone.


or Mr. Bierstadt's picture" LandeT's Peak"-we
have spoken so recently at length. that there is no
or our adding anything to tie opinion then
expressed which all recent study confirms rs in
II is well hung in commanding position aud attracts
good deal Of deserved attention. smaller picture by
the same artlst-his Pro Patra' lis far less poasng
1t is in the woknown Dusseldorf way which carries u
back TO that period of uncertain but evidently remote
antiquity VIXEN Nature cut all her mountains and trees
out of tin rubbed down a the Irregularities with sand
paper and vanished them in way ravsh the heart
Of Narcotic if he had been there to We trust that


M Be1sadt has sacrificed on the altar OF his country





Directly opposite Mr. Bierstadts large picture hangs
" The Heart Of the Andes, by many considered MIR.
Church's best work. In the opinion by no means
concur on the contrary, it is picture on which We
look with decreasing pleasure. 1t evinces ability
as does everything that Mr.. Church paints, and
ability which If be had not been trained in bad school
would baye produced far higher results than lie hos rs
vet attained But is not good picture in that Il Is
not painted from worthy motive. II is an incohcrent
jumbe Of Incidents there is but little truth in the con
cepoD, and il is lamey carried out The whole per-
spective OF the picture 10 us worse and worse
every time study it. and find the fault with
il that We do with Leules work that the aim seems 20
be merely produce striking meo.dranatic effect.
The best part Of the picture and that VIII always
reward the eye for turning away from the scattered in
cdcnt and petty detail Of the foreground and middle
distance is the upper lehaud corner with its field Of
azure SKY enslriuing the snOw-cad dome u the noun
tain summit.


Far greater than the Heart Of the Andes"-greaier
than any landscape yet painted In AmeriSa-is the
Nagara"-a work which seems to have exhausted the
artists power for It has had successor it holds it.
own braycly al these earf-although its color is not all
IL seemed TO be when IT exhibited and borrowed
grace or two fIom artificial light. But color is not Mr.
Churchs strength, and here willing 10 forget its
absence in the rush OF these rapids the punges Of the
river and the laughing light Of the rainbow on the in.
spray. We are indeed proud Of this pictnre-it
and other ought 10 have had the place OF honor IN
he room; Il IL the resul, OF serious profound and hbo


ous study every bit Of it painted from finished olabo
ate studies-not mere sketches but careful studies
loving and true and Il IS thus far. the
pest answer to all the ignorant that has been hurled
ls.fa pF.. IL
Church may not belong the school ayowedy nor
loes he work with their spirit in what he has done since
be painted this noble picture but It was in full com
nunon with them, and doubtless moved by tho teach
ngs Of the man who has wakcncd high aspirations in
many Young students breast, that he made the pill.
rrnage and devoted himself TO the unremlt.ing labor
that has given his country this monumental work.
Who can regret more than We who offer him this feeble
tribute OF thanks that since that day he has only added
disappointment to disappointment


Space lessons, and We must hasten on. We suppose
ustce does not demand more Of us than augh at Mr.
Long whose pictures all take sotber title for no otLcr
reason that can guess than 10 make the contrast be-
ween their ttuaT tragedy and actual fun more con-
,picuous. The whole motive" as the connoisseurs
say Of the last Hours Of Mary Stuart" is the high
1t is like scene out Of the Beggars Opera
and yet The artist thinks IT such high" at that in
,rder to keep all his bright colorf, and "masses" and


tone" and all tie rest Of the mystic jargon of the
schoolhe has deliberately violated historical truth for
we are told that the whole chamber was hung with
black, bet Mr. Lang finding this would inconvenience
him. has reduced these hangings TO thin bit OF black
gauze which hangs whore will ever see it, Does
be think that the historical truth would have hampeied
Delaroche or Legs, Nilaisf Do they not take the
greatest pains to get all the historical truth they
nn thnr not labor fr n snnnh fime and mnneY fnr