Year: 1871

The Academy OF Design.


unsatisfactory management of our National
Academy Of Design. The perils we then
complained of were admitted by gentlemen
high in authority, and our aid was invoked in
support of those who wished to remedy the
abuses which we denounced. As the moment
is approaching when the works for the winter
exhibition will be presented for approval by
the Reception Committee, we wish to remind
the gentlemen composing it Of the duty they
owe to the public and to our national art
academy.


It has been the custom hitherto to admit,
almost Unfortunately, all works presented
for exhibition, without regard to their merit.
This was, no doubt, owing to the difficulty of
procuring sufficient number of respectable
works to clothe decently the Academy walls,
and 1t was thought better to I'LL the space with
bad paintings rather than make confession of
weakness. We are Of quite different opin-
jon. An art academy, to be useful, must be
school of correct taste, and allowing the
presence Of inferior works within its sanctuary
lessons its authority both with people Of taste
and with the masses. Perhaps the strongest
reason why the Academy of Design has never
been really popular is that it has never deserved
to be so.


In the cultivation of love for high art
among the American people the Academy of
Design has grand mission and not very
difficult oLe, if only the directors would exer-
else their better judgment in its management.
Reform must begin with the strict exclusion
of worthless paintings from exhibition. The
difference in point of quantity will be more
than made up by the absence of those sad
evidences of misspent time which offended
the eye in the summer exhibition. Nor would
The result fail to be most advantageous to the
interests of the Academy, for people Of taste
could then take some interest in its proceed
'rgs. Confidence and respect would secure
atronage and public favor, and we might
hope to see real influence exerted not alone
over public opinion, but over the work of in
eivldual artists, which could scarcely fail to
be beneficial in its effects. Considering the
number OF gentlemen of really respectable
talent who are members of the Academy. the
little influence exerted by the body in matters
of art is surprising, and not at all creditable.


1t is now, however, in their power to
change the state of feeling from indfer-
ence to interest and respect, and the way
to do SO is to disassociate themselves
from the mass Of mediocrity which has up to
this time been dead weight upon their
Mt tn tho 0iuor Lpif
piled vigorously, SO that when the win ter ex-
hibiti0n opens we may be able to give
applause and support to an institution for
whose welfare we are sincerely anxious. Ex-
amples enough are at hand to justify the men,
bers Of the Academy setting themselves up in
their own house as judges of what is worthy
of admission and what is not, and the closer
they draw the line the better. What has to be
clearly understood is that the public desire
good exhibition rather than large one, and,
keeping this fact steadily in mind, the COM
mittee will do good service by excluding all
works that do not possess at least respect
able merit.


warned both the academicians and the ex-
hibitors that we shall in future treat with scant
courtesy such works as cannot show good
reason for intruding themselves on public
notice in the Academy exhibitions. We renew
this promise Of attention, but hope steps will
be taken to disarm criticism. But our duty to
the public and our attachment to the interests
of art alike demand that we protest against
repetition of the mistakes of former years.
We hope that the academicians will insist
on some merit in all works admitted within
their walls, no matter how small may be the
resulting collection.