The National Register. — London, England, 1814-03-06 00:00:00

• •••• ti.. • -ys •••• ••• • ••••••• 156 THE NATIONAL RE,CISTER. veining the blaze of departed talents to kindle np the hidden fer ment in the mind of our contemporaries, to reflect the divine glow of their sunshine upon modern pallets,and tints compensate as miteh in their power, our long-complained-of lack of private schools of painting. No. 15. Susannah and the niers. By Mr. C. WYATT, 4f. 10 its. by sf. 4 in.—lt will always give credit to a young artist to follow either in composition; drawing. or colouring, some of those whose reputation has stood the test of more than two centuries ; yet it is mtlancholy to think, that we cannot arrive to a nearer degree of perfection in portraying nature by our own exertions and in our own way, rather than to be constrained to imitate imitators, in or der to get at something like natural truth. This, however, is a performance of some merit, but rather placed too high to be pro perly inspected. No. 34...44. By El:mann Blau, A. R. A. 3f. 11 in. by 5f.'2 in. When we found the name of this clever -artist in the catalogue. we flew So. the performance, but we must speak the truth, we were sadly disappointed. This does not represent what the artist wishes, and notwithstanding the high finishing, the keeping, the harmony of the whole falls short of what we expected. No man will ever be able to guess what the subject is, and when a painting wants the help of au interpreter, it becomes whatever you please, and therefore loses its principal, its only merit, that of 'mimicking nature. Let Mr. Bird remember, that the Fine Arts expect from him much more tan tie has already done—he has kindled pleasing hones--he must not disappoint them. Cabinet historical pictures, what the French call 46 Tableaux de cheralet,” Easel pieces, arc his fort; let him keep closely to them—he will succeed. No. tit. Don Quixote and Sancho journeying' to the Ws cilter their encounter with the Yoncuezion colliers. by ABRAHAM COOPER.— An old Latin axiom says, Naseantur Poem.; we mnst say the same of painters : Corregio. when he felt the Divine inspiration glowing in Isis breast, exclaimed, Sono Pittore ancleio ; Mr. Cooper may say the same; for we know that a very few years ago lie had a very little idea, if any, of ever ascending theehromatic Parnassus — and now we hear several visitors assert roundly, that this is one of the best pieces in the rooms—indeed. in looking at it with minute 'leis, we find the assertion true—there is in the design a freedom which is at par with the easy manner in which the whole is exe cuted. Rossinaute exhibits her anatomical character with truth and effect, and the discomlitted knight, thrown across the back of the ass, contrasts ludicrously well with the arch look of the rogue that kids the van. No. 129. A.Tiew of Edinburgh, from St. Anthony's Chapel ; after -710011. By T. fi Hoeeemsn, 6f. 3 in. by 7f. 10 ite—This picture is much better than the folsome giTzle from Msrmion, which i s voted with it ill the catalogue. Mr. noffiand has preserved most faithfully the - character of the country where he took his study, and this landscape tines him much honour. No. 136. A LoNdscope. By Miss H. GOULDSMITIL—Whether it is partiality titr an amiable sex. or an aequited habit of en couraging by praise, we cannot decide ; but we will give our full a-scent to every one who may pass an encomium upon the perform- MAX before us. en. be efmtinued) DRAMATIC REGISTER. DRURY-L INE. The opinion which we expressed on • Mr. KEAN'S merits, when that gentleman made his first appearance at this theatre, has since. been confirmed by the unanimous suf frages of the people. Taient such as his needed only to be seen to he admired. It is indeed astonishing that he should have been al,le to acquire such excellence in the country, without being sooner heard of in town. To a strong na tural genius he certainly owes much, but he has evidently improved its inspirations by study, and his powers by exer cise. W i thou; the latter, the flashes of genius would only serve to shew the rug!.!ednes of an uncultivated mind, whilst the skill which he displays, the perfect knowledge of all those, expre.ssions of countenance and gestures which reflect the soul, are the wotk of experience, and this experience, in Mr. LA ic, seems too per feet not to have been acquired by .:;:ears' acting. flow he could be allowed to waste so long MARCH 6. his efforts and abilities in obscurity, seems therefore to im ply a just * charge of neglect on the purveyors frir the me tropolitan stage. How he rould:continue his.exertions and_ improve his talents without being cheered by a siugle ray of patronage, and without any hope of ever emerging front his undeserved insignificance, is not less honourable to his courage as a man contending with adversity, .than it is a sa tisfactory proof of sterling genius, which, like the beacon on the rock, is only blown brighter by .the storm. The universal approbation with which Mr. kean's Shylock was received, even whibt the memory retained unimpaited the image of his excellent, though eccentric predecessor, encouraged him to undertake another character in which the first performers on the Brisish stage had hitherto filed to equal Cooke. Mr. Kean's Richard the Third has set the seal to his fame. Greater powers of conception and expres sion, a closer adherence to nature, mere judgment and energ.y, have none ever displayed. Bold enough to be original, he possessed sufficient science to be successful in his origi nality. The spirit of Cooke's departed excellence did not stand by to awe his fancy and cripple his exertions. He only saw the crafty, cruel, and yet heroic Plantagenet, and was what lie contemplated. His introductory soliloquy, in which his own deformity formsthe subject of his reflections, wits given with peculiar felicity. His pauses might be deemed long, were not the absence of the voice amply sup plied by the play of the countenance, and the expressive energy and propriety of his action. Ile not only feels what he titters, but imparts his feelings to every spectator, and through the magic of sympathy transforms them. into the being he is, rather than represents. His scene with Henry in the Tower, in which impatience wound up into rage, impels him to murder the King, is one of the finest specimens of the histronic art. His guilty krover the Royal corpse is terrifically grand. Ilis wooing of Lady Anne displays, how ever, still greater variety. The mixture of earnestness and of sarcasm, with which he addresses the only being hi ever loved, and mocks her weakness and his own feelings, fills up in the most effective manner the picture which the poet has given us of Richard's character. Were we to go through every scene, we should only have to repeat oleo minim similar to those we have expressed. We cannot. however, refrain from noticing two most transcendant beau ties exclusively his own. When bidding his friends good night on the evening previous to the battle, Richard sinks into one of those fits of abstractedness which rob him of his alacrity. Mr. Knott: gradually fell off from the conversa tion in which he was engaged, issued confused and uncon !melba orders, and growing seemingly inattentive to all that passed around him, slowly drew lines with his sword upon the ground, as though fixing the positions of armies ; then with a sudden motion drew another line across as if he had just found his point of attack, and starting from his reverie, hastily bade his friends good-night, and rushed off the Stage. Here the actor certainly rises to an equa lity with the poet, as well as in the followin. , instance. Mortally wounded after a desperate contest, and growing faint in body though unsubdoetl in soul, Mr. KEAN uncons sciously drops his sword through weakness, and continues to lounge with his bare band until death puts an end to the Tyrant's spirit with his life. After describing some of the beauties with which this gentleman's performance of Richard abounds, it is useless to add, that the applause with which his exertions are rewarded is Universal and enthusiastic, and that the only difficulty is now to obtain places, notwith standing the size of tbis house, when Mr. K. is announced to play. .77 . _ . a - ... ■.•4. -