The Press.
London, England, 1858-05-29 00:00:00

ght s i t.

MADAME SZARVADY gave her second matinee at
Willis's Rooms last Monday. The programme,
though it contained none but music of the highest
class, was not well selected. It consisted of Beet-
hoven's trio in E flat (Op. 70), tor pianoforte, violin,
and violoncello ; Handel's variations on the air of
" The Harmonious Blacksmith ;" Scarlatti's sonata
in A; Beethoven's sonata in A flat (Op. 110); two
short pieces by Chopin and Heller ; and Mendels-
sohn's grand quartett in B minor, for pianoforte,
violin, viola, hod violoncello. Two such elaborate
compositions as the trio and the posthumuous sonata
of Beethoven would be sufficient to exhaust the
attention of almost any audience; any one who after
these could listen properly to Mendelssobn'a quartett
must base a very strong head for music. It was
unwise to include three such works in one programme;
and to place a composition of such intricacy as the
quartett at the end of any concert could have no
other result than to drive the audience away. A
large number of persons left during the performance,
in spite of the magnificent playing of Madame
Szarvady, and of Herr Molique, Mr. H. Blagrove, and
Signor Piatti, by whom she was assisted. A second
hearing only confirms us in the opinion we have
already expressed of Madame Szarvady ; that while
her mechanical power has decidedly increased, sho
has not lost any of the quick sensibility by whch
she was always distinguished. For purity of feeling
and delicacy of expression she has hardly an equal
in any pianiste at present before the public. The
last matinee of the series will take place next
Saturday.

HER MAJESTY'S THEATRE.—The arrangements for
next week present varied attractions% On Tuesday,
the Huguenots; Thursday, the Aozze di Figaro
Saturday, the ever-popular Troratore ; and on M.
day, a morning performance of idozait's clief4ceuvle,
Don Giovanni, which has evidently been selected as
bringing together Titiens, Piccolomini, Giuglini, and
the greatest amount of talent belonging to the
establishment. The new opera, Luisa Miller, is to
be produced on Tuesday, sib June. Reports speak
highly of the music and of the part of the heroine,
for which Mlle. Piccolomini has been selected. Sig.
Giuglini has also an interesting character, and some
music peculiarly suited to his charming talent.
Beneventano and Vialetti also appear in the opera;
and to give richness to the whole, we are glad to nod
that Alboni has consented to take the contralto part-

tint 1,05

ROI AL ACADEMY.
(Filth Notice.)

Tea landscapes exhibited this year are not fur the
most part particularly interesting. There are a few
promising works by the younger artists, but only a
few; and the painters of established reputation
seem to have abandoned themselves almost entirely
to a wearisome system of repetition. This habit,
which is the besetting sin of most successful artists,
betrays an indolent mode of working which leads to
the worst results. It is impossible for any one who
honestly paints from nature to produce monotonously
the same pictures year after year ; we may be sure
that any one :whom we find so doing has sleepily
shut his eyes upon the endless variety which
surrounds him—that he either paints from memory
altogether, or contents himself with the barest sketch
or memorandum of the scene he undertakes to
depict. During his past studies he has made
certain observations, learnt certain lessons, and
acquired a certain skill and dexterity in putting his
knowledge into practice ; and here he comes to •
standstill, or would, if such a thing were poa.
sible. He would learn no more and study no
more, but go on doing what he has done.
But it is not possible for any man to stand
still. From the moment that he ceases to go
forward he is certain to go back. His mind gets rusty
from want of action, and his memory betrays him.
He thinks he is painting what he saw years ago;
it he would but compare nature with his representa-
tion of it, he might find how gradually, but how far,
Le has wandered from the truth. But very likely by
ceasing to look he will have lost the very power of
seeing ; it is of no use now to tell him to paint only
as he sees, he can see only as be paints. The
direction in which he wanders off will depend upon
the man's individual character. He may simply
become feeble, putting less and less of truth in each
succeeding picture ; or he may fall in love with
falsehood and commit all kinds of absurdities. In
general the works of any such painter can be singled
out at a glance, not always by any prominent merit
or defect, but by their utter sameness and strongly
marked manner; and the lengths to which
mannerism is carried in landscape exceeds any-
thing that is possible in figure painting. Most men
have certain favourite effects of form and colour, and
in many subjects they are at liberty to indulge them
without scruple ; by such peculiarities the works of
some of the great masters may easily be distinguished
even by an unpractised eye. In imaginative
paintings, whether of landscape or figure, the taste
of the artist has a large scope; he can fairly in-
troduce such forms and features, colours of com-
plexion and drapery, such effects of light and shadow,
trees, rocks, and streams of such form and hue as
most please him—so long as they are not untrue in
themselves or inconsistent with the subject. But in
portraiture, of course, there is less liberty; it will
not do for an artist to modify his subject according
to some Lean-ideal of his own. People have
common sense enough in the pre"ent day to know
that the first merit of a portrait is to be like the
person it professes to represent; the artificial pro-
ductions of this class which were formerly admired
are gradually falling into deserved contempt. But
if portraits of persons are not painted from slight
pencil sketches or water-colour drawings, but directly
from the lite, why should not portraits of landscapes
be painted with similar care ? And yet we have
artists who will give us views in all parts of the
world, as much like one another as the soups at a
French restaurant which all come from the same
pot, or the sermons of some extempore preachers in
elect) the only thing that varies is the text.
Three artists of great talent who stand just now in
this posith it are Stanfield, Roberts, and Creswick.
Mr. Stanfield exhibits four pictures—" Old Holland,"
"The Fortress of Savona," " The Castle of Ischia,"
and "The Hollands Diep." The last—the only one
which shows any new thought—seems to have been
snegeeted by the French photographs of the sea
under a gleam of sunshine. The darkness of the
sky, the want of colour and the heavy grey tone of
the scene, which make it a good subject for a pho-
tc'graPb, make it also a bad subject for a painting.
It is not a pleasant picture, though there is some
striking truth about it. The other three are mere
repetitions; the same sky, the same sea, the same
rile)", boats, and piers that we have seen for years
Past- The artist himself betrays something like
the there is a sort of lassitude observable in
'ue execution ; all the objects seem ,o be drawn and
modelled from habit. Nothing is very wrong, but
scarcely anything is quite right- How can air.
Stanfield be content to represent things 60 full of
ehor.s
as sea and sky under one unvarying
""t?liter. Zobosta, os the Aber hand, is

THE PRESS, MAY 29, 18;)8.

getting into a random way of painting; his
pictures of this year are more coarse and care-
less than any we remember to have seen. lfe
has not lost his old cleverness in the production
of scenic effect, and still paints the subdued light of
an interior with greater skill than any other living
artist ; but his work will not bear looking into, and
if any of his present contributions be citnpared with
his picture in the Vernon Gallery, a most lamentable
falling-off will be apparent, especially as regards the
accuracy of the detail. Mr. Creswiek does not pro-
fess to paint landscape-portraits ; but even in such
subjects as " A Ford across an English River,"
" The Road by a Highland Lake," and " A Rocky
Devonshire Stream," we do not expect to find always
the same greenish-grey rocks, always broken into the
same rectangular pieces ; the same trees, the same
pale sunshine, and the same clear atmosphere. We
fear this incessant repetition cannot possibly consist
with truth ; we see nothing like it around us. Is it
possible that the Devonshire stream could tumble
in that way over those stones, and then fall into the
pool below without even rippling its surface, just to
gratify Mr. Creswick's taste for quiet water and clear
reflections? His large picture of "The Mountain
Torrent " is chiefly remarkable for its size. It is
only the old materials thrown into rather a new form
—mere kaleidoscope work.
Mr. Sidney Cooper, besides a small group of sheep,
and the cows which lie has put into Mr. Creswick's
river, sends two large and rather pretentious compo-
sitions. We cannot tell what has happened to this
artist; be seems to be losing all his power. "An
October Evening" is one of the ugliest pictures in
the Exhibition—bard, wooden, and unnatural.
" Home " has more of' prettiness, but is not in reality
much better. Two soldiers are represented standing
in one of the meadows near Canterbury ; one ap-
pears to be pointing out to the other his home in the
distance. There is sufficient internal evidence of the
manner in which this picture was painted ; it is a
scene of the present time, for the uniform of the
soldiers is that recently introduced, and yet the
cathedral in the distance is represented with only
one western tower, though the other was rebuilt some
years ago. The landscape must have been worked
out from some old sketch ; but, even though the locality
is not mentioned in the catalogue, it is rather absurd
to paint such a familiar view and not to paint it cor
rectly. At any rate, the old minster need not have
been so preposterously out of perspective. It would
be impossible for any one who painted from nature
to fall into such blunders as these.
Mr. Cooke exhibits six pictures, none of which are
at all equal to those he sent last year. If he had
contented himself with the production of a smaller
number, it would have been better in every respect.
Such subjects as he chooses, if not painted tho-
roughly well, had better not be painted at all. It
requires a great deal of art to make anything worth
looking at out of chalk cliffs, pebbly beaches, wooden
piles bleached with wind and salt water, grey skies
and grey seas. A rough sketch of such things is of
no value to any one. He has attempted to represent
two remarkable skies in his "Sunset on the Lagune
of Venice " and " Venetian Fishing craft on the
Adriatic," and has failed in both simply because be
has not taken care and trouble enough. The water
in " Dutch Boats in a Calm " is a failure for the
same reason ; it looks more like a painted board than
anything else, and can only be made to stand for
water at all by a strong effort of the mind.
Denby and Witheringtrn are still painting in their
respective manners ; it seems hopeless now to expect
anything from either. Linton and the three Linnells
are as artificial as ever, and Boddington sends a
couple of the very landscapes with which he has
coveted the rooms in Suffolk street for years past.
It is a rule of the Academy " that no work be re-
ceived which has been already publicly exhibited."
Does any one attempt to enforce this rule against
Mr. Boddington? We presume his word is received
as sufficient; no one, surely, can pretend to recollect
whether he has seen any one of this artist's pictues
before or not.
Mr. Dillon's " Pelicans on the banks of the Nile"
is an admirable painting of an unusual and interesting
subject. The various attitudes of the birds are
exceedingly well drawn, and the river, bordered with
palm-trees and glowing with a crimson sunset, is
equally well rendered. But the landscape which, for
the minute accuracy of every part, and the perfect
truthfulness of the general effect, bears away the
palm from every other, is the background of Mr.
Brett's "Stonebreaker." The boy at work upon his
heap of flints, and the dog playing by his side, occupy
the foreground of the picture, bat behind them in
the distance are Box-bill and the high grounds of
Surrey rising one above another. It is worth while
to notice how when a man sets himself down before
a subject to paint everything that be can see, and
every thing exactly as he sees it, he throws aside at
once the violent contrasts of colour and wrong
effects of light and shadow, whit& others who ars
lass WARMS dad it amessary to employ in order to

515

i

avoid flatness. There is a quiet, truthful beauty
about this picture which may well astonish people
who look upon Pre-Raphaelite notions as extravagant
folly ; it is as near perfection as may well be. We
only wish Mr. Brett had not thought it necessary to
insert the cloud which throws its shadow upon the
hill ; it is not wanted, and would he better away.
The distant view, too, might have been displayed to
greater advantage. But we are little inclined to
suggest faults ; there is no picture in the Exhibition
which deserves higher pi aise.
Mr. Emmerson seems inclined to work in the

same manner, but he stops half-way. He has
patience enough to aim at the true farm and colour
of every object, but not patience enough to labour
on till he has accomplished what he aims at. His
landscapes have all the crudity which some people
lay to the charge of the principles which he adopts,
but which he does not carry out.

THE NEW PAUL VERONESE IN THE NATIONAL GAL•
LERY.-" This fastidious Roman expressed also his
annoyance at the inaccuracy of the costume, in Paul's
fine picture of the ' Family of Darius presented to
Alexander,' and lamented that so admirable a work
should have been blemished by this gross anachro-
nism. You are, doubtless, well acquainted with a
painting which belongs to a branch of your family.
It may be truly called the triumph of colouring ; and
certainly more harmony, splendour, and loveliness,
never met together in one picture. To these merits
must be added the truth of character which prevails
in all the heads, most of which are portraits. Forget
for a moment that the incident is borrowed from
ancient story ; imagine it the victory of a hero of the
sixteenth century, and the painting becomes, in all
respects, a masterpiece. The architecture, in the
background, gives a tone to the whole; but it required
the delicate outlines and the exquisite perception of
harmonious colouring which distinguish Paul Vero-
nese, to give relief and contrast to the figures and
draperies on so light a ground. The pyramidal group,
formed by an old man and four female figures, is
superlatively lovely ; the countenances wonderfully
expressive, and sparkling with animation. The h.'ad
of Alexander is beautiful, but deficient in masculine
firmness, and more adapted to charm the softer sex
than to awe the world ; while the nobler features of
Parmenio exhibit a strength of character finely con-
trasted with the more feminine graces of the royal
conquerer, and his yellow drapery is admirably folded
and coloured. How exquisitely finished, too, is the
long and beautifully braided flaxen hair of the Per-
sian Princesses ! And what a host of figures in this
noble picture, most of them the size of lite, as in the
Nuptials of Cana!' Certainly, this painting is nearly
unrivalled in close fidelity to nature; and in the truth
and splendour of its colouring, it yields only to that
triumphant specimen of Venetian art in the Scuola
dells Carita, Titian's Presentation of the Virgin in
the Temple.' These two pictures will long maintain
their glorious supremacy, and will probably never be
surpassed. The painter's violation of costume is
in fact, only a defect in the eyes of antiquarians. The
great mass of society overlook it, and care only for
what gratifies the eye and the imagination. Never-
theless, I would recommend to artists generally the
avoidance of subjects borrowed from ancient history.
It is far easier to excel in the folds and colourings of
modern drapery, than to delineate the light garb and
native elegance of Grecian forms. Nor could Loy
painters, but those who lived in the times of Pericles
and Aspasia, do justice to those most classical and
graceful of all subjects."—From No. 11. of Tales
from Blackwood.—" Colonna the Painter."

CRYSTAL PaLecr.—The first horticultural fete of
the season took place last Saturday, and attracted a
throng of visitors. The plants were in admirable
condition, aid the collection extremely fine. The
roses, pelargoniums, azaleas, and orchids were the
principal objects of admiration. Among the roses
the specimens contributed both by Paula and Lanes
deserve especial notice, though the former were con
sidered by the judges to have the advantage. Th
pelargoniums of Turner and Dobson and Son wer
of such nearly equal merit that it could be only
matter of opinion which should bear the palm. The
azaleas were extremely beautiful, and contributed
much to the general effect of the show; there was
also a good display of exotics in excellent growth
and a fine collection of fuchsias, calceolarias, an
pansies. The supply of fruit was rather scant•
but the specimens sent deserved great comment
lion, and formed by no means the least attraer
portion of the exhibition. The new wind band of
company was heard for the first time on this
sion, and received with considerable applausi
upper range of fountains played as usual
afternoon, but their effect was completely de
by the boisterous wind. The refreshments
the new management, appeared to afford err
faction, and the ►'ll.oadon Dinner," which I'
duced for the first time, was largely patron;
IA glad to Sol WA poorly 11,000 pe'
presoos at OA fite.

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