The Express.
London, England, 1853-07-20 00:00:00

LITERATURE.

TA* Life of Best/oasis Robert Hayden, Historical Painter.
From Au Autobiography and Journals. Edited and
compiled by Tox TerLoa, of the Inner Temple, En.
Looginens.
Hayden left behind him, at his suicide in 1846,
copious journals of the employments, opinions, and
adventures of his life, with an autobiography extend-
ing to 1820, when he was in his thirty-fifth year.
The needful documents having been entrusted to the
editorial care and judgment of Mr. Tom Taylor, ho
has redacted the whole into a three volume work of
high interest. He has been very moderate in his
own expressions of opinion, and sparing in the use of
the literary authority of an editor ; but he has shown
great judgment and taste in the selections; and
whenever he has given himself any scope for
disquisition he displays solidity of thought and
manly sympathy. At best it was a difficult task,
especially for an editor who could not be expected
to accept Haydon's views about his career, to Hay-
don's passionate extent—and Hayden having been
all his life, too, at war with the world, and having
led an eccentric and controversial career, only termi-
nated seven years ago, it was a very delicate matter
to determine what to retain of the hostile element in
his remains. Probably some matter remains for
publication at a future time; but in the mean-
while, here (as we have said) is a work; of high
interest—the picture of a curious and uncommon
character, brought into contact and relation with
many departments of English life—and the sketches
of a very clever man of many distinguished people.
It is a work which will serve as a complement to
other memoirs of the period, besides affording to
artists, and the artiatical world, much of direct and
curious interest relating to their department. The
general world likewise will enjoy it equally, for
Hayden (besides his high art, and his anti-academic
characteristics), loved books and common life, and
had an eye for comedy and anecdotes of the
world.

Haydon was born in Plymouth—the son of a
bookseller there (a descendant of the Devonshire
" Haydons of Cadhay," an old family), in 1786. They
were for making him a bookseller, too, but he was
bent on being a painter ; and, besides, he hated the
shop ; " for," said he, " I knew my father's
honourable descent, and despised the vain fools that
patronised him." This is index the first to R. B.
Haydon's character, which was egotistical and pug-
nacious from the beginning. The foundation of it
was sensitiveness and quickness—quickness to learn,
to pray, or laugh, or cry—and the feelings flowing
into the intellect, charged it with the personality of
the individual : so that "1" was the capital letter of
his life. "Art and I," " Beauty and I, " Goodness
and I"—his qualities all came in this association;
and if ever the qualities were spoiled, it was by the
egotism. He was naturally affectionate and aspiring,
and piously-minded, and devoted to Art ; but a
provocation would spoil his friendship; his prayers
were connected with his ambition; and if he bad
painted the " Creation of the World"—though his
feeling would have been passionate and genuine—the
"R. H. Hayden pinzit" would have had too much
prominence in his imagination. In fact, his egotism
hurt his painting, and his pictorial talent, again,
affected his daily life and conduct ; so that he came
to view his very faults and weaknesses as sources of
attraction, and objects of display. His own martyr-
dom became especially a subject of dramatic exhibi-
tion, at which the public was to stare and reverence,
as at the martyrdom of a mighty saint. It is con-
sonant with all this that the book does not, after all,
give you half such a gloomy impression as you
expected it would. Remembering poor Haydon's
death, you expect something far more melancholy ;
you find that he was such a light, impressible, eager
soul, that joy washed off sorrow instantly.
He is found at one moment in the Jour-
nal in the abyss of deprivation a fifty
pounds makes its appearance like manna—and,
presto! Hayden is delighted with the world, and
with Destiny, and goes to his canvas the equal of
Italy. It may be doubted if be was not happier after
all than has ever been supposed—at least, till the
very last.

This kind of temperament of Ilaydon's (the
shadowing out of which is a curious study) is not
uncommon among intellectual men of s particular
class. Werner had points of resemblance; Steele
(making due differences) bad the same. Haydon had
a strong dash of the humourist ; the evil Bay that
the "elements were not well mixed." The high art
aspiration, after all, remained the prominent
and governing one • but he had not the
needful basis to fight the fight : he was
too light, too hasty, and extravagant.
Here, for instance, is one phenomenon : he was al-
ways in a hurry and a passion ; he " rushes" at
things--he "flies." He acted on every impulse, and
his mind accordingly was always running "off the
rails" from too great speed ; and so, smashing
against walls and down hills. He was right in
preferring to be an apostle in art rather than a hod.
man, but he had not the due solidity. He should
have imitated whatever was good about the hod-
man in his apostolic capacity, and above all let the
hodman alone. The worst of it was, that by doing
the contrary he brought high art itself into dubious
positions, and gave sneerer& an excuse and an
apology.
When Haydon came up to London, and began his
career of historical painting, he found the position a
very extraordinary one. He and Wilkie were stu-
dents together, and Wilkie was residing in " 10,
Soll-row, Tottenham-court-road," where he worked

away—a tall, lean, shy Scotch lad, making his first
acquaintance with animal food in those days.
Haydon introduces us to cliques, and cabals of a
petty. but amusing kind. Their chief dependence'
as painters was on the "patronage" of here and there
a nobleman or gentleman of taste ; or a committee not
always to be relied upon for fidelity to bargains. The
men of letters who happened to have "opinions"
had to Buffer ma much as the "historical painter"
also. We have Haslitt in " great distress" sending
for Hayden, Godwin " turned out of his business
and in ditto, Galt " without a guinea," and other
similar phenomena. West does not seem to have
been prosperous in his old age. Haydon quarrelled
about the "hanging" of a picture, and at once went
to war. Wilkie held his tongue, and put up with
everything, which was prudent; but Haydon em-
broiled himself in quarrels. One result followed
another. He would not paint except to please
himself ; and usually on a scale that made
" patrons " object. The consequence was a
war between Haydon and the whole "circumstances"
of his art in England. He believed iu " patronage ;"
it was his theory of the artistic condition ; he spent
his life, therefore, in a fight to attain for art in
England a sort of national " encouragement," which
should enable men to paint subjects that private
individuals don't bay. His success in this, and in
spreading taste by his lectures, are ranked by Mr.
Taylor as his principal achievements.
He did, then, achieve a kind of success, but it was
too late for himself to participate in it. He was
getting old and worn-out: it will still be fresh
in the minds of our readers, that "Tom Thumb"
drew the public to his pigmy levees, in opposition to
the last works which Haydon exhibited. This was the
finishing blow to our painter. His journals express an
indignation, ludicrous and very melancholy, at the tri-
umph of the rival ; but Haydon might have reflected
that no painter, or thinker either, that ever lived
could expect to rival a dwarf in attractiveness. Hay-
don knew that "high art" (either painting or life)
required sacrifice, and must expect it. He was
faithful to his idea, too; but not sufficiently so.
He was never just, after all, to the world; for the
kindness—the great individual kindness—he met
with was a testimony to his aspiration. He was loaded
with generosities, and met farhigher "encouragement"
than has been bestowed on many greater men. That
rich people preferred their " portraits " and their
" Nymphs " to Haydon's " Lazarus," or Haydon's
" Christ," was no more than what was natural. It
was part of the state of the world for the timo being
—only to be changed (if at all) by an art due to the
artist, and not by an " agitation " which injured his
faculties for art. Considering that people com-
plain that the originals of such pictures are neg-
lected, Haydon might have had a little more pa-
tience. But he made no account of conditions—no
allowances for them • and just in proportion as ho
was unreasonable and excited, and egotistical, ho
failed in leaving a permanent impression. But it I
would be great injustice not to allow for his fine
gifts, his aspirations, his affectionate and pious dis-
position, and that enthusiasm which carried him
through so much. His memoirs altogether are
highly interesting.