The Express.
London, England, 1850-05-13 00:00:00

FINIS ARTS.

ROYAL ACADEMY.
Then is, perhaps, no more satisfactory feature
in the pictures of this exhibition than the small
distance between aims and their attainment, be
they humble or lofty; there is scarcely a picture
of which the execution is not fally equal to, if
not beyond the original conception, and one =-
not bat be streak by the great manipulative
facility, in singular contrast with the limited
range of intellectual power. The source of this
artistic, debility is not to be sought in a lack of
invention, but in the squeamish horror of
anything savouring of sublimity, which distinguishes
the present day. The effort of the artist is evidently
not to soar, bat to be" umble," like Urials Hap, not
to raise himself up, but to lot himself down. The
first question a painter saks himself from the outset
to the conolosion of his wink is—will it engrave
well P Will it please delicate females, or look wall in
AA ante-room P If the subject be maudlin or
eenti-
santal, the answer is always satisfactory. We can-
not inveigh too strongly on this growing tendency, so
evident in the Munn of the art of mezzotint and
vignette engraving. It warps the most brilliant and
the most independent powers. Nowhere is this
more evident than in the works of Mr. E. Landseer.
With him it is evinced as much by the ar-
rangement of the light and shade, as by
the breadth of the manes and the ;tricky lights,
which " tells" so well in the process of engraving.
In his" Dialogue at Waterloo," however, these slips
of the brash are scarcely traceable, aid are lost in the
poetry of the conception. It is divided into two
groups; on the right, the Marchioness of DJuro, on
horseback, is listening to the Duke of Wellington's
recital of the battle; whilst a recumbent chaseeur on
the left mounts to his buxom wife his humbler ex-
ploits in the chase, of which there is ample evidence
in the dead game which lies strewn around him ; the
union of these two otherwise distinct pictures is
skilfully effected by the interposition of the little
peasant girl offering the printed tale of the
battle to its hero. The expressions of the
faces, the texture of the dresses, that of the animals,
and the little glimpses of historical landscape, serve
to invest this large UMW' with • vivid interest,
which is equalled by that with which eager groups
gather round it. Nos. 281 and 333, " Sheep lost in
• Snowdrift," and " Good Doggie," are admirable,
though different specimens of animated nature.

From him who is his own poet as well as painter,
we turn to those leis independent in their subjects.
Shakespeare has furnished forth more subjects even
than usual. Mr. Frost, in selecting a passage from one
of his sonnets, however, is. not a whit the less
Spenserian, in the quaint grouping of his nymphs.
A rougher canvass than his habitual one has not been
so favourable to his delicate tints; the beauty of the
heads is, however, still the same—perhaps, too much
so. The most graceful ballet becomes faded after a
time. Mr. Frost should invent a new pas de
quatre. There is more freshness in his " An-
dromeda ; " the swarthy Triton is also a fine
bit of colouring. Tne " Susannah and the
elders," by Mr. Patten, evidently comes from the
poses plastiques, not that there is anything plastic in
her demeanour. The colouring is also false gird in-
effective, which is strange from the contrary qualities
of some 'is which bear the same signature. It
is un enable to unveil the human frame in order
to show a deficiency of anatomical skill. This truism
leads us t 3 Mr. Eastlake's " Good Samaritan," which
shows skilful draughtsmanship and great rnorbidezza
in the modelling:; the expression of the principal
figure is fine, but the attitude is that given at a
shilling an hour. The tone is warm and harmonious,
and in a lighter key than that opposite to it, No. 169,
" The Escape of the Carrara family," of which every
detail is worked with easy elaboration, otters a
pleasant combination of lines. There is a
plagiarism of the composition by Mr. Hook, who
also apes Paul Vermese in his harmony with
wonderful skill and ability. Tue " Dream of
Venice," with little or no plot, still charms by its
simple freshness; the carnations are exquisitely
worked out; but we have seldom such total abnega-
tion of individuality and such perfect mimickry of
the Lombard's colouring. Precisely the reverie is
the case with Mr. Hart, whose " Rejoicing of the
Law " is a happy return to those gorgeous pieces of
religious ceremony by which he won his reputation.
The rich rcmaneeque architecture, whether in its
beautiful grey tones or its graceful contour,
aids materially in bringing out in relief the
brilliant apparel of the high priests; in this
respect it resale that scheme of composition of which
Rembrandt made such noble use, and whom ,Mr.
Hart also vies with in the invaluable Israelitish
types of visage and character. Not less good is the
study of " Arnolfo di Lapo," though there may be a
little clumsiness in the delineation of the hands. In
a quieter vein is the little interior of " Sir Thomas
Gresham's Kitchen, at Mayfield "—indeed there seems
quite a furore in favour of the culinary re-
gions among our artists. Mr. C. Landseer has
also descended from his chivalric) atmosphere to
that of "Still life," to depict the very same
low apartment at Mayfield, though with a more
sober light, and from a different point of view.
His " Girl in a Hop Garden" (No. 399),' has all the
dclicacT of handling of Greozet without Tue wicked-
ness ; it is a simple, unpretentious little bit of nature,
and consequently far beyond the calculated and cold
composition which is denominated " Asop," and
which albeit deserves praise for the way the deformity
of this sage is shadowed in the distortion of his
sardonic countenance, without the offensive protrusion
of his deformed person. We must return from this
seeming digression to the little cuisines of Mr. 'Web-
ster, who deserves to be proclaimed chef in this de-
partment of the art, for the clearness of his touch
and the Ostado-like fidelity with which he delineates
every utensil, from pots and pans to pipkins and po-
tatoes.

Mr. Phillip, who last year won applause as a
humourist, as well as a clever painter, gives another
proof that wit is akin to pathos, in No. 641
" Baptism in Scotland." Nothing can be
more simple than the arrangement of the scene, or
the attitude of those who gather round the min-
ister ; but its beauty is chiefly owing to the effect
of light which is made to radiate from the centre, and
spread a halo on those around. In striking con-
trast to th;s is is the unwholesome affectation of Mr.
Redgrave's " Oriselds."—a lady's toilet is proverbially
a solemn sort of affair, but it can hardly be as labo-
rious as Mr. Redgrave mr%es it : whilst one maid
is painfully raking the heroine's hair, another is
trickling the contents of a watering-pot on her toes.
The truth is that Mr. Redgrave was bum a land-
scapist, witness No. 634, "The Woods planted by,
Evelyn," a beautiful glimpse of a forest glade, a mix-
ture of solemn gloom broken by a san-gleam, evidently
a faithful transcript of nature, which points out Mr.
Redgrave's true position, which should be between
Lee and Creswick.

THE SUICIDE AT WANDOWORTH.-0a Saturday
evening Mr. W. Carter concluded an inquiry at the Spread
Hagle Hotel and Tavern, High-street, Wandsworth, relative
to the death of • gentleman at that time ~known, who
committed suicide there on Wednesday night, under drum-
stage. e detailed in the Express of Fr;day last. The
name of the deceased, it appeared, was William Baker, and
he was a native of Kings Ms. He had been employed as
storekeeper at the Clarence Foundry in Liverpool ; bat, in
consequence of a dissolution of partnership in the coaoern,
he had been thrownout of employment, and, being of • de-
sponding turn of mind, it was conjectured that be had com-
muned suicide under the pressure of fear that he could not
obtain another engagement. The jury were unanimously 01
a wa
opinion that the devised was of unsound mind when be
mitted the act, and returned their verdict accordingly.
WANT OF BOAT ACCOMIODATION ON BOARD •
8 .—Oa Saturday last the Star steamer, with sixty
passengers on board, 'tiled on her voyage to Bristol from
cathnese, port
opruoing Cardiff
wakff,. when,
be, after
gan teohefilhland
pgoidtly.atiol,irthtewuothmunost-
deed yards from the harbour, she, from some unexplained
consternation was produced among those on hard, more es-
pecially as there was but one boat connected with the vessel,
and that only capable of holding six or eight persons. The
captain mode sifinels of distress, which were hapOly per-
ceived by a steam-tug, which made for the leaky packet, and
took off her paeassgen. The Star ern then ran upon the
mud ea the only chance of preventioo her sinking. Great
complaints are snide of her not having had suMSent boat
accommodation In the event of accident.—Swansea Herald.

WESLEYAN NEWSPAPER ASSOCIATION.—On Satur-
day the Mater in Chasing (Kindarslry) proceeded with
the meal. ment of the affairs of this concern, which (ailed in
1848. It was in tits bands of a large body of Wesleyan' who
berms, involved by the ands** of those to whoa its sus-
assonant was entrusted. About 130 out of 160 of the put-
Lars are now Esed with liability by the master to pay 0/1 the
0,0001. outstanding debts, and for the discharge of which a
call of 41. par share Is gads on the 1,240 sham held ; but as
ithis bee not been fully responded to, moan oil of 21. per
shale h expected.

UNIVERSITY AND CLERICAL.
OXFORD, MAT 11.—Os Wednesday Messrs. Balfour sod
Livia were elected from Weatmlastor School student' of
Christ Church.
Gain CoLt.nol.—The Rev. W. Y. Belton, B A , fellow
of this college, has been appointed one of the wasters of dull
university of Durham. Mr. Seddon obtained in Rinse Term,
1847, a first clam In titeris Immanioriltua.
The Rev. Richard Dawes, [M.A. (8.A., Trinity, 18l7),
formuly fellow of Downing College], vier of Kine's 8301.
borne, has been appointed to eneend the late Rev. Dr.
Merewether, as Dian of Hereford.
The Hon. and Rev. the Barl of Guilford, who at Michael-
mas will resign his livings of Old Alresford and Bt. Mary's,
Southampton, ha held this former, which includes this
ohapelries of New Alresford and Medstead, and is of the
annual value of 1,8001., fifty-two years, being appointed to it
by hie father, the then Bishop or Winchester. and at the
oemmenosment of the present century the now Dean of Win-
chester was his curate. The notary of Bt. Marrs' the an-
nual value of which considerably extends 2,0001., has been
held by his lordship rather mews than half a century; and
the Hospital of Bt. Crone, forty-two year., but which it doss
not appear to be hie lordship'. intention to resign.—Hanep-
Miro Tekgroph.