The Express.
London, England, 1868-05-23 00:00:00

HIGH AI:T AT TIIE ACADEMY.

HIGH Aar, like epic poetry, is out of favour in
these days. Imagine MICHAEL ANGELO or SELIA.TIAN
DEL FIOSI BO sending pictures to the Royal Academy !
The present Exhibition, by the way, is especially
wanting in great subjects greatly trested. The
Bible, once the main source of inspiration, seems
to influence artists no longer. Mr. LEIGHTON,
who understands, if ever painter did, the poetry
of art, has one fine Scriptural subject, but it
attr►cts little attention compared with his lifeless
ARIADNE, or his naked ACTAA, his picture of
the amorous delights of Ace. and Sarrizres.
Mr. DOCSON gives us CHRIST "Raising the Widow's
" Son," a picture skilfully painted after the conven-
tional type. Mr. Exstoax gives an illustration
from Holy Writ, which is wholly meaningless.
Mr. Aastur.toe has a large and fine composition
of SaLoma dancing at HEROD'S Birthday Feast.
Mr. COPE, the "Disciples at Emmaus," a sug-
gestive and thoughtful work ; and Mr. GOODALL,
two pictures of the Virgin MARY, one of which,
" Mater Purisaima," has a tender beauty and
a spiritual charm which must be felt by the most
indifferent spectator. Leaving Scripture for
poetry, whether as suggested by the works of
poets, by the ideal loveliness of common life, or
by the scenes of nature, we have several pictures
in the Academy of no ordinary merit. MACLISI
and MILLAIS, Sir EDWIN LANDbEER and HOOK,
FALD, and others have sustained—some of
them more than sustained—their well-earned
reputation. Moreover, Mr. G. MASON, Who is
neither an academician nor an associate, has
perhaps painted in his " Evening Hymn " the
loveliest, because the most truthfully poetical
picture, among the 900 exhibited.

But, after all, as any visitor to the Academy
may see for himself, it is not the pictures of
highest mark, even of the few that may deservedly
be said to be highest, that attract moat attention.
The English public has a passion for pretty sub-
jects prettily treated. It has a keen appreciation
of humour for the sentiment which, as in Mr.
O'Nzies " Before Waterloo," trenches upon sen-
timentality. A little bit of in-door comedy, a
merry drawing-room scene, children asleep, or
children awakening, a well-told story, or
the illustration of some familiar histori-
cal event, is likely to draw its crowds,
but a picture which is only remarkable for lofty
thought, for ideality of expression, and for good
drawing, is either passed by unheeded or with that
superficial praise that, to an artist, is worse than
censure. This is an evil of which poets may com-
plain quite as much as painters. Are there none
who prefer " Lalla Rookh" to the " Eve of St.
" Agnes," or the graceful sentiment of LONG-
FELLOW to the calm insight and profound ex-
perience of WORDSWORTH ? To this public taste
publishers are to a great extent bound to conform
in the world of literature, and to it the hangers at
the Academy evidently bow. Yet it is possible
for the latter to exceed the requirements of their
supporters, and it is a marvel not readily to be
solved why so much of a very limited space should
be devoted to life-size representations of the charms
or dresses of unimportant personages. If portrait
painting were still an art with us, and we could
I rival the old masters, or our own Sir Tosaue, or
GAINSBOROOGH, such a display would be reason-
able. As it is, it is simply humiliating.