The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-09-30 00:00:00

VERPOOL ACADEMY'S EXHIBITION

52. Tr. ... [SECOND NOTICE.]
-..1,1_- .E IV OIINDED CAVALIER.—W. S. Burton.
picture imperfect manner in which the story of this
strikire is conveyeil goes far to mar the great and
ward lig Merits which render distinguished hencefor-
are, th
ainrk„,,e name of an artist little known before.
the '-`44Y Pre-Raphaelite as it is, it does not obtrude
!ler Paseculia.rities of the school in so startling a man-
hrh,,,,, ~n!anY of its companions, nor does it so utterly
its ~" 1-Nature's larger characteristics away to devote
details
altogether to the elaboration of her minute
iveul st The figures are three in number —a
4°l)fpaellatieresadf:aainied:plyptanrgentolny expiring man, in the dress
the grass ; a woman, who
stistaini to
.have the garb of some religious order,
hem ng his head ; and the stern figure of a round
1394 pr ;'his
standing near, with a red-edged
forest 'll his hand. The scene is the glade of a
atie leaf,Painted with remarkable skill—every branch
are' every grass and moss, seeming to rustle and
the ft;),4lstinct with woodland life. Near the feett ofe
tree fallen cavalier is a tree, and in the trunk of h eleft,'"e broken blade of a sword is fixed in a de
strn2.o? s if the last spism of the wounded man'shis
anta,ad been vainly spent in a blow at
talsl,-.,nlsta Which only ended in cleaving the tree
,natatisv4e,_ving the weapon. Fallen from his languid
'eatup thong
sword hilt. A singular and inexplicable
torpal s, that the point of the sword blade is turnetsl
this (,rio('si the wounded man, not from him, and Etight -It'd not possibly have occurred from any over-
to
h., or a
"atiin, -le painter, one must only think that some
Wht- was present to his mind, wanting the clue
illakelieth the whole becomes unintelligible to us. To
cards i• Inore difficult still of explanation, a pack of
Itory ile con the grass, evidently pointing to some
eever is
onnection with the picture which we havei
sa'ord-t,`,441 or cannot now recall. Across the bilanidein
.
eafi utad,„
2th ' a spider has hung his web, thus
4 tugilhi..at the Weapon has been fixed there at least
tests the4nd now a butterfly alights on the blade and
14',and, isre, neither deterred by the figures close at
f
tae,shir glitter of the steel, nor the propinquity
ntl,lhTv's web, thus evincing an easy familiarity
We Chi eel, a reckless courage not usually displayed,
Paiete'riby the butterfly tribe. But the picture isn
know%,..vith marvellous s',ill, and would be at
stow --, favourite of ours, if we could only get o
the tvel:hat it was all about. The sword fixed in
4nt;th. Gist clearly no the weapon of the escaped
,60
thee,4riS f 1 even if such a conjecture could possibly
f
blood or its blade bears not the slightest stain
hteast°°(l Which is trickling from the fallen man's
b,efore-ii, What occur! ed, then, in the forest- lade
lit cards Moment of the picture ; who played wit
Latter-'8) and stabbed the cavalier ; whether thein
thee-v ssfrcheived his wound in fair fight, or by
111„ "I'd; and whence came the Puritan and
3,„eedlvr!)--an, are questions on which any of our
1,10,oen; 4're left to their own bewildering conjectures.
"tile lipsu have any doubt that the ghastly face,
are
Paint uteri and Matted hair, of the dying man,
°lre:- viand a singular power; that the expression
,fla'ntriioessed agony in the woman's eyes is faithfulze
which f-LePIY impressive ; and that the stern gaze.
sPeith the
round-head fixes on the bleeding cavalierte
Itrugg4i:li.lang,nage which must be understood h
W°rthi In his mind between contempt for.. the
s
Nide ess career of the forme', and pity 1
any (111,,,ztud violent close It is to be regretted the ,„"e.ct of intelligibility should take away (mom
hl alerit, i.
-en -°L a painting, otherwise conspicuous for
it
ik Yojoaf the highest points of excellence. Such as
elkl 4 -e eannot easily bring himself to leave it. Life
theve eath, Pain, pity, and condemnation, mingle
gazertlether in such tru. hful lineaments, that the
„than h' ht pressed by the whole to a greater degree
:as Bc'n well explain, and almost believes e
and eee-ved a solemn moral lesson from the position, s
tint Ilressi of a group whose story is uttei y
qaeivir, ~ his ,
Tut a Leun.
IPainter COMING STORM.— Mai k Anthony. No
1,41(1. hill the Exhibition has a more unmistakeable
"tegi t --° this artist. On glance enales us
with
thehde out his foliage, his boding clouds charged
~
14% perei,'' and his dark pools. " The Coming Storm"
'he Ex-ha.P,..!) no great favourite with many who visit
?Per -,-,-luyion. but we frankly confess ourselves won
bangs co ion'
to it. That dark cloud, which
,s,ntesii ``," almost to the cottage chimnies, willn
'nniat° - molllcnt one would think ; and the sull.: have iitir, tarn Which scowls up from its basin, will
_pa I, ,
(Ira S la." dirnpled by the plashing of a thousand
aln3o:, ktetore one can look away. Ls hues. seem
one c4-' t° change as we look uponand, ineed
without
reelin'n hat dly leave the picture a moment,
will
flea tg an impression that, on his return,
the 1.4:4 the clouds have opened, the
ofd the
ttrld thl4` °Ps danced over the surface of the pool,k
Anth e air already grown lighter Whether Mar
eIPePY he true to Art or not, we leave to morew.e
...,ed Ile,- Aerie
connoisseurs to decide ; but, if ever
that lap-,P°ll a thunder-shower in our lives, we aver
~, 97, ii%B true to Nature.
liexbit....`• EVE OF ST. AGNES —A• H
The y attractions, ughes•-
11141; ' its
t°° highly tinted colours, this picture has
Passage • of the soft and sentimental kind.
gnires In the poem, which it illustrates, re-
it% 0,,,, ne explanation, and, indeed, the picture tells
into ,",„°,,,tale• The first of the thiee compartments
Of th:ulnh it is divided, pleases us the leas'. Some
Of the eolours are extravagantly rich, and the green
heYone(lrtl,nks of the trees partly seen is, in especial,
aoditie all reason- The attitude of the love_rnis,thine tent ,n 3 rather feeble and commonplace. I
Rill ;aft. division, the position and expression of the
the dslng at the entrance of her lover, and holding
!latai:alPerY of her couch around her,
4 """ The whole is n
is simple andd
notpainted with great care, a
tcle,mifi a Picture having any pretensions to greatto
e 44 "es) bas much that is attractive. It seems
4e gene all favourite with young ladies, who may
87.uerally found in groups around it.
tile.' anT,IltE MINSTREL —James Sant.—An intellnec-
°,f thp''' neautiful face, but the figure has too m ch
Witi; conventional or pictorial Poet in its attitude.hod
taeat the is slight defect, it is a very graceful em
poem
1/,hich°` the hero of Beattie's " Minstrel "—apo
to
have
Co-he present generation of readers appear
240-sgned too carelessly to the shelves.
h. .
• Tim
very li 1 - FAN —Abraham Solomon.— T is is a ,
known and humorous illustration,, of the we_ll-
A, neseription in the Spectator," of the
ill atletn
eex Y for the training up of young women in
this i "else of the fan " The great preceptor in
stratitnnY°rtant study stands in an attitudethe of demon-
he ha.."),explaining to his pupils hoNt.:command
ever
„; JUst
given—" Flutter your ans," or which
Illighrle of the words of command enumerhatmedositt
~,race hhave been—could be executed
'stn. iLazotriptitude, and effect. At the headwit of the
4c431. 'YY 18 a dame, who, no doubt, was atoastt
ei°nteh-stea,son or two past, and even yet will no
Nil, --s-,,e;IY give up her position as a belle at Rane-
f/a"e game Placidly resign herself to retirerneenrt
life.and
131-11-:' of onabre for the remainder of h
tedaes't cheeks are becoming unmistakeablein their
l'erY 1;8; and she developes somewhat too fully. Her
ro-
,,r4sely-le ;i Pourtriyed here. These are the P
uf enoin'a,d on " s ots," which the "Spectator"
211 ha-,"(1,---those, "spots,"
fat red shoulders, he would
igany ovre had covered. Not less characteristic are
e„? deco he Younger and more graceful pupils—some
,-,;; abst;te and dignified to suffer their attention to
;`, the -8-feted from the engrossing and severe nature
ts'e'ghbn,,ll(lY ; some making shy remarks to their
I„"eatity.-."1.3) depreciatory, no doubt, of the elderes
''sr, Sol' and some laughing shyly to themselv
nnto 3rtun's style is always remarkable for the
°reit
:Nilo i ,s and lifelike power of expression. Any one
lake
"Kcd even lastingly, at his painting, in. our
- eXh'ia'' c first , on, could nut
th
I iti fail to recognize this at
rh_ ' glanCe.
4 11X (3,
11Y
art. 411413 EN AGE.—Frederick Underhill.—Why
gthich 41,4 should now attempt to embody the idea
statid. Chi
Picture expresses we cannot easily under-
a smi, h has been done by predecessors of Mr.
.413e.'"'.1's over and over again, and is by no means
h oliejecti,
admittinga much variety of treatment. It
all a°` very few specimens of what may be
ea the 4/
~ which the exhibition pre-
sent
IT, classic art,
stitio w classic cling at all to the old, used tip super-
,,Whe n'i.,' as one may call them, of an earlier day,
the wn tioPle would not take the trouble to look in
oterr, °,11(1 around them for subjects, but went on
iitheldY striving to give life to what never, at any
to 1 '.(lad life of its own Nobody is so absurd as
PaNtvolLtei all ePic now, or to tender a publisher a
ever „,--,•,rern ; we are quite content to dispense, for. the i,71-, the Greek Chorus in our tragedies; and
Place ies and quarrels of gods and goddesses have n o
patn,, n our of
literature. Why must modern
1.11,,,5Ang and sculpture alone persist in wrapping
41i...qt._ %yes in robes that are utterly out of date, and
it fgheetng in fashions 'Which are buried as entirely as
It is Y laY under the lava which
irnifa,no slight to classic
we now cease to
Clink it, covered Pompeii ?
prej.,,it. The reading part art if
of the world do not
..,.ilorner or Sophocles less great than any
vkung age thought them, but we have a literature