The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-12-26 00:00:00

THE FINE. ARTS.

Mr. ►'EST, the venersble President of the Royal
Ae*rimy. has just reaufted front his G 'fiery in
the pictures of Sou/ Propbesyi►ri, and
%lie Lord's Swpper, 'nod supplied their piad•rtd It •:o
picture!. of Pawl nod Berm:hot, and %ri►e Ifruzpn
Serpent. These work. sire not. we believe, like the
great picture. of Death on the Pale Horse, and
Christ Rejected ;4011 iii this Gallery). recent pro.
ductsons 110111 die pencil of Mr. W EST. but are
woilt. which have been excepted some years ago.
and remained. in the pri'vote collection of the Artist.
The Pll6jeCt of Paul a;4d Burnabns is taken from
the New' fratameut, 7'he Acts, chapter sill. verses
45 nod 4th.

" But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they 17cre filled
with euvy, and snake against hose things which were spoken
by Paul, euntradictinc and blaspheming,"
" Then Paul slid II is nabob waxed bold, and said,
it was necessary that the word of Gull should first have
been spoken to you : hut seeing ye put. it horn you, and
judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting itfe, 10, we turn to
the Grittier:4."

In this Picture the adoration of the Gentiles is
affecting and interestink, and the Artist has con-
trived to dispose and contrast a beautiful groupe of
figures in this part of his Picture with so little of
the appearance of crowding, that each figure com-
mands, in itself, minute attention, without disturb-
ing the general harmony, which, as a whole, the
groupe displays. Toe expression of the Jews, at
the other side of the Picture, indicates the envious
feeling which the devotion of the Gentiles excited.
One of the faces has a deep and powerful express
lion of mingled anger and disappointment. The
figures of Paul and Barnabas, which are the prin-
cipal in the work, have sit expression of strove
anger, vet tempered with dignity. The colouring
of the P;cture is plain and :appropriate.
The other work, the Brazen Serpent. is firm
Numbers, chop. xxi. ver. 6 and 9. The Artist has
infused into the delineennui of this subject much of
his powerful and vivid imagination. The horrific
express,oli of some of the figures, resembles that
which lie has pourtrayed in parts of Deala ox the
Pale Horse. The interest of the whole is at once
striking and appalling.
Mr. President Wm has long promised the
Public to Exhibition of ►lre entire body of his
Works produced iii the last half century. Of
conr-e, when the venerable Artist made the- an-
nouncement, he meant the Exhibition to comprise
merely such works as have :mimed in this coml.
try. have not heard lately what steps are in
progress to fiord Mr. wEres intention ; but
whenever such an Exhibition shall take place, it
will present to the wo►ld an almost unprecedented
example of the genius and !persevering industry of
a single individual ; and to Mr. WEST'S immortal
honour lie it iecorded, that it will also hold
nut for the imitation of his successors, the steadiest
and twist continued example in modern times of
1111 Artist's unwearied zeal to perpetuate, by the
toter and charm of his pencil, the remembrance
and practice of those divine and moral precepts.
which it ought to be the object of every good
man to inculcate in the society in which be lives.