The National Register.
London, England, 1814-03-06 00:00:00

156

THE NATIONAL RE,CISTER.

veining the blaze of departed talents to kindle np the hidden fer-
ment in the mind of our contemporaries, to reflect the divine glow
of their sunshine upon modern pallets,and tints compensate as miteh
in their power, our long-complained-of lack of private schools of
painting.
No. 15. Susannah and the niers. By Mr. C. WYATT, 4f. 10 its.
by sf. 4 in.—lt will always give credit to a young artist to follow
either in composition; drawing. or colouring, some of those whose
reputation has stood the test of more than two centuries ; yet it is
mtlancholy to think, that we cannot arrive to a nearer degree of
perfection in portraying nature by our own exertions and in our
own way, rather than to be constrained to imitate imitators, in or-
der to get at something like natural truth. This, however, is a
performance of some merit, but rather placed too high to be pro-
perly inspected.
No. 34...44. By El:mann Blau, A. R. A. 3f. 11 in. by 5f.'2 in.
When we found the name of this clever -artist in the catalogue. we
flew So. the performance, but we must speak the truth, we were
sadly disappointed. This does not represent what the artist wishes,
and notwithstanding the high finishing, the keeping, the harmony of
the whole falls short of what we expected. No man will ever be
able to guess what the subject is, and when a painting wants the help
of au interpreter, it becomes whatever you please, and therefore
loses its principal, its only merit, that of 'mimicking nature. Let
Mr. Bird remember, that the Fine Arts expect from him much more
tan tie has already done—he has kindled pleasing hones--he must
not disappoint them. Cabinet historical pictures, what the French
call 46 Tableaux de cheralet,” Easel pieces, arc his fort; let him
keep closely to them—he will succeed.
No. tit. Don Quixote and Sancho journeying' to the Ws cilter their
encounter with the Yoncuezion colliers. by ABRAHAM COOPER.—
An old Latin axiom says, Naseantur Poem.; we mnst say the
same of painters : Corregio. when he felt the Divine inspiration
glowing in Isis breast, exclaimed, Sono Pittore ancleio ; Mr. Cooper
may say the same; for we know that a very few years ago lie had a
very little idea, if any, of ever ascending theehromatic Parnassus—
and now we hear several visitors assert roundly, that this is one of
the best pieces in the rooms—indeed. in looking at it with minute-
'leis, we find the assertion true—there is in the design a freedom
which is at par with the easy manner in which the whole is exe-
cuted. Rossinaute exhibits her anatomical character with truth and
effect, and the discomlitted knight, thrown across the back of the
ass, contrasts ludicrously well with the arch look of the rogue that
kids the van.
No. 129. A.Tiew of Edinburgh, from St. Anthony's Chapel ; after-
-710011. By T. fi Hoeeemsn, 6f. 3 in. by 7f. 10 ite—This picture
is much better than the folsome giTzle from Msrmion, which is
voted with it ill the catalogue. Mr. noffiand has preserved most
faithfully the -character of the country where he took his study,
and this landscape tines him much honour.
No. 136. A LoNdscope. By Miss H. GOULDSMITIL—Whether
it is partiality titr an amiable sex. or an aequited habit of en-
couraging by praise, we cannot decide ; but we will give our full
a-scent to every one who may pass an encomium upon the perform-
MAX before us.

en. be efmtinued)

DRAMATIC REGISTER.

DRURY-L INE.

The opinion which we expressed on • Mr. KEAN'S merits,
when that gentleman made his first appearance at this
theatre, has since. been confirmed by the unanimous suf-
frages of the people. Taient such as his needed only to be
seen to he admired. It is indeed astonishing that he should
have been al,le to acquire such excellence in the country,
without being sooner heard of in town. To a strong na-
tural genius he certainly owes much, but he has evidently
improved its inspirations by study, and his powers by exer-
cise. W i thou; the latter, the flashes of genius would only serve
to shew the rug!.!ednes of an uncultivated mind, whilst the
skill which he displays, the perfect knowledge of all those,
expre.ssions of countenance and gestures which reflect the
soul, are the wotk of experience, and this experience, in Mr.
LA ic, seems too per feet not to have been acquired by
.:;:ears' acting. flow he could be allowed to waste so long

MARCH 6.

his efforts and abilities in obscurity, seems therefore to im-
ply a just* charge of neglect on the purveyors frir the me-
tropolitan stage. How he rould:continue his.exertions and_
improve his talents without being cheered by a siugle ray
of patronage, and without any hope of ever emerging front
his undeserved insignificance, is not less honourable to his
courage as a man contending with adversity, .than it is a sa-
tisfactory proof of sterling genius, which, like the beacon on
the rock, is only blown brighter by .the storm.
The universal approbation with which Mr. kean's Shylock
was received, even whibt the memory retained unimpaited
the image of his excellent, though eccentric predecessor,
encouraged him to undertake another character in which
the first performers on the Brisish stage had hitherto filed
to equal Cooke. Mr. Kean's Richard the Third has set the
seal to his fame. Greater powers of conception and expres-
sion, a closer adherence to nature, mere judgment and energ.y,
have none ever displayed. Bold enough to be original,
he possessed sufficient science to be successful in his origi-
nality. The spirit of Cooke's departed excellence did not
stand by to awe his fancy and cripple his exertions. He
only saw the crafty, cruel, and yet heroic Plantagenet, and
was what lie contemplated. His introductory soliloquy, in
which his own deformity formsthe subject of his reflections,
wits given with peculiar felicity. His pauses might be
deemed long, were not the absence of the voice amply sup-
plied by the play of the countenance, and the expressive
energy and propriety of his action. Ile not only feels what
he titters, but imparts his feelings to every spectator, and
through the magic of sympathy transforms them. into the
being he is, rather than represents. His scene with Henry
in the Tower, in which impatience wound up into rage,
impels him to murder the King, is one of the finest specimens
of the histronic art. His guilty krover the Royal corpse is
terrifically grand. Ilis wooing of Lady Anne displays, how-
ever, still greater variety. The mixture of earnestness and of
sarcasm, with which he addresses the only being hi ever
loved, and mocks her weakness and his own feelings,
fills up in the most effective manner the picture which the
poet has given us of Richard's character. Were we to go
through every scene, we should only have to repeat oleo-
minim similar to those we have expressed. We cannot.
however, refrain from noticing two most transcendant beau-
ties exclusively his own. When bidding his friends good-
night on the evening previous to the battle, Richard sinks
into one of those fits of abstractedness which rob him of his
alacrity. Mr. Knott: gradually fell off from the conversa-
tion in which he was engaged, issued confused and uncon-
!melba orders, and growing seemingly inattentive to all that
passed around him, slowly drew lines with his sword upon
the ground, as though fixing the positions of armies ; then
with a sudden motion drew another line across as if he had
just found his point of attack, and starting from his reverie,
hastily bade his friends good-night, and rushed off the
Stage. Here the actor certainly rises to an equa-
lity with the poet, as well as in the followin., instance.
Mortally wounded after a desperate contest, and growing
faint in body though unsubdoetl in soul, Mr. KEAN uncons
sciously drops his sword through weakness, and continues
to lounge with his bare band until death puts an end to the
Tyrant's spirit with his life. After describing some of the
beauties with which this gentleman's performance of Richard
abounds, it is useless to add, that the applause with which
his exertions are rewarded is Universal and enthusiastic, and
that the only difficulty is now to obtain places, notwith-
standing the size of tbis house, when Mr. K. is announced
to play.