The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-08-10 00:00:00

, rtiE.BRITISI) INSTITUTION:

The'extriliitiati of the works of some of the most
eminent Italian, Spaniels, Fleintzdt. Dutch, and
French ina.ters, closed ou Saturday bust, at the
British Institution. . The sttelroits in art rill still
have an opportunity, rain the preceding exhibitions
at this Gallery, of studying. /toil cupying at their
leisure, the greater pert of the valuable works it
couldn't. %V have on successive occistons entered
so much into the details of these pictures, that no-
thing now remsiiis f..r us bqt to bike a retroepectiee
glance at their general character. ‘Vhen the etu.
dents shall have fiuislied their sketches, we anti-
cipate the pleasure of seeing tune excellent studies
from the two Cdriaties. We hope the intelligens
pupils of Mr. Haynes, end those who tread in
their steps, will not be idle observers of these cele-
brated works of RAPHAEL, which have been jusily
described as a the glory of England in art, and the
envy of all other polite nations."
in the works of RUBEN% in this collection, the
student will be struck with some fine examples of
the artiasivig fertility of invention, the lively, glow-
tug, and natural colouring, and the bold and
astonishing freedom of execution, of this siccom-
!dished artist. The celebrated picture if " The
Market People" in this Gallery, is a beautiful pro•
duction, and strikingly illustrates the peculiar
powers of this extraurilinery than, es they are criti-
cally described by Sir JOSHUA REYNOLDS. "Here,
(says the critic) the brightest colours are admitted,
with the two extremes of warm and cold ; and
those are reconciled by being iliopersed over the
picture, till the whole appears like • bunch of
flowers." Mr. FUSEL, hill, however, dissented
from this description of the style of RUBENI, and
observed, that his ingredients were not always con.
nected with " a prismatic rye ;" adding, that " the
b dance of the. Iris is not arbitrary, the balance of
his colour Oleo is." 11'e leave to artists to deter-
mine upon the respective merits of these two
opinions, but a common observer cannot see the
picture to which we have already alluded with-
out being forcibly struck with the propriety
of Mr. Fustmt's remark, that the females of RU-
RENS are often " hillocks of rosy flesh swept along
in a gulf of colours." %Ire particularly recom-
mend to the student', close attention the masterly
pictures by this Artist of " The Lioness," and
" The Assnmption of the Virgin." The former is
one of the must natural portraits of savage life we
ever witnessed, and the latter is the most exquisite
representation that can be well conceived of angelic
beauty. The wreath of little angels is beautiful
iu the extreme.

The artists who pursue the study of landscape
printing will find a fund of information in the
works of CLAUDE, PAUL POTTER, host!**,
BOTH, and other painters, who made this branch
of art their peculiar study. These works abound
in the best exnuiples of clear and admirable colour.
ing, flue form, striking chiaro-acuro, and correct and
harenouious prospective.
The chaste and exquisite beauties of GUIDO are
also conspicuous in this collection. H The Assuutp.
tion of the Pirgia," from the Cathedral at Geouds,
is a beautiful work, and attracted the rapacious
eye of the French General SEBASTIAN!, when he
commanded in that city. Of coarse it was pre-
sensed to him by the Local Authorities, with some-
thing like the siucerity of Wooer's resignation of
his palace at York-place to HaaRY, when he found
the tyrant bent upon its coutiscation. The head of
the principal figure in this picture has o noble and
graceful air—the folds of the drapery are disposed
in a flowing manner, and with much freedom ■nd
elegance. The colouring has a little of that greyish
tone, which is sometimes observable iii this artist ;
but its general character is clear and pure, with
roundness and great delicacy of touch. Next to
this picture in the Gallery is another on the same
subject, by the Spanish artist Muni LLO. The
touch is firmer, and the colour bolder than in
(Junto's; hut it Ike. less of transparency, or of
tender and pathetic devotion in the expression of
the principal figure. The wreath of angels is
beautiful—it Istis the same finely formed curve
that we have so much admired in Ituscas's pic-
ture, and much of the poetical expression of the
small figures, bat without the saute vigour and life.

REMBRANDT)! works have been so °lieu stu-
ed, that it is almost needless to Ipoint out
their peculiar characteristics; a wonderful effect
is very frequently produced by this artist's arrange-
ment or extraordinary masses or shadow : these, in
come alas works, produce amazing roundness, and
almost the full firm of the natural figure. Sir
JOSHUA REY ,OLDS observes, that while RUBEN!
admitted rather inure light thin a quarter into Inc
pictures, RESIBRANDT scarcely admitted an eighth.
fly this conduct, though MINIMA N DT'S light was
extremely brilliant, yet our artist thought it cost
too much, and that the rest of the picture was
sacrificed to tl.is nut object. Our young portrait
printers should be cautious how they lidlow the
great example of REMBRANDT. A copyist has ge-
uertilly the fault without the strength of the original.
A Dutch artist, NicttoLas ALri•s, was a very dire.
tiergisielied pupil of REMBRANDT, and had hardly
quitted the school oheii he, was obliged to depart
from the manner of his great !water ; fur, as his
biographer relates, be found the Wits of his time
too delicate to approve of the dal k st) le of REM-
BRANDT'S colouring. in their rottrumi, although It
huh sbuirdance i.f force. Perhaps the ladies of our
own time may not he altogether free from this sort
of predilection for bright mid lively colouring.

In tlw works of the Poussitss's and the CA.
ttacceri %he Slll4lesoli will lill4l *II almost iiirxhatistir
hlr source of stassly, fur these great artists inces-
santly lalpourell lay a long course of persevering ap-
plicatiuu—hy a careful and judicious examination
of the best works of ancient timer, alai hest models
of their own, to hriag their art to the highest per.
fiction.
The works or 1.r.0:1AII90 DA VINCI and Tt-
TtA9 to this collection, though tent the hest, nor
ally thing like the brio, of these celebrated Otis%
are yet rotiileil 11l cicrie obbertation, and the stu-
cleat rowan fail to tkrore considerable advantage
hum the rest eee i o infirm «t the li/claire,. of the most
rn►t►►rat men that ever adrienced and adorned list
exalted art.

The work,i of the Datch schnol are 101 of points
of Initial for thew ',rho ova. lit ilrvide
thvtn-
orlvrt to the cultivation tif or, 1111 l ir rxt•Hrar~. If
ob3tited whit judoirtito %hi we Nil 01 very

;.:

useful inforittttion, and !tiny lead the sfaclesit's wit
in perhaps the most popular tract of his urt. "I, ht
storks in she Isle exhibition contained no example
of almost every excellence in art, which is Greirmsry
to its ino.t effective cultivation. soil we one pitr.
Guided tluil the *aeries of art will not lose this up.
portunity orsvisifiog themselves of th. many nil.
••autages which the Directors of the Britibh lush•
tutiou vlaee at their disposal.

• 111
CIigiTENILCU 7'llE,ErRt.:l7,-•

ft gives us great pleasure to find that the per.
forinances of tune laid week have been so fashionably
attended. Oa Thursday tart our old favourite.
miss S. BooTH. made her first appearance this
a.ssoit as Lady Teazle, in SHERID•te6 exgois;te
comedy of The School fur Scandal, which she per-
formed with her usual skill; and in the sfterpiece
of The Spoil' d Child, she exhibited a specimen of
ri.:h and varied talent ; she sang the air of " Since
then rat doomed," with very eotivirteralde 'weenies",
Oa Saturday the comedy of Time Belle's Stratagem
and The Rump attracted a very good house. Mist
Boors. a Letitia Hardy, MU excellent. partici,.
lady so in the idiot scene; in Priscilla onebny she
exhibited another specimen of different but excel•
lent acting.—((leheithear Chronicle.)