The National Register.
London, England, 1808-05-08 00:00:00

FINE ARTS.

The fortieth exhibition of the Royal Academy at cornerset-
House has now appeared, and continues to attract all those with
whom the love of the arts. of fashion, or of a lounge, is a mo-
tive powerful enough to vanquish the horrors of heat. Two of
the artists who formerly drew the greatest admiration, are not
recognised in this exhibition; one has been snatched from public
attention by an untimely death, and the other by his own diffi-
dence. The last exhibition contained several of the works of
Mr Opie: Mr. Opie is now no more. The last exhibition con-
tained several works of Mr. lloppiter ; but Mr. lloppner, con-
ceiving that none of his most recent paintings are worthy of his
i•wt reputation, has now, with a self-command and coolness of
aatimation exceedingly uunsual among men of genius, refused to
lend any of his paintings to the exhibition. Having thus paid
-tat tribute of respect to the artists who are absent, we pro-
ceed to speak of the merits of those who are present.
The Royal Academicians, as may be always expected, have
furnished the greatest number of striking pictures.
35. A Portrait.-11. Tnom SO R. A.
" Lo, the poor Indian, whose untutor'd mind.
" Sees God in clouds, and hears him in the wind !"
This picture is the portrait of an Indian female, kneeling and
adoring the deity that manifests himself amid the storm. The
e•srpt-ession of the upper part of her face has a mixture of se eet- !
oess and sublimity, that we scarcely haired ever to see united.
The management of the light which a tempestuous sky throws
ispun a break 'of the sea that sweeps in the back ground, is ex-
tofu itely conducted ; the colouring is chaste, and at the same
that: harmonious ; and Mr. Thomson seems to have completely
tiamed that power, which, in painting, as well as in poetry, is
se. ;;pt to escape the careless, ignorant, or indolent minds of infe-
ti,,r artists, the power of subjecting imagination vt ithout depres-
sitig it, of preserving vigour without neglecting elegance, and of '
begetting a temperance even in the whirlwind of passion."
. 71. Lavinia.—M. A. Ssit e., R. A.
This is the best picture which we have ever seen of Mr. Slice's.
The figure of Lavinia is single; and the attitude in which she sits
is natural and simple. The face and neck are extremely meri-
torious in colouring, and the picure could scarcely fail to pLa:se
even an unpractised eye. If there he any fault in it, we are in-
clined to think that fault exists in the representation of the turf
on which Lavinia sits. The ground has too square an effect for
a natural bank—it looks as if it were chisseled stone.
75. Portrait of Lady Heathcote.—W . OW EN, R. A.
The genius of this admirable artist continues to expand itself,
and appears at length to have called forth that applause which
is so justly its due. The best judges of the art, and the unettiti-
ated spectators who gaze but for a show, have all concurred in
extolling this portrait. Mr. Owen is an artist of real genius ;
end as it is the property of real genius to place no hounds to its
progress of improvement, we doubt not that his future works
will give us many opportunities of repeating, and even increasing
the high praise which we are bound to bestow uron this picture.
112. The Death of Lord Nelson in the Cockpit of the Ship
Victory.—B. WEST, R. A.
93'great a fame has been acquired by this artist for his Death
of General Wolfe, that any stranger who looks at the Death of
Lord Nelson now id the liahibition, will scarcely-believe the