The Sun.
London, England, 1861-05-03 00:00:00

THE Ri

!ADEMY.

PRIVATE VIEW—THIS DAY.
Punctually as ever the Royal Academy is pre-
pared to fling open its gallery according to annual
custom on the first Monday in May for public
inspection. The internal architectural arrange.
ment of the Building in Trafalgar-square has in no
way retarded the regular completion of their
arrangements. To-morrow, therefore, her Majesty's
Ministers will be again feasted as of yore in the
principal apartment, the walls of the temporary salle
a manger being, as usual, decorated with the pick
of the gorgeous works of art contributed to the
Academy by the more ambitious contributors.
In anticipation of the Saturday set apart for the
Academy dinner, this present Friday has afforded
us as heretofore the satisfaction of examining the
pictures of the season, at our leisure, during the
afternoon of what is by courtesy, and merely by
courtesy, generally designated the Private View
Day. Whether it might be owing to the lower-
ing aspect of the weather, to the more
spacious effect of the gallery as it is now, in con-
sequence of its enlargement, or to the ex-
haustion of anything like vivid interest in the
world of club life or among parliamentary men
through the mere reaction consequent upon last
night's excitement down at Westminster, we know
not—but certainly we have to-day for once
found " room and verge enough" to saunter
round the suite of apartments without even
the merest approximation to anything like
crowding—and even without once finding the
view of any single painting in the edifice obstructed
by the clustering about it of spectators—in evidence
of its being a favourite. Another reason there is,
perhaps, for the last-mentioned circumstance—
though it is a reason certainly as adequate in
its way as that of the burgesses -who ex-
cused themselves to the French King for not
firing a salute, for this "a. no. 1. reason," among
about sixteen others unenumerated, i.e., that they
had no cannon—there is not one really and truly
what we should call Great Work this year among
all the thousand and odd (there are exactly
1,134 numbered up in the catalogue) works of
art displayed for the season of 1861 upon the
walls and in the sculpture room of the Royal
Academy.
A reference, first of all, however cursory, is due
to the architectural changes noticeable immediately
upon crossing the threshold of the Royal Academy,
that is to say, upon entering at the eastward door
of the building miscalled the Nation al Gallery—mis-
called, because what is actually the National Gallery
there is literally only half of it. The central part of
the building then is wonderfully improved. The
staircases strike off at once to the right, upstairs—
to
the left, downstairs, not to the damp and gloomy
den where the sculpture was of old stowed away in
disgrace enough to drive the exhibitors in that de-
partment to absolute desperation, but in lieu of
that, into a well-lighted and spacious gallery for
busts and statues, amongst which it is at length
a pleasure to wander meditatively.
Returning, however, to the right.hand staircase
leading up to the noble suite of rooms now consti-
tuting the Picture Gallery, the visitor's attention
is at one arrested by the fact that the little
den previously set apart for the miniatures and
drawings has expanded into a splendid and well
lighted apartment. This expansion having been
effected by the way in the direction of what was
formerly the unfrequented, and for the most part
taboed room set apart for the all but condemned
paintings, and the miscellaneous designs of the
architects.

Turning now howbeit to the principal and in-
deed to-begin-with all-absorbing attractions of the
private view of the Royal Academy—that is to •Ry,
not to the sculptures, not to the miniatures, not to the
drawings or to the architectural designs—turning
our attention exclusively to the paintings disposed
upon the walls of the principal rooms of the Gal-
lery, we can in some measure understand almost:at
a glance, how it is that the Royal Academy
this year produces so little impression upon
art-critics generally, how it is that it awakens
so moderate a share of our admiration. It is only
necessary to remember, in explanation of this, how
many of
,the chief men, the pride and glory some
of them, of the art-world in England are this year
defaulters—making no appearance whatever!
There is no Sir Charles Eastlake—nothing whatever
that is from the Royal Academy President. There is
nothing from Frith—nothing from Egg—nothing
from Herbert—nothing from Poole (the new R.A.
Elect)—nothing from Mulready—nothing from
Maclise—nothing from Webster—nothing from
Millais !

That, recollect, to begin with ! Then John
Phillip has this year only one picture in the
gallery, though that is a very charming one,
(66) " Gossips at a Well," a thoroughly Spanish
scene, the central attraction of which is the mule-
teer carelessly puffing his cigarette. Again, both
Peed and O'Neil have each but one painting in t he
Exhibition—though each of these is unquestionably
in its way a masterpieces--each will infallibly tend
to raise still higher the artist's advancing reputation-
Paed's picture (247) " Prom Dawn to Sunset" being
a very poem in itself—a cottage interior, where
the oldest and probably the best beloved of the
bed dying. The tear-suppressing awe of the whole
of the varied inmates of the room is -wonderfully
depicted. Especially -worthy of praise is
the diversity of pathetic feeling expressed upon
the countenances of the little children—but chiefly,
and " best beautiful" of all, upon the haggard face of the toil-worn labourer, the Head of theg Family,
who is seated by the death-bed, and has evidently
been just reading from the Holy Book words of
heavenly consolation. O'Neil's picture (335),
" The Parting Cheer," will prove a
Popular companion to this gifted artist's
two earlier and world-famous productions. With
every sense of Mr. J. C. Hook's rare powers as a
sea-painter, and with every possible respect for
Mr. Ruskin's opinions as the first and foremost of
living art-critics, we cannot but confess that to our
min
to d the three works contributed by this
n.A.
most the Gallery for 1861, are for the
(317)part failures. His unnamed illustration
of the Words "compassed by the inviolate sea"
is certainly refreshing enough in its way, as a glimpse of ocean, with the prettiest
little
toddle, climbing up from tho beach th
4 handful of dripping seaweed --wi
that salt
sea-weed that, as some quaint old writer has
it, " smells ever of distance and of beauty." The
happiest effort of the three however is Mr. Hook's
(522) picture of the " Sea Urchins." Sir Edwin
Landseer has as many as four paintings in the
Exhibition, the worthiest of these from bib
Shrew Tamed
master-hand being incomparably (135) "The
gentled ," a lady reclining beside her
mare thrown prostrate upon a litter of '
straw— delightfully a la Rarey ! Perhaps, if
there is one picture in the gallery that aspires
more than another to be a Great Picture, to be
regarded as the picture of the year, it is
:Ward's (169), " The Antechamber at White-
b..aell
_during, the Dying Mosnents of Charles
!!a. Second.' It is a gorgeous painting enough,
this eagerly looked-for delineation by Ward of an
incident in our national_ his' tory recorded so recently
and vividly b
a wz.L.lllacaula7. But the glory of the
work, aa
hasi oaf ar.t, is in the skill with which
the painter
upholstery, rather tehract.ed the costume and the
then in the genius he has exhi-
bited in defining
emotions of the personages
introduced. Regardin
the e.scene in this particu,ar,
we cannot but deem 8 n
a mrcture—clever and:bril-
liant though it is—as
tswseod opportunity. David
Roberts has contributed
tneoble productions—
one of these (168) presenting O,UB interior of St. Peter's, at Romp
view the suraptu-
u.pon some fete
(lay, when, as Scott sings in one o his old resonant
ballads :--
" The Pope is singing his high, high mass,
There are four
All at St. Peter's shrine I"
Redgraves in the gallery, and four
Stanfield
one set carrying us out
hseawards, the other into the
green woodlands) WI
way, of the two .fort y, though in a modulated
in the gallery,
ita?tio,
,pictures t3l ted artists. reputations. Doe
libel.:
one (289) a noble
se„ Portrait representin' the other (98) a delicious garden
B msrton." With g "
and Frost have the poet " Gcorge Herbert, at
erington,Creswiek, Cope, Elmore,
each of them three contributions in 1
the gEtlie
17""TietUresallOWeYer, whichwe cannot neW I

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