The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-03-07 00:00:00

HAYDON'S PICTURE OF THE RAISING OF
LAZARUS.

This picture which has this week begun to be open to
the public, is taken from the narrative contained in the
eleventh Chapter of St. John's Gospel. The principal
features are taken from the following . :
Verse SR.—Jesus, therefore, again groaning in himself,
rometh to the grave. It was a cave. and a stone lay on it.
30.—Jesus said—Take ye away the stone ••"
41.—Then they took away the stone from the place where
the dead was laid.
43.—And when he had thus spoken, he cried witlita load
voice, " Lazarus, come forth."
44.—And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and
foot with grave•clothes, and his face was bound about with
a napkin. Jesus saith unto them—" Loose him and let
him go."
Tne performance undoubtedly displays great vigour
anti originality of conception, and Areas command of the
mechanical and manual resources of the painter's art.
The subject had been too often treated by the Italian
Masters not to have made it hazardous for a modern;
but Mr. Haydon has succeeded in renovating it with a
boldness and simplicity worthy of the strong simplicity
of Scripture. The advance of Lantos from the grave is
to us altogether new, and its effect is full of characteristic
graedeur. It is palpably no representation of a work of
niters' causes. Something beyond earth—and the
power of earth, is at work in this coming forth of the
livid anti bloodless being that stands like an apparitioe
:ruling men. It has the visible impression of miracle.
to this we find the genius of the artist; and we know of
no higher praise.—The direct application of the pencil,
as the pen to the mind, is the distinctive mark and tri-
umph of genius.
• We look upon this portion of the picture as that in
which the Artist had to overcome the greatest difficulties,
and as that in which his power bas been moat successfully
displayed. The Lazarus seems to us one of the finest
conceptions of the modern pencil. Enveloped by heavy
grave-cl Awe be is opening them from his face, and
stands with the light of the world just let in upon him.
We can imagine a great variety of probahleexpressions
is a countenance thus redeemed. Its predominant qua-
lity might have been joy at the sight of those aroond, or
t. rror at the discovery of its resting place, or the vague
sitepriseof a mind yet scarcely returning to susceptibility.
!int the Artist has struck upon an expression different
from all these, and superior to them all. Lazarus seems
instinct with the influence which has sumitmeed hiM
from the grave. •His breathless features, his pale, fixed.
and elevated eye, his unconsciouar.ess of The agitated
crowd that are-weeping, kneeling, and wondering before
him. are all fine accessories to the leading idea. He is
obviously the creature of miracle; lees a roan than a
spirit embodied, and a spirit standing before a God. The
'other portions of the picture are executed with great
force of expression and breadth of pencil; but we have
given the Artist's description, and are nut willing to
enfeeble it by any extent of commentary. The attitude
iof oar Lord s characteristic, a rare merit in painting ;
he stands as in possession of absolute. power over the
resistance of nature ; but the countenance is, less seas.
• factory to us than the attitude. The Masters of the Ita.
Ilan School have filled the general eye with' a. counte-
nance from which it is unpopular to depart. ,Mr. Haydon
has constructed a physiognomy in which intelli-
gence, abstraction, and dneaighly composure take the
place of benignity, beauty, and sensibility. He gives
us the portrait of a mathematician; and is careless of
conciliating the eye. We involuntarily look for the por-
trairof a man, and love to indulge the eye with the
contemplat.iun of that sublime yet human beauty which
could at once weep for Lazaaus and command his
gray". The expression of the father of Lazarus seems
cold sad improbable. The mother's irresistible rush of
joy and wonder rebukes this unpaternal anal ill-visaged'
Jew. Of the two sisters, Martha is the finer study of the
figures and Mary of the countenance ; but they are both
remote from the beauty which the Artist might have so
ewe}, and naturally given. The attitudes too might
have more decidetlis inudetedsabs •atoe.y. Mary, whose
characteristic appears from the narrative to have Men
dez.g affeL•tion, sees nothing of the brother whom she bad
weptato see, and fixes her eyes oo the ground. Martha,
evidently of a oh anger and more, stirring temperament,
she who went to meet our Saviour,' and who probably
exercised some doubt either of his power or of his will
to raise a body already four days dead, ought, we think,
to have acknowledged her sudden and full conviction of
his omnipotence by some gesture of holy wonder, by
some- attitude of prayer, by some prostration. But we
can allow for the choice of difficulties which Must perplex
&avast Artist in the progress of a work so diversified, so
fail, and so noble, as this picture. •';
The Pharisee mid Sarlducee are unnecessarily repulsive.
The Artist should have taken advantage of their intro-
duction to skew us the vigour and vividness inseparable
from the Jewish countenance under all its degradations.
and which in the days of the Temple made it probably the
most picturesque and powerful in the world. He has,
however, made his two Doctors scarcely above the brutal,
and he has dune it intentionally. The woman with the
urn on her head is the handeoniest in face•and attitude of
&It his personage!. Yet she does not helots,/ to the story;
ibe even resists its expressiveness. No mere pitcher-car-
rier. would have come to see the opening of a grave, or
no pitcher would hare remained on her head in the agitie
tion of so pro.ligimis a display of power. But Lazarus•
himself makes magnificent compensation for 'errors. like.
these. Ills walking out of the upright tomb, instead of
rising from a pit, is at once a bold, and justified depar-
ture ftom the common conception of the Italian School.
The colouring is in general forcible, though some time
must elapse before it acquires due depth and mellowness.
The precept " prematur elicit:warn" may be as
msentisl to the Painter at the Poet. But.in Whatever
state this grand Picture be looked at, it mutt be felt as
striking proof of the advance of the British pencil, and
of the perseverance and genius of the Artist. tWe hope
that it will be a not less striking exetaplifieetion 'of that
publicpatrooage amt illustrious liberality, which is as
loud' the honour of him who gives as of hilt brtitom it
Is received.

HERTFORD CIRCUIT, Tnutinar, Masten 6.
The Lent Sprint Circuit commenced here to-day be.
fore the Lord Chief Baron Richards and the Hon. Mr.
isrun Graham.
ADAMS R. DIRK VARTSRPANt, UQ.
This was an action of trespass for breaking and enter-
eins certain easel's:if the Plaintiff at Great Mundon, and
with his cattle eating up and injuring the grass therein.
Several witnesses proved the service of notires upon
the Defendant not to trespass upon the Plsiatit's land.
ThrYientst Batton summed up the evidence, and the
Joy %laid their Vrrdirt fur the Plaintiff—Damages 51.
Catierw SlDS.—lkilMem Day, a man of respertahle
appearance, was iodic ed fur stealint on the 17th Febru-
ary, all. Pleansted, a quantity of potatoes, value three
haft emie2 the property of Sir John Saunders Sebright,
It appe„
vesi In evidence that the prisoner had 'been
hrweight uplrotii his infancy in the prosecutor's service
wAd had been pitimwed hem time to time, until he wa
appointed ly! his innfidential butler. The prisoner ac-
iosowl llgki that lie had taken the potate4 is question
limn the Scullery, but salkhe bad merely taken them for
ttjte porp/ie of plairthplibinin his pun garden, they
*wig a goal sort.
Mr. Banos Osmium igininitupthe cam leaving it
loth@ Jury to ;ay whether Ike priansei took the potatoes
with a Motions Inteatinis;e-4