Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1843-07-22

Many Of The ablest painters and sett|r-
Tors Of Europe have expressed to tb Dis
fectly and frankly tho opinion tllHt Acntlb-
MOS. furnished though they be with all The
means 10 turn tho eye, the linnd and the
mind ni thn pupil, are positively hindran.
cos instead Of helps TO art.
The Ereiit element Of execution, whetll.
or IN painting or IN scnl ptltn ia imitation.
This Is tho language Of art. Almost all
clever boys can learn this 10 n degree far
beyond what ia supposed, That objects
be placed before item calculated 10 attract
their attention and teach them tho rules 81
pret,ortlun, while they eduente The eye 10
form aud color, no one will dispute: but
the insisting upon n routine. Tho derrlytng
them Of all choice OF volilinn. the giving
II false preference to readiness Of hand
over power Of thought. all those are great
evils, and wo fully holIeyo that tI,oY fall
with n wltlietlna Iorc0 nn those minds, ea-
~prclnlly Wlli,ae uourlshlncnt and g%uidnnro
they woru intended 10 sccufc-We mean
Oh those minds which are filled with u
strong yenrning after cxnlloneo warm
sympathies, quick. delicate ind nice per.
cnptiofs, strong will and ii proud c6nscl-
otsness Of power Of mind. joined 10 dill
lence Of their capacity 10 bring into nc.
lion The energies tliey feel within tllou1.
Tho paltrY prizes offered for The best per.
fsrnancns seldom rouse men oI tins order
they may create in such souls m %utallen-
able contempt for their pnecssstal Cotnpo.
titors tlloy may give to successful tnodt.
oer,ty inflated iiopes. a false estlntnto ri
lis " powers. Az n substantial help they
arc worthless even 10 tl,o tyro who wins
theme
Leonardo da Vine, cooled II rupo In hia
studio. and drew from if. with the ~s,lllest
outline and the most elaborate study Of
light and shade. Behold T. said he, 'tny
academy T. llu meant to show that the
elements Of art can be lohrnt without The
ponpous array of tho antique school or
tho lectures Of the professor. Few will be
tempted to follow bis example but even
that were far bottcr thhn u routine Of IN.
struction which, after yenra of drudgery
and labor. sends forth %thogeniua and the
blockhead 40 nearly on II level with each
other. tho one manaeled viii, pteeepts, The
other armed with tlotn nj oil points.
The above reflections have been drawn
from Va by The olt.tcpeatcd expressions Of
regret which wo have listened 10, "t,at
from tho constitution Of our society. and
The nature of our institutions, no influence
can DO brought 10 bear upon nrt with the
vivIfyipg power of court patronage We
fully and firmly believe that these I~t1stiii.
tons arc moro favorable 10 IL NATURAL.
heaIthlnl growth Of aft, than any l,otbed
culture whatever. We eannot-(as did
Napoleon)-rnakc, by IL iow imperial
edlcia. mn army Of bnttle pnintors. II her.
atchy Of drum and fife elorIiiers. Nor eau
we, IN tho llle.tlmo of an individual 50 sll.
mulata ibis branch Of culture, SO nhduly
| and disprohortlonntely 10 endow IT,, ms TO
make Walhalla start from n republican,
soil. The monuments, the pictures, The
statues Of tho republic will represent what
| lilo people love and wish for,-not what
they can be made TO accept, moi how much
taxation they will bear. We hopo by such
slow growth, to avoid the r~rnctlon result.
ing from Fl morbid development II rene
ion like that which attended the building of
81. Peters, II reaction like that conao-
quent upon the outlay which gaPo birth TO
the royal mushroom al Versailles II reac.
ton which We anticipate III iiAsntiat TN.
less the people OF that country are eonsti.
tutod differently from the rest Of mankind.
If thore bo nny youth toilihg through
IL. ...1...a.V. IF Y.t .y H., I.,-,a IF tI.,
simple and efficient school Mt New York,
(whose title is the only pompous thing
about it), with Il chilling belief that else.
where The difficulties he struggles with arc
removed or modified, we call upon him 10
DO of good cheer and to beIieve--what
from our hearts we are convinced ol-ihnt
there is Mt present no country whore The
development and growth Of nm artist Is
moro FREQ, hcalthlul and happy than ii is
in these United States. 1t is not until the
tyro becomes II p~roiicient-nny, an adept,
that his fortit1dc and his temper are put
10 tests more severe than clscwherc-tcsts
of which we propose to speak moro ut
large on n future occasion.
As II confirmation Of the statements we
have made, and in support of our view of
them. we turn with pride and hope to HI
! ram Powers, rs tho most remarkable ms
lance we have ever met With Of u natural
and healthful development.
Disciplined by his previous occupations
to tho cxactest mechanical execution, he
brought to bis first effort in sculpture, Il
hand and eye, "A gift from God and fruit
of toll, which made its first effort in its
walk n masterpiece. Tho series Of por.
tlaits which came from his hand during
the three or four years previous to his leav-
ing this country, arc unparalleled by any
modern works in that class, which we have
SEEN. In the portraits of private citizens,
he displayed the breadth ofthe classic mo-
dels, united to the force, the evidence, and
The unflinching exactness Of tho Dagucr-
rcotype. In the bust of Mr.. *, president
Adams, he has given the types by which
the forms of other portraits of that states
man will be tested in that of General
Jackson, the indomitablo will and high
purpose of the old hero are incarnate. His
bust of Mr.. Webster is perfnps bis chef
d'rurrc of portraiture. 1t has the indivi-
duality of Houdon's Voltairc united to the
grand breadth Of Chantry's Scott. Wheth-
or we regard tho action Of the head, the
attitude OF the features, or the detail Of
the forms, We find nothing Wanting. Com.
pare this Demosthenes bust with some OF
the lowering caricaturcs which libel the
late secretary, and you will see at once
the difference between the grasp Of genius