New-York daily tribune., 1845-12-13
..,,.,. Court Of Death.

Syce,y Library Rooms, either IN 'he ofisn'ef nouns
u ,ho day or by gasEghi
Mach s,rrss is laid. in the advertisements, upon
IN, 4.ar..l purpose or influence Of the picture
,vih regard TO this we must observe that mora In
,sn,, is no, the legitimate object of works OF art
/, may naturally low from them in so Tar as beauty
i. identical with health and virtue but the ooJecl VI
,hc Fine Arts Is sirnply 10 express thoughts III
s,r,ns more, perfect than the common course VI na
furnishes As nil objects in high way oeauti-
f,l and perfect are ntrinsicay pure and noble the
,g,d ,f him who contempaies them IS by that means
elevated and expanded. but it is not their province
directly TO preach of vice or virtuesln and It's re-
,r;buiions Where religion has afforded the best OF
all subjects. il has been because i; presented types
of ,yha, is universal. The Madonna represents
high and grand form Of maternal tenderness the sight
Of which NAV teach inuumerabe lessons, but ii must
be incidentally Christ reproving Peter affords a
subject for moral instruction, but when the true
Artist takes hold OF it. all petty details and inier'
cnees are subordnated 10, los; in, the sense OF
being SO raised above the region OF doubt, specua
,ion and special precep; by thorough intelligence
Of the divine will that h and the Father are one
We have dwelt for a moment upon this, because
the method of advertising Mr.. Peales picture seeHS
as if n work of Art needed some Pretext or oolec'
beyond its natural one of representing what Is most
excellept in thought, most clear in imagination ana
bv 90 doing to confirm impressions already common
enough, which prevent our people from looking d
such works from the true poin, of view.
Let us take then the picture in our own way
and INQUIRE first as to the object OF the artist Sc
cond his mode of treatment third the degree OF his
success.
AS 10 the first, we are informed the object Of the
artist is two.fod, the moral one Of giving juster
ideas Of death than are usual and the other, which
seems TO us the true poetic or artistic object of the
picture, TO express in an original way, his own
feelings about death.
Death is represented nCt in the usual forms oi
skeleton, or an old man moving down lives, as the
reaper the ears Of corn but as Power and r ate.
This conception quite open to objection, in pho-
sophical point of view as the others since Death is
not positive but negative, being not, in fact pow
er but only the absence Of power-hat oi lie is
vet poetical as corresponding to set OF feelings
which rise in the mind when we see souls cease to
sustain the bodies which had been their temporary
abode, ard is well expressed by stately form OF
old Egyptian calmncss aud grandeur, which, seated
with its foot upon the dead body OF man cut OH IN
the fullness Of his strength makes the centre to the
picture.
The statuesque Stiffness of this figure and It's dra-
perry, the shadows that fall around it. the codness
and rigdity of the corpse form centre OF cold ana
dark which bring out into very bold relief the
forms and coors of the groups on either side thus
giving to the picture great elect but one calculated
in our opinion, 10 produce emotions OF soemhlty and
awe if not of deep sadness rather than 10 give that
more serene view of Death which Mr.. Peale says
was his object We have never seen any pictures,
such the Descent from the Cross, Alsons touch
ing of the Dead Mans Bones where the centre was
cold and dark in which this not the case, while
in such as the Nativity, where the light proceeds
from the body of the child, or from central groupo
warm, living figures ,Le emotions induced are those
of peace or hope or Joy. How can ii be otherwise?
The centre always is winning the eye 10 itself and
giycs character to the whole picture.
The leading figures on either side the corpse,
Virtue sustaining Old Age and Pleasure alurirg
outh with her charmed cup, are finely conceived
and coloreG Here the view of the artist seems TO
have been truly catholic for he has done that the
cazer may attach an allecorical or human interest
10 the figures, according TO his turn of mind Lesser
fances or c0aceti such that OF the smoke from
Pleasures cup hiding tue presence of Death from
her victim or the head of the corpse resting IN the
stream of oblivion with which the painter has pleas
cd himself are equally left optional to be seen or not
according to the quality OF mental sight.
AS is usually the case when the contrast is attempt
cd Pleasure is made far more beautiful than Virtue
But in her train are many shapes of woe, which fill
one side of the picture with dark shadows OF darker
realities.
The group on he other side, representing war
ror accompanied by fire, pestilence and famine
aud passing over the dead and vanquished, is
the most powerful part of the picture. The
attitude and onward motion Of the female figure
which represents the fire are admirable; the light
from the torches upborne by her fierce arms casts
stern light on the scene in high poetic contrast with
the other parts of the picture Famine and Pesti-
lence are both expressed with great force. and we
read with little interest in this ghostly, sooihsay'
ing age where we ioter on the brink OF finding the
bridge betwixt our inward and our outward desti'
MES tha, for the figure OF Famine, following IN the
train of War the artist could find model, though
he sought her in many haunt OF Misery. and there
fore drew her from his brain; but, strange 10 say,
two weeks after the picture was finished woman
passed his house, who might have been sworn to ms
the original.
In elective grouping. in the use Of lights and
shades and in uniting OF expression worthy those
creative depths from which comes the fullness
of forns'' The Dic,ure claims bonors that declare
Rembrandt Pealc Patriarch of American Art, and
we hope Ncw-York will not let pass from her this
most valued portion OF the inheritance he wills 10
his country. *
~ The AMERICAN REVIEW for December
opens with an able and timely article po,iced else
where on TIE Wig Party It's Position and
Duties, which in the main we heartily approve. It
deals some mild yet pungent rebuke to the success
the old Jackson party for the taken in l6
by ihciy leadersvan Buren, Benton. Woodbury. Ritch-
ic Aeon the Panama Mission, dianet-icsiy hostile
to their prcsen; talk about this Continent lis rshtul