Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1846-12-11

49," - 6@1'N 800
dom, and | honor them for it. But | never
love to turn my mind towards them for when
they are present TO my thoughts, ! always
seem to hear, as Swedenborg says he did in
the spiritual world, "a man walking behind
me with iron shoes upon a stone pavement"
There have been an unusual number of
good pictures in the Art Union this season.
Durdnd's picture of an old man seated by the
brook-side. talking 10 his little grand-daugh-
ter, is very beautiful. 1t is pervaded by that
golden haze which gives such a poetic cha
Tacter TO his landscapes. Another reason |
like them is, that he seldom closes in the
vision. With my extreme aversion TO the
law of Limitation, | am always delighted TO
see IA sunny opening in the distance, where
could wander, if | would. Several landscapes
of Browns are now at these ooIns One Of
the best Of them, Moonlight in Venice, was
painted for George Tiffany, Esq, Of Baiti-
more. Brown seems 10 have more orders
than any of our painters who are abroad. |
suppose it is because there is something rich
in his style, which at once strikes the eye.
But his pictures, though improving ever, still
have a want Of transparency in the atmo-
sphere, an absence Of life in the Objects
They remind me Of extremely beautiful wor-
sted work.
From the rooms Of the Art Union. I stray
cd to the Gallery Of Fine Arts, which you
are aware is the beginning Of an effort TO form
a permanent Gallery in this city. \ fastidi-
GUS Bostonian would shrug up his shoulders
as he entered, and exclaim, " Rather New.
Yorly!" for though there are some very fine
pictures, they are mixed with some ordinary
ones, and some very bad. The Tammany
Hall dispensation does undeniably rest on all
we do here in New York. The common and
mean every where forces itself alongside Of
elegance and beauty. At first, ! was rather
ANNOYED by this, in exhibitions of the Arts.
1t took away my pleasure in looking at really
beautiful pictures, to see them surrounded by
such a mob Of ordinary ones. The crowd of
inexpensive portraits. introduced in the Cat
alogue as "a Lady,'''A Gentleman par
t%icularly vexed me. / could conceive of but
one good use that could be made Of them /;
and that was, to send the painted canvass to
large parties, instead Of going in person, and
thereby escape an infinite toll to Effect nothing,
beside saving unknown quantities of ice and
syIlabub.
But my democratic heart soon ~reconcilrd
me to these indiycriminate exhibitions. |
like that every uan should have a fair chance
to manifest his talent, be it great or small ;
and ] rejoice that there are such a multitude
OF artists above meGlucrlty, instead of one or
two towering giants, standing alone in their
glory. For this reason, ! have never sympa
thizrd with those who complain that celebrat-
ed performers are so prone 10 play their own
compositions, instead Of Mozart's Concertos,
or Beethoreu's Sonatls. The expression OF
amau's own life, if it be unaffected and true,
has an individual vitality aud beauty irom
that circumstance alone and it may ulti-
mately tend to more real growth than the con-
slant reproduction Of works in themselves
vastly superior. | am reconciled to many
disagreeable things in this busting age, be-
cause it is most emphatlcally, as Emerson
says, All Souls dav.
The Gallery Of Fine Arts, though it does
manifest this spirit Of the are, contains good
pictures enough to make it a very pleasant
place to visit. Moreover, the price of mem
bership is so low, that it is brought within
the means Of nearly all classes. Success to
every thing which carries glimmPrings of
knowledge or of beauty through the masses
of society!
The most prominent of the pictures arc two
series of large landscapes admirably designed
aud executed by Cole. One represents the
progress of society, from the savage state,
through the Arcadian, to Empire and decay.
The other represents the progress Of individ-
ual man, through childhood, youth, manhood
and old age. 4 radiant angel is with the
infant, whose boat is laden with flowers, aud
floats quietly along through beds Of water.
lilies. The angel paris from youth, but stand
on the shore TO watch his boat, which he is
eagerly steering, through bright clear waters.
towards a Fdta MOrgana in the skies, a clori.
Gus Castle in the Air. Manhood is whirIed
aH.ong the rocks and violent cddies. The
angel is gone, the trees are rent with light.
ming. and the skies are lowering; but some
rainbow tints struggle athwart the gloom
Old age dGlts over dark and sluggish waters,
beneath a heavy sky; but the angel is witt
him again, and points to a few bright RAYS
from above, which breaks in upon the dark
ness. would like to have had the memory
Of kindly deeds represented by a mellow gold
en- gican on the walters left behind, and chill
drcn on the shore throwinga few flowers into
the time-bat,ercl boat. Perhaps tits because
| am myself walking in autumnal paths, that
| am 50 averse to gloomy associations witt
age. The trees have a beautiful and noble
Old age; why need it be otherwise with brirh
ana honest souls
In these rooms | again encountered Horace
kneciand'S ~uncommouly excellent bust 0
Professor Mapes. | resolved at once to 90 il
search Of the artist, who eXcites my interest
by the rare merit Of his productions, and by
the severe pressure Of external circumstances
under which his genius has always labored,
like volcanic fire under "A mountain. Mr.. Ca,
rey, of Philadelphia, the most munilicent and
iudlcious patron the Arts ever had in this
counlry, happened, a few weeks before his
death, to see Il small plaster cast by Knee
land. His practised eye at once perceived in
dlcat!ons of true genius. "The man who coul,
model the limbs Of that horse" said he, "mus
60 10 Europe" He proposed to him to make
an equestrian statue Of Washington, ofcabine
size, and go to Berlin, to cast it in bronze
He made himself responsible for three statues
and interested himself TO procure other sub
s~cribers. During his last illness, he talked
much Of this statue, and of the Proserbin,
he had ordered from Powers, which he had
the most intense desire to see before he died
A few hours before his death, he enjoined i
on his irierds, with great earnestness, to full
iii all that had been promised to kneeland
: THAT man has a genius for sculpture h,
said, ''and it must have a chance to NANTES
2 itself"