New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-06-06
ART AND LITERATURE IN LONDON.

uVplc PiCtuTts tniDgs OF Deduty houIng Jo!s
A beautiful picture is TO me paradise Of pleasure.
and true painter is my cup-bearer of richest joy.
Beauty is charmed cup of blessing, and we should
never lose chance ofobtaining the delicious draught
thus when we cannot get it from nature should
thankfully accept it from the hand of her sister art
picture gallery TO us, who shut up in the dusty
city is like one Of those old springs flowing by the
English roadside, which had seat to rest the weary
traveller and bowl attached SO that he might refresh
himself with draught of the pure free water 1t is
a way-sdc sacrament. Ii is May in England
The budding and Towering time Of nature The fields
full of Chaucers fay0rite flower the daisy. The
chcstnus spreading their crisp fan-leaves and lift
ing up THEN white milky The hedges are white
with Mayhowers. The shining velvety grass spreads
carpet fl for Venus TO roll IL late before the
sweet south wind opened the heaven~tatc of spring
hut she is with now scattering her blessings and
the land lies in the rpenng hour by hour. And
for those who cannot get out in the
Try TO these things, but only feel that
they are, and get dim Of their where
abouts; who cannot reve in the Oyelness Of the earth
breathe the air which is full of fragrant life it is
pleasant thing to get glimpses Of them even from
pictures. One might grow dithyranbic with lyrical
enthusiasm over the art of the painter. He brings
tdnes Of the clear blue skies the nagnifcence of the
sea, the freshness of the meOdOus morning, the pOmp
and tumut of sunset skies, the starry tenderness OF
night the glorious greenery OF the woods, aud of all
tie glad and glorious world OF Nature, and the tidngs
welcome and dear the cool, dewy sod OF earth
to the feet of the poor Gagged skylark singing in his
smoky city prison. Entertaining such feelings, let us
look in at the Exhibition of our Royal Academy in
1raalgar-squarc. Lord CranwOrth at the Academy
dinner assured that We transcribed all the nations
of the world, ancient or modern For, said he, what
We saw Of the ancients the combined result OF
many ages and many peoples; here the produce
of one people in single year. Our national bump OF
appreciation is and 20 the assembled artists
swallowed the lattery.
The first thing remark this years Exhibition is
the vast quantity of wearisome excellence, painful
ceyerness, and the general absence of great genius.
There $50 pictures, and few absolutely bad. The
next tbing<is the progress OF preRaphaetisn among
artists not belonging to the "Schoo" The absence OF
Nillas is not compensated for by the whole Academy.
Put Holman Hunt is host in himself and will
sustain the pre- aphaelite reputation He exhb-
It's two pictures and they well worth any passion
ale artpilerims while 10 come across the Atlantic to
see. The principle is called the Light of the
"World." 1t is an alegory, and might have been
titled Parable Of Christ l shall borrow the
words Of Mr. Ruskin in part, to describe it. He says
he stood before the picture for upward OF an hour and
watched its effect on the passers-by. Few stopped to
lock at it, and those who did, almost invariably with
cOntemptuous expression And so he wrote "a letter
TO Tie Times in its defense. He remarks that
ave have been long accustomed pictures painted
without any purpose intention whatsoever that the un-
expected existence OF meaning III work of art very
naturally at first appear to unkind demand the
sIectators understanding But in few years more hope
the English public tie need of the simple TRUTH
IL at neither great fact, nor Il great man. nor a great
poem great picture nor any other great thing,
iathomcd the very bottom in moment of time; and
that high enjoyment, either in pcure-seeing OF any
other occupation is consistent with total etargy OF the
powers of The understanding
''Ile legend beneath it the beautiful verse; Behold
stand II the door and knock ii any hear my voice
ard or en- the door will come i'll him. and will sup with
. i'm he ifh me'-keN. 20 On the left hand
side of the picture this door of the human soul 1t
is fast barred its bars and nails rusty IT Is knitted
and bound to IFS stanchons by creeping endrs OF ivy
showing that it has never been opened bat hovers
about it its threshold is ovegrown with banbes, nettles
and fruitloss corn,the wild grass whereof the mower
eth not his hand he that bindeth sheaves his bos-
ON Christ approaches it in the night time, Christ in
lis everlasting Offices of prophet priest and king lie wears
the white robe representing the power al the spirit upon
him. the ieweed robe and breastpaic representing the
sacIadoal nyestue the rayed crown of gold inwoven
with the crown of thorns not dc ad thorn, but bear
ing soft leaves, for the healing of the nations
Now when Christ enters any human heart, he bears
with him a twofold light First the light of conscience,
which displays past SIM and aiierward the hight OF peace
the hone of salvation The laners. carried in Chrss
le hand this light of conscience. lis fire is red and
fierce il falls only the closed door, the weeds which
it, and apple shaken from of the trees
CT the orchard thus marking that the entire awakening 0i
the conscience not merely 70 committed but to heredi-
taIy guilt.
tic writ of the figure showing that the light which re-
V, ais sin appears the sinner also 70 cham the hand OF
Christ.
The light which proceeds from the head OF the figure
on the contrary that of the hope OF salyatOn springs
from the crown of thon and though itself sad subdued
and full of soitness is yet so powerful tha 1t entirely
melts into the glow of it the forms OF the leaves ana
louchs which il crosses showing that every earthly
object must be hidden by this light where It's sphere eA
tends.
ucture thus Justly understood will not produce deep
impression. For my part, think il OF the
notes works Of sacred art ever produced III this o. any
other age
tice Of Mr. Ruskins conclusion, in the minds of those
who have true tee,,u. for art The attitude aud eX-
r, ssion OF Christ are really Christke such silent
belienant earnestness-such a
sweet snd patient waiting is there in his regard IL
such Christ as Won feel sure The soul would "penths
ehosedup door TO- ii il only got glimpse Of the per-
son waiting there Here in this picture, if anywhere
is the true sacred feeling Of which our modern PANT
es have scarce touch and with which the old painters
worked such marvels. Religious earnesinesS ana VEN
eTaton behold the medium by which they nave
wrought who have done the dvinest things TINS "0Tu
has witnessed And the lack of these is ini'ical 10
the existence cf the highest excellence in the arts TO-
day. trust these young pre-Raphaehtes have these
qualities. think they have, and that hunt couu h"'
have produced this picture without them. Inc teci-
nca details II this painting are one OF the hnes 'r
pls for and vndicaOu OF the truth Of their prlncpe
la, gull there is between this genuine painting OF
nature and the stupid limitations the preRaphaeliteS
ave called forth. Here We have the truth OF dis
,uc,s preserved and objects represented just as
they in nature lrc-kaphaelteism does nor c.nss'
in outlinns leaves at half mile distance aud IN look
INC ON "A cornfeld through microscope. Hunt has
pi nted ivy leaves trailing over door, and as TINS door
is an ost close 70 the spectator You would almost III
ere that the leaves would show sharp single outlines
But they DO not until you stand at the proper distance
when ri mass of color forms into leaves snd so VI
.oue Gems On the rolc, they are formless when you
-. ,l.e .. ,l,n and vet BY the magic OF genus. al