New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-06-19
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VIII. perhaps, never boast one simply because they
are q school. The prominent character of English
genius seems TO be- abrupt originality, Kind o.
Wild ndisduahsm. Take Shakespeare, Milton, By.
ron, in poetry, Hogarth in art. No one preceded
these uninsrie they appear like splendid meteors.
ard disappear without having learnt anything from
their predecessors, without teaching anything Ia
these be- come AFTER them. Thus, Hogarth has truly
exercised uo influence English art for WilkewaS
bat biz mooulgkt he passed away ike the pOrtrayer
az Hamlet the poet Of Paradise Lost, the author %,
Harold, aud no one ever followed his steps. The
question is whether single genius l. 10 be preferred
10 & great number Of moderate but respectable
talents. Schiller may be right III the words which
the Royal Academy put as motto before their
catalogue: Is SE jedcT rOAeRdd "a S'ch " Let
each one be perfect in himself We can only
give glance 10 the French artists Nernct Greuze,
L@ncrct, Scbastien. Bourbon, AIRY Scheher. Della
roche and others reservng distinct appreciation
If the renowned Gallo school for some future occa-
sicn. We hsye barely space aud time enough for
Kind Of birdseye view OF the living English pant
ers Here We meet indeed, with well-Souuiing
uaneS-such as " iliam Mulready, Daniel Maclse,
Sir Edwin Landscer, Sir Charles Locke EastlaAe.
Ausdel, Goodhal, Milais, Webster, and a host OF
others Most Of the works exposed have been rem
dtred familiar household words by the eugrayers.
| Who is not acquainted With Landseer's dogs stan
| fields BiGasSOa Eastakcs Weeping Chris,
Muready's Wolf and Lamb" that human aud
| humorous personifcation of Latcntaines fable
| ENGLAND has long been renowned as the iayorl,e
birthplace Of high-bred horses, dogs and
! cows: hence, perhaps, it is that Landseer
| and Mulresdy always lind little corner Tor little
dog and II must be stated that the dog Is often the
best part OF the whole picture. In later times the
! French haze somewhat struggled TO beat their En-
/ gsh rivals in the ske;ching OF domestic animals
and without even speaking cf Jadln, Decamps or
| Philippe Rousseau the question is not yet settled
| whether Rosa Bonheur il not superior to Cooper.
| There is, however. striking difference between
English end French subjects = the hrst always
| Try To- give physiognomy, an individuality 10 ther
models" while the latter depict every vein, every
muscle. as they would draw the wheels OF piece of
machinery seeing. in fact nothing but machine IN
! the animal.
The English are marvellous painters OF landscapes,
which have but enc failure, that of being too ideal.
Whence does il come that, in spite OF their ethereal
| tendency, they are such imperfect dellneators OF
NEUROLOGICAL subjects May this deficiency be as
crbed 10 tie want Of refined style or of anatomical
knowledge 1t is certain that their nymphs are
| awkward, their sirens heavy, and their Cuplds uu'
| wirhy Mir FrOsts pictures IN the Exhibition are
sufficient proofs of the fact. The same may be said
of THEN historical painting whatever be the merits
of Ausdel, Lucy, Hart, Foggo, Cross, Cope, Arm-
tage and others. The reason is simple and clear
enough the occasions for historical pictures are very
scarce In England, the public alone give pecunary
| aid 10 Art, and the public generally want moderate
| dimensions and CALL If We may use the word, for
| drawing-room frames. Hence arise those marvel
Gus miniatures those remarkable pictures IN water
colOrs those charming ta5teaur de genre those striking
scenes of family life. ThG0phlle GautIer eXhOrts the
painters never 10 care about IDEAS the English artists
do not fellow this MAXIM for their great strength lies
in the plain Development as 1t were the pers0nlhca-
ton, of simple thought; and we are bound to admit
that they are right in refusing to comply with the
doctrine of the paradoxcal French critic.
| We must net forget to mention the works OF Web
ster, Grant, Firth, Egg and Hook, those consclen
| tous followers Of Lawrence aud ReynOlds-oi the
landscape pointers, Cooper and Lance, and Paton's
Shakespearian episodes. And now what inference
| are We to draw from these modern paintings com-
pared with the masterpieces ot the ancient schools
Alas not very satisfactory one. Art and lnSp-
ration are gOne cleverness and sort OF mcchan-
cal skill have taken their place. The style is the
| man. said Button: and the word is even more true
of the artist than OF the poet. saylsh and perse-
yering imitation of model is always proof oil
st,rity and inability To acs and % think in accord
| ance with given preccpts, to shut oneself up IN
csthetc rules, to follow one master in the compost
ton another in the cOloring, to manufacture out OF
former works kind Of standard IDEAL IL to forget the
sublime the social mission Of Art. The want Of genus
in cur DAYS arises from the want of individuality. We
are still in the romantic period in literature "a well
As in Art Mengs Carstens and David endeavored,
At the close Of the last century, To awake again IN
France Germany and Italy the love OF the beauti.
full and exaggerated the imitation OF the classical
masters The anarchical reaction against their les
SONS has not yet passed away. Here, as IN every
other manifestation of the human mind, society VIII
NJ last reach the safe middle road and arrive at the
true combination of individual power with the eter-
nal principles discovered by the masters
No people has suffered more from the spirit OF
methodicsl inia,uation than the German. the art.
lists Of Germany sought as eagerly Tor the line vi
beauty as her alchemists for the philosophers stone
A modern thinker asserts that the Germans know
how to make religion of everything even, in case
Of need Of atheism. 1t is then, not to be wondered
at that they abound in artistic theOOglans. Their
critics. the Wnkemanns and Lessngs, were never
exceed: but their artists have worked until lately,
after immutab!e, uniform archetypes. In tins,
az in many other fields Of the human understanding,
they willacheye wonders 50 soon as they get rid Oh
scholastic When they abandoned GalOmanIs,
they produced men like Goethe, Schiller and KloP-
stock Artistic uminaries will yet appear again IN
the country Of Albrecht Diver aud Holbein.
have now ventured to give my readers some OF
the desultory thoughts which a too rapid ex-
animation Of the Art-Palace of Manchester has III
spired / am, alas no artist, not even an amateur,
aud, therefore, my judgment is not entitled to much
serious consideration. A sO-caled cOnnolsseur can
only Judge picture in accordance with other Pic
lures, and this is certainly the worst manner Of udg-
ing. l. who am no connOisseur. tell simply what
strikes me. Casanova relates that he saw, in the
gallery of Dresden, CorreggiO's Night" the most
perfect production of that great artist In the same
gallery there wa, another Night" by Rotari,
much inferior to the first Yet, most Of the per-
sons who frequented the museum admired the Sec
ond picture exceedingly and preferred it to the hrst
have only to express the hope that in my discursiye
scrutiny may not have put some spurious Rotari
! over a genuine CorregglO.
If from Manchester turn to the Exhibition OF
,he Royal Academy in Trafalgar sauare, my opinion