New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-11-27
-ur yyBIBi rIOSs or BRITISH AND
1hS FRENCH ART.

..,,;,s the recent Bri.sh school OF ps'n"%
bnp~: q, ,,n., contain some Of tbs beet works OF
Gs s. M,,sad,. L..le, Firth, Eluo'e' a"ais aoa
-. ~ sckpo~edsed emipesoe, OF whose P'''N'~
tbsre 10 no specimen. p.n,.s,-
IN. ~. q, t.s,ure OF the collse.ioo Prs "'P'"e
..., To ,,s, LET d. address ourselves 80 sefsos" a.
a. ,r..,n,,ops Of the subject require we noe
with little history ..,.,I;shed in
W., ,hs Catholic Church ~ss essso"'u'' IN
w.,v the e. aits. which bad oess osse'e'e
,,,.. centuries began to revive. or's"''ns 49,
;o.,o, r., rs,i.p ideas we're epgrAhed upon ''cu'e'
"a mo,s and more osne into nse' Nv u''' '".'o
-. oo.,,s no,sics and ru 10 e~vng', reproducing
-, ara rmbols which the apostles OF the 70"
s-,,.s.d .mploytd to psrpstus'e It's a"'o'y' in'
.n,e,, and pofsscs's Who wrought thess oiI~"eI''
.o,,,d vi bont lviIg models snd from memory, feJ'
no .stif., on the sywbocs ,erse OF theft WORKS 10Y
heir effect on the mud of toe bsholder. Ths COR
0pues for hundreds Of years. until 10 the n'een'n
es,ury Msssocio and some OF his ctsmpofsres pegan
70 sbspoon he my bcsl and rsdt'fsi treatment Oh
ssered subjects for the method OF study nom nature.
This ccu,s was followed BY their 'ueoes'ors nntn
finally italian painting cuminsfso 10 'ne genus Ds
vhd, Michael Angelo and hspose-
Fran the beginning, sculpture was more fortunate.
n.;,. in martial or M. relief, s Artists had constant
hom ,s.sr necessity, toeir works possessed neutral
..,, whose Influence was gradually infused into the
Ar of p.ni.g Beside the productions Of Luca Della
Roobis ard Dorste 10 those Of Lorenzo Ghioerti
we're chiefly Instrumental in bringing about this
cbssss. During the forty years that the latter VS.
Wgssed In his great works, they absolutely created
tie star dso sno gave toe to Forentins art In
fact it was Massccios eeDius developed aud directed
BY GhibeTi, wbose pupil &c was that commenced the
reformation which ia the Dext generation Of painters,
rsful' cd in those grand works in which humsp sx-
preston took the place Of mystical types and symbols.
Thus, prior to the time Of RapnseI, there were two
classes of artistic; those who worked from Q memory
OF ISuTs, not derived from particular study of it,
bat relying upon traditional treatment and traditional
symbols for the sacred and divine significance Of their
vsrks, numbered smsns whom are Cimsbus, Gotto,
OicsgIs, Fra Asgelco and others; and those who
mace nature particular study, and whose works be-
came the exsmplsrs of the new The second class
counted their leaders, Lorenzo Ghbert, Msssccio,
Lucs Sgnorelh and Andres Maategns. At last, fol-
loving this lead Michael Angelo, Da Vinci Raphael,
Than a. Coneggio carried Italian art to it, last pin
nscle Of glory.
After these great men, the unity Of the Catholic
Church oisu bed by the Reformation whose ICON
eclssto character threatened to ex,nguish religious
1t Indeed, the next genera ion Of painters, though
tb.ir WORKS yet occupied sacred places, utterly
sbaDd. ned the of symbols, and treated the sub
isss Of scored and profa history from natural models
with great skiD snd power Thus the works Of MI.
rino, Vesl quez, SpsgDoletto Domenichino, Guido
Resi- ard the Csraccdi, are still held in high esteem
BY the govern mems who now chiefly orn them. Bat
from this time forward had distinctive character.
Tss di-tuI bsnce ard confusion of religious ideas
M Art anfff
wee not until the later part Of the last century, and
the beginning Of the present. that IT began 10 revive
In Germany, France and Italy.
We have glanced thus bunisdly over the history Of
modern art IN order to zee hos English Pre- Rsphsedsm
drs in e char from the Same qualities in the
ace before Raphssl Now Astben there two distinct
classes of srsff the retu Of de ening mental organ
izson Ore cass treats its subjects alegoricaly, and
with symbcss the other employs whatever IS natural
and hun aD in the incident Represented. To the former
class belong the Epghsh "Pre RaphseEte Brother
hooc;" ard it ia claimed that they bring to their sb'rs
Q superior esIDestners aud new inspirations, claim
which 10 maintained passim in the elaborate and gilt
terpg rhetoric of John Ruskin. Let ~ now examine
their sorks in order to ascertain their merits in con-
rsrson wfh tho artists ~ho were chronologicslS
Pr. Rap selte and to learn how far these moderos
are Iesly entitled 10 the sppe0stion
1.-THE Light Of the World" by ". Holman Hunt,
10 essentially ike the works Of the Catholic painters
before the time of Rsphssl Every natural object
introduced In it has a symbolicl meaning. The door
is the human soul the vires and leaves about show
that j: has never been opened; the robes and costly
jewels sgr y the pure character and divine mission of
the weaver; the crosn Of gold sod tborns his triumph
over deaths the lantern the conscience thro wing ts
light upon the apple wb,h symbolzes Gin; and so o.
through the whole work. Not ouly in its symbolcsl
es doss it correspond 10 the old Catholic pic
lures but in the great esbo alton of every detail In
respec Of the former il is like the works Of Giotto
sro in tie latter ii somewhat nbles those OF Man
tssIs. The Mcksd setting Of is 10 also like the old
altar pi, css, With their fat sidxg glass, and gold AID
painted text. Toe picures Of this character are rot
very numerous in The Exhibition though there Is o. to
. number Of similar smss. The work next 10 ion
psrtarcs is Q c,syoD drawing by Mr. Brown, tres'sd
with the Same parasite feeire and symbolic manner
The " AAii-Passyte Lady" however, an oil painting
Of larger size, bears ever more striking resemblance
to the early Catholic pictures than either Of the fore
goisg These three pictures are conceived and exc.
sutsd in precisely the spirit those Of the Ger
msp wist,-Overbect, Sssinls, Cornelius aud others
--wbsse works have been koe~ 70 the public Cor
twenty years They embody the same merits and The
same gls,ipg faults mooied &C intensified only BY the
individual temperament OF the respective artists. The
same criticism must apply TO these Englshmen As the
Gs,msss asd Itshabs Of essentially the same school
have been subjected to.
Teretnrn to "The Light ofthe World" Why should
Mr.. Hunt, Who has shssn Q, much skill in painting
the detail Of hn picture, permit i. to pass from bic
hsIes with such faults in the drawing Of the principal
sbsctf Tie sts,pre Of the figure in its effect a.
mott colossal, While owing to want of whs. is tech
licsly known az ioreahoitenirc the Tight hand snd