Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-07-02

LETTERS FROM EUROPE.
NO. XLVI.
The Acadeny Of Fine Arts: Ancient and Mod.
crn Paintings; The Madono Of 81. Luke.
BoToGNA,

| blulcu, IT'S Olb Vi INC HrSU III lUllN. II. IN |
stead of hurried glance at the immense
galleries of Rome, Naples and Florence, | |
| could have studied them carefully, | should, |
even more than now, have regretted that |
had not time to give like study to the treas
ures of the Pinacothek of Bologna, in which
are now collected large portion of the chef
d. Guvrcs that were liberated from con
vents and monasteries and churches on the
| suppression of religious houses, some sixty
| years or more ago. In the IS churches of
the city, and in the palaces, and in the reli-
| found great numbers of the choicest works of
the Bolognesc artists, as well of marble as on
canvass These are 50 scattered that it was
impossible to think of visiting many of them,
and we gave what time we could to the public
collection of the Academy. This embraces
36i paintings, besides the best modern pro-
auctions which are there collected. There
arc prizes awarded annually for the produc-
tons of the highest merit, and the prize
paintings are added annually to the collection,
where they are preserved with the name of
the successful competitor. The whole ar
rangement is one, it seems to me, very well
calculated to excite and keep up worthy
spirit of emulation, and was greatly pleased
| with many of these works of modern artists.
the new more than the smokiness of the old,
other things being equal While can well
sec that there is a cultivation and knowl-
edge of art and of its rules, which will some
times turn from the modern to the ancient,
there is, more often, an ignorance and cock
neyism which admires the old only because
it is old, and turns away from the fresh and
untarnshcd because it is pure and unspotted.
We ought to be more ready to admire the
works of modern artists, where they possess
great excellence, because they are modern,
that we may by our approving voice encour
age the attainment of the highest excellence
by the men Of our own generation, and, if
possible, destroy that false and dwarfng i'm
preston that the excellence of the ancients is
impossible to be reached. For myself, other
things being equal, | should greatly prefer a
modern work of art to an ancient onc-onc
by my neighbor and compatriot to one by
any old pagan heather, of Greek or Roman
fame. We have only to do as the ancents did
paint for the tastes, the philosophy, the
religion, the history and the social instincts
of the times in which we live, with careful
industry and profound study, and we shall go
on from strength to strength and rise from one
degree of excellence to another, as they did
and, perhaps rival them az much in the fine
arts, as we do in the useful arts and in rracti-
cal science.
1t is with the Sculptures of Thorvaldsen
and Canova and Powers and Crawford, as it
is with the fine paintings of modern artists,
their newness and freshness of color and
finish contrast SO with the the colors. mellow
II - "asu anu soItened by time, of the old
works of the great masters, that in spite of
yourself you almost consider their excellence
as Il sort of parcenu and upstart aping of
what all have so long considered the unattain-
able beauty of the old masters ,-forgetting
that the works of the old masters came from
ness, and received the stamp of perpetual
admiration in part because they were thus
fresh, and would now be really more striking
and beautiful if that freshness still remained
This obvious thought was forcbly presented
to my mind, not only here but also in Flor
ence, as admired the very excellent works
of those living artists to which have referred
and compared them with the works of the
older and more celebrated artists. believe,
in writing from Genoa, where | first observed
it in the magnificent church of the Annuncia-
ta, | mentioned the superior freshness and
brightness which the old frescoes have over
the old paintings on canvass, and which
doubtless constitutes much of their superior
ity-a difference which have very often OBJ
served since.
The genius of the old masters and the glory
of the Bolognesc school of art make an ex-
ceedingly interesting display in the galleries
Of the academy have never seen old paint
ings any where that seemed to Inc more
worthy of admiration and study than some
of those which | saw there. In the collection
aae eight specimens of Guercino-two of
Augustin Carracci-six of Anuibal Carracci
thirteen of Louis Carracci-eleven of
Guido-eleyen of Tiarine-three of Domeni-
chino--and here is the original of the mastc
piece of Raphael, st. Cecilia
Bologna is also quite distinguished for the
excellence of its copies Of pictures \ copy
by Louis Carracci oil one of Saint Luke's port
rats of the Virgin is on the walls of the
Academy, which leads me to say that had l
known when in Rome Of the Church of La
Madonna del la Guardia and its Portco, |
should have withheld what ! said of st.
Luke rs an artist till | had arrived at IA city
that does 50 much honor to one of his pic
lures. The Madonna della Guardca is Il
church about three miles distant without the
city gates, and specially honored in possessing
that dark and smoky old portrait of the Nir-
gin, said to be painted by the accomplished
apostle himself, of which Carracci made a
copy There is painting (not there) re-
presenting Saint Luke painting the portrait
of the Virgin and Child. The Virgin, in the
rpeness and sweetness of early womanhood
with the baby Savior in her arms, is stand
ing for her portrait, while the Evangelist is
seated, without an easel His canvass, rest
ing on his knee, is held by his left hand while
with his right he holds his pencil By the