New-York tribune., 1868-10-22
FINE ARTS.
ART In ENGLAND.

number Of Associates. Each OF the forty has X.
A. attached TO his name. When an X. A. dies the
living thrty-nine elect new one to fill the vacancy
IL il self-elective. 1t gives annual exhibitions OF
painting and sculpture, beginning about the first OF
May and ending with the close of July. This year it
gave it's one-hUudredth exhibition. The Royal
Academy is a great success measured by the money
standard. Its exhibitions are crowded. 1t charges
everybody shilling for admission and another shil-
ling for q catalogue. Public opinion ace0rds to the
Royal Academy high position, and no doubt the
forty are themselves impressed with the importance
of their trust Their task is indeed glorious one.
IN their hands in their brains in their industry, in
their conscientiousncss. lies the wand which sum-
the genius which is TO breathe from the canvas
of nation. and which is TO form o nations taste
and judgment in art, and to teach whole people n
lesson in the Interpretation of nature. But is that
genius which they call up good or an evil gcnius
They are in possession of the coveted lamp which
the spirit must obey. Are their instructions good, or
are they badi
Beside giving annual exhibitions for the gratfca-
tion and education of the people, the Royal Acad-
emy gives instruction in drawing and painting
sculpture, architecture. anatomy. and perspective
aud erain number of The forty are deputed as pro-
fcssors IL ~onld naturally be inferred that thrSe
men understand the subjects which they teach. We
shall how far that inference l. correct. WIN re-
spect however Ia the teacher of PERSPECTIVE, it must
be observed that bis name appears not in the caa-
ogue either as an acndemican, associate, or exhib
tor Is IL Ia be- supposed that no artist can be found
capable Of teaching perspectivef Is it that an
artists skull being gorged with genius, mas not
room for a ulei The American reader could take
little interest in description OF all the 700 paintings
which hung this year upon tho walls Of the Achd
envy, of the 800 pieces OF sculpture standing on me
eestols nor i'm the names of the 100 or 800 exhibit
rs nor vet in all the works of the exclusive forty
whose productions are hnng upon the line while the
ILL it, eli al nF
after the limo is full bnt It may be well To learn
whnt kind Of work Is produced by few Of the prn-
,ip Il actors who bold in their hands the artdestDy
ut The nation.
Al tile opening each exhibition there is given a
grand dinner, at which the heir to the thrUne OF
Great Britain j, present He must he present, Tor
was not lis conduct censured In high circles, and
was he lrcturrd by the press Two years ago be-
cause he exhibited signs Of lnTatence uuder tie IN
Fiction ~ rather long speech by the then President
Of the Royal Academy Tho Prince, then, Is prcs-
cnt. There Is mutual ConCratulatiOn and glOritca-
t0n. There Is the same raradc of imposing English
which prevail. at every English pnbiic dinner The
President makes q specc-the Prince replies; and
this year llis Royal liRhness uttered among other
Things these well-yhOSeu words: think / may be
allowed to congratulate yon SIR Francis on the PIC
tnre which, unfortunately Tor me, am now tuiil-
INK my back a lang Ia picture representing scenes
now past. but not forgotten. IN which two OF my
ilirstriOus relatives M right may claim part"
The first painting in order, then. Is by the Presi-
dent OF the Royal Academy. It Is entitled. " III. H.
II. the Duke of Cambridge ~ the Battle OF Alma,
Those Cinc,nnatiars who remember that military
company. the German Jaegcrs,' and can recall to
mind the entertaining scenes enacted IN Court-st IN
the wide space between Main and Waluut-sts-. when
the "Jaegrrs" wasted their gunpOwder on the unot-
Tending mir. and the boys standing IN front reeed,
stumbled mmbled, and fell dead wounded. can
form some idea of what kind of battle-piece was
painted 10y the President of the Royal Academy and
hns upon e nS Oh S ws 81 r ri thc SnyS fe
more like real dead aud wounded men than do the
toys IN the Presidents picture; and none OF their
arms and hands, and legs, and not fare, were 80
badly out of drawing. deted perspective grossly
rs the figures IN this battle OF Alma, which. on ac-
count of its total atneSs has been said TO look like
review, and not at all like battle but TO call u
review wOAd be improper, for there - neither ac-
tion. motion. nor sign of life IN any part of the
picture One Of the principal figures IN the foreground
has arm painfully twisted, not by bullet or by
wound of any kind except such AZ has been inflicted
hy the painters brush and another prominent figure
has one part of his arm too short and another too
long aud the task Of placing the figures IN the fore
ground ~ they are, perhaps only President Of the
Royal Academy could accomplish. SO palpahly bad
IS the painting that the poor pq6lIsG which IS sH,
be imposed upon, and people and press alike con-
dcmned il. Another large painting. by the Presi-
dent of tho Royal Academy, hung on the wall In
which the dogs are very bad and the horses hut little
better. The President of the Royal Academy IA
" well connected lie married the niece of duke,
aud 10 his wealth was added another fortune
some time ago by tho death Of son. IL might,
therefore. be reasonably supposed that he had ample
in Europe, and also n little of nature
Another picture on the line, 10y an r. A." demands
a few remarks it represents Othello telling the
story OF his life. To say that painting is bad does
not and ought not TO bring conviction home TO
the mind Of reader: but there certain things
susceptible OF demonstration In this picture i rep
two thirds the breadth OF the face OF Desdemena
which, is given in front view, and which at the fur
thest cannot be more than twelve feet from tho
spectator Now, allowing six inches for the breadth
Of the human head, for il at that distance to be to
the diameter Of the in the proportion of TO 2
would make the latter neaIy three times too great
The disk Of the moon would consequently be more
than seven times too large. This picture Is by no
means the worst one by an X, A. which hung on the
walls OF the Academy but the author Of t ~ the
Academys professor Of painting 10 merits attention
lnasmuch il gives an insight into the working of
the system which sways the cOunsels of the monopo
lizing forty, and which employs men ike this TO
teach the rising generation the noble art of painting
This inexcusable falls tcati0n of the moons angular
magnitude might Summon TO its aid the plea OF po
ete hcense but % painter has more right 10 make !
the moon too large than he has TO make dog larger
than donkey. smaller than cat than he has
to thrust up in his picture mountains forty miles hgh
las is done by an American artist at present making
himself ridiculous In London by hls snobbeTy |
Charity. however, nclines To the belief that the r.
A.. in painting his moon so extrayaganty large, was
under the influence of Ignorance; and II will not be
out of place here. but will serve good purpose TO
mpart lesson in lunar painting for It Is quite ecr-
tain that few artists either side OF the Atlantic
have any notion how large the moon ought really ~ |
be painted. Nearly oil get 1t too large Ii will not
do TO say as some maintain that the moon may De |
made any sizs at will. little reflection will con
vince the least thoughtful of the absurdity of such
position. The moon is fact in our planetary sys-
tenn. Its disk has determlnate angular magnitude;
md when il occurs in landscape, along with other
Objects IL must its proper proportion as mHch
M sheep must assume its proportion by the side of
horse To make tho moon pnrposey larger than u |
ought 10 be is tho more reprehensible because the
error in not 40 easily detected when rat is made
too large and eat too small; and q false notion of
the moons size il thus propagated among the people.
Ip determlneuI
ms see The moons angular diameter is little
than half degree. Now, II the breadth of the mans
head be six inches, or half foot at what distance
should he be placed in order that IL may subtend
angle of half degreof There arc 1902 in the cir