New-York tribune., 1879-02-01
LONDON TOPICS,
,,p PIrsKT-s 2rsIGNATI0N.

AcApEMY-THE rss LARlIY OF EICHiNes-
THE LATEST CEALC ~ BBIC-A-BRAC.
,,pou THE REGULAR CvBEt sPONpENT oF THE TRIBuNE'
Ioypoy. Jan. I'm. Ruskin's resignation OF
the Slado Plofessorship of Art, at Oxford, Whch ho
has held for zen years, is announced in what seems
an authoritative way / said some weeks ago that
it was expected. Ii is matter for regret, whaI-
ever the cause be- SoinS of his friends say II Is Ill
health others that il - the verdict in the Nms'ier
case. Very likely both have had something 10 uo
with it. Mr. Ruskns physicians are known 10 nave
forbidden him all serious work II he were
weak enough to resign his proiesSoiShip
IN mere vexatiOn at the Neluio'
n ;urv on question of art-crticsm. that would De
only another proof that the physicians were liSn''
In any case. Mr.. Ruskin's retirement will be deeply
regretted 1t is some time since any new WORK from
his non has nppeared The collected edition OF MS
writings makes some progress. but not much. L
think the tenth is the latest volume, leaving per-
hans four-ffths of the whole series 10 come
Ii may or may not, be some cohsolatloh
10 him to know that tho best editions
Of his books are almost daily growing
scarcer and steadily increasing in price. Mt
Balm, the excellent bookseller in tho HaymaTke''
told me lately that he had sold his last bound copy
Of the collected set Ofthe "Modem Painters stones
of Venice and "Seven Lamps" lorglnal editions'
of course for 100 guineas but that he coud hoI Ie
neat tbe transaction. The Modern Painters
alone fe.chcs 80 guincas in cloth. Meantime Nr'
George Allen, Mr.. Rnskins publisher, is so far de-
nartnc from the maxims Of the master as to adVer-
tisc the current editions of his writings.
snppose Mr. Wards death must be set down rs
n lois to British art He belonged to the Muscular
School and might have been put up for exhibition
onv time these last twenty years as q type ol the
Royal Acadcmician. He was Phiistino to the
tips Of his ngers-or 1t might be better to say MS
fists l am quite certain that he lived rehgiously
on roast beef aul plum pudding; the beef under
done and the pudding ablaze with brandy. lie
might have sat for John Bull, and the likeness
would have been all the moro perfect II he had
painted his own portrait. lie was historical"
painter with, perhaps, prcfreuc for the 'laes OF
q Grandfather rs his authority. lie found SUBJECTS
also, in Macaulav, in Pepys, and III Clarendoni ana
even condescendcd to paint incidents OF so modern
date "a the eighteenth century. Nor was lie ig-
norant that there had been French Revolution
and French Empire Whatever subject he took,
he went about his work with a kind of dogged
conscicntiousness which was admirable morally,
but which produced at times dcplorable artistic
results 1t NAV bo doubted whether Nature IN
tended him for q painter at all. Bat he had
vigorous will, and he piled his brush as II good
pantpc were a matter of individual voltion. /
think it may be said, also, that he UNDER
stood his public-for a time, at least lie
had fathomed the secret Of the very remarkable
success achieved 10y the exhibition known to the
world under the name Of Madame Tussaud The
generation amid which Mr.. Ward grew up liked
color and plenty of it,; liked 4 story the more SEN
satOnal the better; liked its canvas to be of good
SIZE: and had no desire that anything should be left
10 the imagination of the beholdor. Mr.. Wards
Z he at
Astey who upbraided one of his musicians for idle
ness and on beng told that he had arest of 50 many
bars, retorted: 81 don't pay you for resting pay
YOU for PLAYING" There were no rests in Mr.. Wards
pictures He put everything IN, though he was GER
tainly too good an artist to have gIatied Mr.
Astley's wish on another occasion by detying the
laws OF perspective and making all the pillars OF q
colonnade scene equal in length. fear his public
had begun to leave him of late years. have seen
some of his best known pictures sold ut Christle's
for very moderate prices and 1t is said his comms-
sions grew yearly fewer. This may have been the
secret of the dependency from which he suffered
and which ended in suicide. He Will be remem-
beTed as a man who won high place IN his probes
sion by sheer hard work and force of character.
Mr. Wards death makes fresh vacancy in the
Roval Academy, which it Will DO the duty OF that
body TO fill presently. There are several artists on
there is one whose deserts are preGmincnt and
onrht to have been recognized long since. SO they
would have been, it is said. had Mr.. Alma Tadema
been an Englshman by BIRTH IL the fact that he
was born in the Netherlands had anything to do
with the matter, it might have been
reason for not making him an Associate.
but il is too late to bring it forward
now that he has once been received into the guild.
Some people might say that dislike of 2lr Alma
Tadema's nationality was only another name for
jealousy of his great powers. But lie Is, IN fact
uaturalized BTitOn. He exhibited at Paris last
wear in the British section, and was the winner OF
one of the two gold medals, and one of the four
highest prizes, TO which the French Government
added an citizenship in the Legion of Honor. No
body disputes his abilities, thought bis rewards
at Paris too great. 1t was. on the contrary, mat
Ter of wonder that he did not divide the Grand
Prix with Mr. Diillais. Yet ne passed over the
other day III favor of Mr.. Marks, against whom it is
not necessary TO say word. Whether he shall be
passed over again, is question that concerns the
Academy more than Mr.. Alma-Tadema
An etching by Lhulcr of Mr. BoughtOn's Wan
ing of the Honeymoon has been published by
Messrs. Deighton x DunthOme. The original pic
ture, exhibited last year at the Royal Academy, is
marked example of Mr.. Boughton's most sympa-
lhetic and tender manner; not without dash OF
humOr also. HE husband has turned his back on
his charming bride, and is absorbed in the book
which he holds in one hand, while the other caresses
dog What makes it the more pitiful is that the
pair have strOlled out for q walk together and the
scene passes in park The young wifes face is full
frelentng and wistful affection, which are thrown
away-only for the moment, let rs hope-on the too
literary bridegroom. II is Autumn of course the
leaves have began TO fall, but there enough left
on the branches to make those effects of streaming
light which Mr.. Boughton fond of and paints so
well As a landscape, it is full of trnthfulncss and
loving knowledge of nature; as an idyl, full also
of pathetic sentiment and suggestion. NJ. Lhuillier's