Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1884-08-22
Mr.. RUSKfH ON MODERN ENG
LISH ART.
fPall-Man Gazette.l

L FhtrH VI dEt anu tAIf'sfN'NNs -f'' -~f"'
| kin did NOT by uny means take these con
| gratulations MS compliment and ha
| found IL necessary 10 write another lectur
IN order TO correct the false impression o
| his friends. Why Is II, he at once begin
| ty asking them, that British painters
| great or small. are never right altogether
that their work il always flawed. and never
thorough" Even the great Sir Joshui
was "always affected, often negligent
sometimes vulgar, and never sublime
Indeed, after visiting the recent eX
hibition. and "shrinking here from
afioctation worthy only Of the Bltl
Parade, and mourning there over neg
ligencc fit for fool to fall by" Mr.
Ruskin left the rooms, Greatly caring tC
remember nothing except the curl OF hail
over ST. Cecilia's left ear. the lips Of Mrs
Abingdon, and the wink OF Mrs. Nesbitt',
white cat" Inasmuch rs in one OF the ear
lier lectures Mr.. Ruskin spoke OF Sfi
Joshua's perfection" this is the revers,
side OF the shield indeed; but then, as ht
says, "the gathering Of any mans work
into an unintended mass enforces his fail.
ings in the sIckening iteration while II
levels his merits in monotony." However
Sir Joshua does not stand alone, for the
question is put broadly Of "all English
artists that ever are or were. why Hunt can
pant flower but not cloud; Turner q
cloud but not flower; Bcwick a pig but
not girl; and Miss Greenaway, n girl but
not a pig" Whatever the explanation
may be, the fact Of this last instance is un.
doniable, as every one will agree who re-
members Miss Greenaway's lank and wood
en- substitutes for pigs in the &" Little Folks
Painting Book"
The st general cause which Mr.. Ruskm
assigns for the failure Of modern art Is the
"nfectious insanity for centralization
which collects all the vicious elements OF
any cOuntry's life INTO one mephitic cancer
in its CENTRE" In the great times OF art.
on the other hand, all great art Is provin-
cial. There is no Attic style, but there is
DOric and COrinthian there is no Roman
style. but there is an Umbrian, Tuscan.
Lombard, and Venetian. The tendency to
Capitalization, which has been fatal 10 art
at oil times, is at this time especially per-
nlciouS, because the capitals OF Europe are
all Of monstrouS and degraded architecture.
"An artist in former ages might be cor
ruptCd by The manners, but he was exalted
by the splendOr OF the capital. and pefshed
amid magniicence Of palaces; but now the
Board OF Works Is capable OF no higher
skill than drainage, and the British artist
floats placidlv down the maximum current
OF the National Cloaca TO his Dunciad rest, 4,
content, virtually, that bis life should be
spent at one end OF cigar, and his fame
expire at the other"
Readers Of "Modcrn Painters" will re-
member the eloquent chapter on "The
Two BOyhOods," in winch Mr.. Ruskin con-
trasts the world which opened upon Gior-
gicnc when he came down TO "the city
Of mai blc' with the "COvent Garden
training" Of Turner. Here. however. he
takes nc typical OF "the ruin which Il is for
men Of any sensitive iac"lty to live in Lon
Gon "-Grosyenor Square, on the one
hand-"an aggregation OF bricks and rail-
ingS, witllnot so much architectural faculty
expressed in the whole number Of them as
there is in wasp'S nest or a wOrmhOle";
and. on the other. "the rows Of houses
which YOU look dowr into on the south
side Of the southwestern line, between
NauXhall and Clapham Junction"
MIR. Ruskin's second cause for the degra-
datiOn OF modern art is the degraded state
Of the weather. OF the physical character
of " the plague-wind OF the nineteenth Gen.
fury" he discOursed at the London Insti-
tuition in the spring; he now speaks Of its
effects on the artistic power OF our time
He illustrates his point by describing the
weather at Brentwood on the 20th of May,
1sSi-a day with an "entirely abnormal
keen southwest wind with a bright sun"
Now, what sort Of study. Mr.. Ruskin
asks, could an artist get on day like that
In the first place:
He mus have tent Of some sort: he
sit in the wind; and the tent will
be always unpegging itself and Tipping
about his ears: next. he cannot draw
leaf in the foreground, for they are all
shaking like sspens: nor the branch OF a
tree in the middle distance. for they are all
bending like switches nor a cloud, for
the clouds have no outline; nor even the
effect OF waves on the lake-suriace. fer the
caispaws and swirls OF wind drive the dark
spaces over il like feathers.
With this dismal picture Mr.. RuskIn
contrasts what landscape painters days
used to be in ordinary spring weather OF
old timeS-days such as he himself had
sTert Thousands OF in his forty years OF
happy work between 1880 and 1870"
Sceplics who are unable to follow the test
% Mr.. Ruskin's cyanometer " Will prob
baby suggest that the wind seemed keener
in 1854 than in 1880 because the artist has
grown older, and will refuse to believe on
The strength of an old mans eyes-keen
and brilliant though thev fortunately are
still that thCrc has really passed away
glory from the sky.
ABOUT the next change, to which Mr..
Ruskin attributes some OF the deterioration
Il modern art. there is, however, no room
or doubt. T. g dctcrioratioBs Of noble
subjects induced by the progress OF manu-
'actures and engineering are only too
obvious.
"Takc. for instance, four OF the most
and picturesque subjects once
'Xisting in Europe-Furnc.s Abbey, Con-
way Castle. the Castle Of ChilIon, and the |
Falls Of Schatl'hausen. A railroad station
laS been set up within hundred yards Of
he Abbey; al iron railroad bridge crosses
he Conway Ia front Of its castle; = stone |
me crosses the Rhine at ,he top Of its |
'ataract, and the great Simplon line passes |
he end Of the drawbridge OF ChillOn. |
'ince such Improvements have taken place. |
he pOrtraiture Of these scenes by men OF |
ense or feeling has become forever I'M !
lOssiblc. Discord OF color may be en- |
lured in q picture-d,scord OF sentiment |
leyer. The artist turns unconsciOusly.
,ut necessarily, fIom the di.graced no.
,lcsse OF the past 10 the consistent base |
,ess OF the present. and Is content to paint |
he is in the habit Of seeing in the |
manner he thinks best calculated to re-
Commend II TO his customers"
Hence il is that Mr.. Hereomer, whose |
rue function was TO show up the dancing |
4 TyrOlese peasants TO the pipe and |
.ither, spends his best strength in painting |
Of nj. in tho 4
gonies OF starvation; and Mr.. Albert |
GOODWIN, whom have seen drawing with |
1unerian precision the cliffs OF Oryieto |
nd the groves OF Nallombrosa. must needs
noralize the walls OF the Old Water-Color |
with scattering OF skeletons
ut Of the uglest scenes OF the 'Pilgrim's
'rogrcss.' and a ghastly sunset, illus
rating the progress In the contrary dl-
cction-of the manufacturing districts"
"&r. Leslie. indeed, still disports him
ELI occasionally in punt at Henley, and
lr. Hook takes his summer lodgings, as
sual, on the coast, and Mr.. Collier admits
he suggestion OF the squire's young
aides, that they may gracefully be painted
II a storm OF primroses-but the shade OF
he metropolis never for an instant relaxes
Is grasp on their imagination; Mr.. Leslie
annot paint the bar. maid at the Anglers
iest.' but in Il pair OF high.heeled shoes;
Or. Hook never lifts wave which would
e formidable to trim-buiit wherry; and
Though Mr. Fildes brought some agreea-
lie arrangements OF vegetables from Ven
&c, and, in imitation OF old William Hunt,
ere and there some primroses in tumblers
arried out the sentiment OF Mr.. Golfers
n the floor-not all the influence OF Mr..