MORE LAST WORDS ON THE ILLUSTRATIONS Or THE WAVERLEY NOVELS.
WE are not very apprehensive of wearying the attention of our readers by again resuming this subject ; for not only is it one of importance as regards painting and design, but of universal interest as a popular topic. Our remarks last week could hardly have made the purchasers of the novels more dissatisfied with the Illustrations than before ; but having pulled to pieces the crude embellishments, we feel ourselves bound, in justice to the proprietors, to point out a remedy for the evil,—or at least to propose some plan for ameliorating the character of the Illustrations in future.
The remedy is one which can only be found in the talent of the artists engaged ; and we should say, that if the whole burden of responsibility with regard to the merit of the designs and their execution were thrown. upon a few really competent artists, with the liberality which distinguishes the proprietors, a set of plates might be produced worthy of the work and of the reputation of the designers. Messrs, WILKIE, NEW.. TON, and LESLIE present themselves as men most eminent for that description of talent in their art which would be called forth by such an undertaking.
The few eminent historical painters we have to boast of will not con
descend to make small designs. This is a mistaken notion, or else we should call it a pitiful affectation of superiority, which is not borne out by their great works. What but incapacity should hinder such painters as HAYDON, HILTON, BRIGGS, GEORGE HAYTER, ETTY, &C. from painting pictures on a small scale for the Waverley Novels ? It may be urged, that a habit of painting large pictures interferes with success in small ones, and vice versa. We do not attach much value to this objection. The habit /of composing with facility, and of delineating ideal characters with appropriate action and expression, is gained only by study and practice. Designs for large pictures, also, are generally first sketched on a small scale; finishing in miniature is neither very troublesome nor very injurious. WILKIE, NEWTON, and LESLIE, paint small pictures by choice ; nor is their genius degraded or their talent lessened by this practice. But they are not considered historical. Now the true end and aim of historical painting, is to portray real persons and characters, elevated into dignity and grandeur by the sentiment or passion of the incident or event in which they are the actors. In what respect, then, do the creations of the poet or the historical novelist fall below the standard of history ? Does the ideality of the personages lower them in the scale of character? If so, then SHAKSPEARE must yield to GIBBON. But for one artist who could illustrate the former, there will be found tenwho could illustrate the latter. When our historical painters succeed in producing pictures worthy of that high designation in conception, drawing, and expression, then they may be allowed to plead their lofty preference as a bar to their attempting the less imposing but scarcely less interesting subjects afforded by the Waverley Novels. Character and sentiment, to be embodied in an ideal person true to the description of the poet or novelist, demands a certain degree of intellectuality as well as understand. ing and technical skill, not unworthy of the highest powers of art.
But if Messieurs the historical painters will not descend to paint small pictures of familiar life, there remains only one way to secure a chance at least of some good designs ; and that is, to throw open the market to universal competition, and to appoint one or more persons of competent judgment and experience to decide upon the selection of subjects, as in the case of pictures painted for a prize. This plan would stimulate popular artists, and open a door of emulation to unknown, but perhaps not unworthy students. To give an unconditional commission to an artist to paint a picture,
or make a design to be engraved from, is not the way to get first-rate performances. The reason is, that the gentlemen of the pallette will not give their whole attention, or devote sufficient study and skill to working for the engravers. Ideas are scarce with the great majority of artists ; they sketch out a design and put in a bit of effect in sepia for a few guineas, but cannot afford drawing or ideas' a few guineas more and they producea sketch in oils, the drawing of which is somewhat better, but the price does not purchase .that scarce and precious commo guineas to include a modicum of invention and expression, embodying their ideas.
They manage these things better in France. The Parisian artiste hit off designs for prints, that our English artist of half the talent
would consider sacrificed, if he were not allowed to muddle into insipidity with colours on canvass. Look at the drawing, the character, the expression, the grouphig, the effect, the spirit and meaning of the French lithographs, by FRAGONARD and others ! What facility and power, what completeness and meaning are there-tit-played!' " True, our artists cannot handle the crayon—do not understan4 the figure as the Parisians ; but let us not then hear of their not conde. scending to paint small pictures for book-plates. We know, that to draw a decent figure—a hand that shall not look like a lobster's claw, or a bunch of sausages—a face that shall possess some character of ha.. manky—they require models and frequent sittings, and at length accomplish their object by virtue of the antique and portfolios of prints from the old masters ; while a HORACE VERNET will draw you a cartoon of twenty figures, all well proportioned and articulated, in a week. Set an English artist to draw a figure without a model, and he thinks how Pharaoh required bricks without straw of the Israelites. Lay figures are the crutches of art, on which the great majority of our artists limp to a "most lame and impotent conclusion."
BONINGTON, had he been living, would have been in himself a host of talent available to the purpose in view. STOTHARD, SIIIIRKE, and WESTALL are so irretrievably sunk in the dotage of mannerism, that there is no hope of either as illustrators of character. We remember to have seen some beautiful and spirited little degigns in oil by HILTON, in his early days, which were full of appropriate character and expression. They illustrated an edition of the Citizen of the World and the Mirror; and told well as engravings, because they had been carefully painted, and the faces and limbs of the figures definitively made out. Yet Mr. HILTON will not now paint other than large pictures, and prefers failing in a Crucifixion to succeeding in a scene from Waverley. Mr. HOWARD is too fanciful; and must be content, like his venerable compeers IVESTALL and STOTHAILD, to live upon his reputation. The names of EASTLAKE and MULREADY we have not seen among the artists engaged on the Waverley plates. They perhaps, like others, may be fearful of being confounded with the CORBOULDS and UWINSES, and other hackney designers for the booksellers. But to recur to our immediate purpose. We should prefer Vie first suggestion to the second ; and we think that Messrs. WirntrE, NEWTON., and LESLIE would execute such a task with greater individual excellence in the designs and more satisfactory completeness on the whole than a host of untried competitors.
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