The Magazine of Art, 1896. (Cassell and Co.)—This volume derives
an unusual and melancholy interest from the fact that it contains memorial notices of two Presidents of the Royal Academy—Lord Leighton and Sir John Millais—both from the pen of Mr. Spielmann, and both copiously illustrated by repro- ductions of characteristic works of the two great artists. It seems to us that they could hardly have been better done. Of contemporary art there is abundant record,—designs for the last coinage, for instance. These are extremely interesting, but we may be very well satisfied with what we have got, though Mr. Thornycroft, Mr. Poynter, and Mr. Onslow Ford (Mr. Ford would be quite admirable if his subject were not Royal) come very close. Mr. Poynter's reverse for a shilling seems to us very good. Mr. Lewis F. Day, who writes the articles, is not enthusiastic, to say the least. Among the other articles we may mention " Sport in Art," Mr. J. G. Millais writing on " Shooting" (five papers), Mr. J. Harting contributing two on " Falconry," while Mr. Tegetmeier has one on " Cock-fighting," and Mr. Baillie Grohman one on " Engraved Antlers." Mr. Tegetmeier, writing from the point of view of the ornithological expert, criticises severely some famous representations of cock-fights. The concluding paragraph suggests a consideration of some importance. " The move- ments of two cocks in the act of fighting, when they have leapt into the air and are striking at each other, are too rapid to be delineated ; the impression might possibly be given, as is done in the case of racehorses at full speed, but it would probably be as false as racing pictures always are, the extended horses being shown in positions which it is impossible they could assume, and which the instantaneous photograph shows to be utterly unreal." But is the artist who represents animals, or, for the matter of that, men, in motion, to be judged by the instantaneous photo- graph ? What we see is not the instantaneous impression, but the combination of impressions. On Mr. Tegetmeier's theory, it seems to us, all art of the kind becomes false. But surely it is enough if we are shown what we actually see. Of the etchings we may mention "The Wine of Circe," after Sir E. Burne-Jones, by M. Payran, and " The Flock," after C. Jaque, by David Law; of the photogravures, a charming " Sir John," one of Madame H. Ronner's incomparable cats. "The Balcony," after Jendrassic Jeno, is a piece of realism which is far from pleasing. On the whole the volume fully maintains the reputation, of the Magazine of Art.
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