'f o this class of subjects Wissie's genius confines his
powers, and to
it, therefore, he should limit their exercise. Ile represents historic
scenes as if they were mere dry Nets or anecdotes, lowering the dig-
nity to they are elevated by the great events connected with them to the literal matter-of-fact capacity of his conception. his picture of " The Pecp.o'Day Boy's Cabin in the West if Ireland" (t10), is within his range • but he has a stronger because a national sympathy with the Scotch than the Irish character: he understands it better, and treats it more congenially. 'These do not look like Irish people; though the man lies asleep on the floor, and there is a naked infant beside him. It is a fine painting, however. The action of the female,
whir has been watching, and leans through the half-open door to whis- per to the wife as she sits on the ground at her husband's head, tells of
danger. though the expression of the wife does not convey the idea of it. We might almost quote a rematk made in our hearing, and which nurt have conic from an Irishman, " That Mall does not sleep like an Irishman, any way." " The First Ear-ring " (123), is an enlarged and more carefully- painted picture of the admirable sketch exhibited by WILKIE lust year. The cool intentness of the spectacled dame who is operating, and the shrinking endurance of the girl, are expressed to the life. WILKIE is. as great in little things as he is little in great ones : he can paint sen- sstion, but lie should not attempt sentiment. Ile can only represent in- dividual character truly when it is brought into a narrow focus by soms physical emotion. For this reason, his portraits are failures,—as this is of "The Duke of Millington Writing to the King ef France on the Night of the Baltic If Waterloo" (116). The instinct of the painter has led 1 • to fence his subject in by time, place, and circum- stance ; but he has not succeeded the better for this, because it does not help him to the idea of an actual palpable expression. Had the Duke happened to have been bit by one of his dogs, or even by a flea at the time, we dare say ‘VILKIE would have expressed the momentary pain so truly that neither the man nor the cause of the pain would have been mistaken : as it is, the individual is not before us ; but we ad- mire the light and shade produced by the lamp, and the painting of the regimentals. Indeed. the sober richness of colour, the powerful tone, and masterly execution of these three pictures, are worthy of the highest praise. " The Wreckers" (244, 245, 246), by J. P. KNIGHT, as a series of three pictures representing the boirible scenes which till very lately disgraced the British character, and showed the coast-dwellers of our sea-girt isle as fiends in human shape. In the first picture, the left- hand compartment of the frame, a group of wreckers are watching their prey, as it is seen in the lurid glare of a storm-bright sunset : in the third, the right-hand compartment, the wretches are parading the decoy—a horse with a torch fastened on him—to give the appearance of the light of a vessel riding in safety, and so lure the distressed crew to their doom more certainly. Humanity recoils at such cold-blooded atrocity. In the centre, the wreckers are seen dividing the spoil ; some are insulting the ill-fated victims, who have escaped from the waves telly to meet a more lingering destruction; others are quarrelling in their drink about the division of the spoil. The horrid story is dis- tinctly told in the expression of the differene„characters. The demoniac fury of the fellow with a pistol in one hand and with the other clutch- ing the bag, which another has seized hold of, is depicted with fearful
vividlie:s: it is the sublime of brutal passion. The pictures are throughout powerfully painted—the blood-red sunset alone is a flash of genius in art. This is the historic of common life, and illustrates the foulest page of the domestic annals of England.
It is a relief to turn to subjects of an opposite kind. " Going to School" (:316), and " Coming mat of School" (t134), by T. WEBSTER, are a pair of pictures by an artist inimitable in the delineation of boyish character. The scenes are so truly and naturally represented, with all the episodes incidental to them, that they come borne to every one. We are tempted to describe them ; but the incidents arc too numerous and minute. These are good subjects for engraving; they would make popular prints, that all can appreciate and enjoy. .MULItEADY, who is fond of the same description of subjects, almost lessens the truth of his pictures by over-elaborating them. " Giving a Bite" (I17)—a boy holding an apple to the gripe of another—is told with an ultra intensity that lessens the fun of the incident by the appearance o. effort. The monkey and the dog introduced in the foreground are amusingly expressive. The painting is powerful. Faitatest, whose heroes also are of the juvenile race, exhibits what we think his happiest production—" A Natural Genius" (247). The alive look of the little figure, made of lumps of clay, which the " genius " has just modelled, is irresistibly comical ; • and the admiration of the women and his playfellows, and his own pleased look, are capitally ex- pressed. The painting of the picture, too, is freer in style and purer in tone than this artist's later works. We must conclude for this week with EDWIN LANDSEER.8 pictures. We cannot suffer such exquisite works of art to be included in the acre of flaunting canvas covered with mediocre portraits (for the most part) that fills the great room. His are portrait-pictures, 'tis true; but his dogs have more character and expression than many of the human beings that figure in red and blue uniforms. " Scene in Chillingham Park, Portrait of Lord Oandton," &c. (14), is the famous dead bull that was so much talked about—aad thereby bangs a tale. In Lord TANKF.RVILLE'S Park, in Northumberland, is the only breed of the old English wild hull remaining in the country ; one of which EDWIN LANDSEER was to paint. It was said that he intended to outdo PAUL POTTER, by painting two of the life size, lighting. Be that as it may, a keeper was despatched to detach one of the animals from the. herd. In doing this, the man irritated the brute, who ran at him and tossed him in the air. These bulls, it seems, like other wild animals, never leave their prey : the furious beast stood over the prostrate man, snuffing and pawing the ground, and so soon as his victim stirred, he again tossed him into the air. Lord Ossulton was a little di - tance off with the painter, (who had thus a terribly fine sub • ject afforded him extempore,) and was only deterred from shooting the animal at once by the fear of hitting the keeper : but finding that there was no other chance of escape, he and the other keepers fired, and lodged seven balls in the brute before he dropped down dead. The poor keeper's life was saved, though "every bone in his body " was broken, as the saying runs. Such is the story as we heard it. Au ancestor of the present possessor of these wild animals was also gored by one of them; and it was also said that this incident was to have been the subject of the picture. As it is, Lord Ossulton is standing over the dead bull, having one foot on the carcase, with his rifle in one hand, and the bridle of his pony in the other, and a keeper is kneeling down by the side, with dogs. It is of course a masterly painting ; but it disap- pointed us,—perhaps because we had beard so much about it before- hand, and fancied it other than it is. Still we think it is comparatively cold and tame, and not so powerful in effect as LANDSEEle$ pictures usually are. But they are painted to be viewed near, nut at a iltsta tiee. like show pictures; and the gaudy tone of the flaring portraits around may well put of countenance a cool and sober picture. This remark does not apply to another more charming and delightful portrait- pic- ture, by the same painter, of two infant children—" Ladies Harriet and Beatrice Hamilton, Daughters of the Marquis and Marchioness of Aber- corn" (143): how oddly the title "Ladies" sounds in conjunction with two lovely unconscious infants ! One is lying smiling in the cradle, the other is leaning against the bed with a puppy-dog in her arms. The look of grave regard that the old hound casts up at the lap-dog who seems whining at him, has a sly humour lurking in it, that expresses a canine feeling of superiority inimitably. The painting of this picture, its brilliancy of colour and power of tone, enable it to stand against the gorgeous hues of TURNER without detriment. We are told, howevi r. that the artist was incensed at its being placed so high, because its high finish required akito be on a level with the eye ; and that be would fain have had it minty when he found where it was bung. As a Royal Aca- demician, however, he bad the remedy to a certain extent in his own hands; and accordingly, he painted over the picture to fit it for its place, and make it tell at the distance. Had he not been an R. A. his pic- ture would have been sacrificed inpublic estimation. We mention this circumstanrs as a striking proof—only one amongst thousands of similar ones—a the evil effects to the art itself, as well as individual painters, arising tom the Academy exhibition system. The Acade- micians have the opportunity of painting up, not only to the tone of pictures near them, but beyond it, and the further opportunity—a feli- city to some—of barking those works that eclipse their own. We have more than once remarked, that LA NDSEER's pictures have been badly hung : we can only account for it on the same principle by which WILKIE was at first kept out of the Academy. When mediocrity usurps the place of genius, it has an instinctive dread of it, which amounts to hatred when the approach of greatness threatens to de- throne its pretensions.
But we must break off. The Landscapes and Portraits shall be noticed next week.
We are compelled to postpone notices of the new exhibition of the LAWRENCE Collection of Drawings—the TITIAN and A LIIERT PUREES; and of New Prints.
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