THE BERMONDSEY ALTAR-PIECE.
Tun competition for painting an altar-piece to St. James's Church, Ber- mondsey, for which purpose MI. was bequeathed. by an inhabitant of the parish, has resulted in the preference of a design by Mr. Jahn Wood. There were no fewer than seventy-two competitors. The judges- were Mr. Eastlake and Mr. Hayden; and no two fitter men could have, been chosen to decide upon the merits of the sketches.
Mr. John Wood is. better known as a portrait-painter than by his his- torical pictures.; but he is a clever designer, and well-practised in his art; and thiraine opportunity of showing what he. can do on a grand scale may bring out greater powers than he has hitherto been supposed to possels. Success in producing a small 4 finished sketch," however, is no criterion of an artist:a ability to paint a large picture with figures the size of life: car- teens of full. dimensions would have been the true test, as we pointed- out When the competition wee first announced. The Trustees should have followed the example of the Royal Commission entirely; for upon the way in which a competition is managed depends its efficacy.
We make these remarks- without particular allusion to Mr. Wood, who, we dare say, is as able as any other of the competitors to cover a large Space of canvass effectively ; and without reference to the decision for we have not seen the. sketches sent in. We understand that the public were admitted to view them at Bermondsey for an hour or two on Monday; but We were not aware.of it in time to avail ourselves of the opportunity. Surely there should bus public exhibition, as was suggested: it would interest the public and benefit the competitors.
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