FINE ARTS.
AT a numerous meeting of artists, held at Freemason's Tavern on Saturday last, Mr. THOMAS WYSE in the chair, the so-called National
Art- Union, which has obtained the sanction of Prince ALBERT'S name, was denounced as an artful scheme of a few print-publishers to empty their warehouses, fill their pockets, and increase their power, under the guise of promoting fine art. The " managers " of this monster picture. lottery having stated in the prospectus that "promises of cordial sup- port and zealous cooperation had been received from the artists gene- rally," this meeting was called for the purpose of giving that assertion a public denial. The prospectus was read with significant emphasis by Mr. FAHEY, and elicited shouts of derision and a storm of hisses ; and the resolution, negativing the statement that the artists had promised their support, proposed by Mr. CLINT and seconded by Mr. HURLSTONE, was carried with vociferous unanimity. Nevertheless, the projectors of the scheme adroitly took advantage of the absence of any Royal Academicians' names sanctioning the resolutions, to sneer at the proceeding, by advertising, that those who took part in it were mostly "gentlemen who produced pictures of low value," and were therefore aggrieved at being shut out from the patronage of the "National Art-Union," one of whose regulations is that no prizes shall be of less value than twenty-five pounds. This is a clever move, and one that ought to have been anticipated, by getting some leading Aca- demicians to propose and second the resolutions; but the trick will not serve, for the disgust and indignation so strongly expressed by the meeting is almost universal. Some members of the New Water-Colour Society were the most active in taking steps to call the artists together, in consequence of their gallery having been let to the Managers of the "National Art-Union" for exhibiting the "prizes," before the true character of the project was known ; and some members of the Society of British Artists also were induced to take a prominent part in the proceeding, from a desire to support the Art Union of London, whose prizes are exhibited in their gallery : these parties, however, formed a small proportion of the six hundred artists assembled; among whom we noticed several members of the Royal Academy and the Old Water- Colour Society—the meeting, in short, fairly represented the general body of artists in London. The resolution approving of the Art-Union of London was opposed by two or three dissentients; one of whom ob- jected to the character of the engravings, and the delay in issuing them to the subscribers ; another to the paltry sums offered as prizes for a set of designs in outline and a group of sculpture ; and the third to the principle of lotteries generally : but the sense of the meeting was strongly in favour of the honourable intentions and disinterested ex- ertions of the Committee of the London Art- Union, and the resolution was carried all but unanimously. The opinion of "artists generally," thus openly expressed, of the real nature of the "National Art Union," and the motives of its projec- tors, is calculated to damage it materially in public estimation ; and the " managers" having put forth claims to the confidence of subscribers that have been proved unfounded, we cannot see how Prince ALBERT can suffer his name to be used as the lure of a delusive scheme, which he must have been induced to countenance by deceptive representations of its character and objects. We have heard of several publishers with- drawing their names, or being about to do so, having been misled by the specious pretences of the prospectus; and there can be little doubt but that the bubble will burst shortly. The two splendid line-engrav- ings of ancient and modern Italy, after TURNER, are glittering baits; but it has yet to be proved that the electrotype can produce plates of that large size capable of yielding impressions equal to the original proofb.
Another lottery of a miscellaneous kind, called the Polytechnic Art- Union, is advertised ; the bait for subscribers being a copy of a set of de- signs for SHAKESPERE'S Songs by the Etching-Club. We are altogether opposed to this system of forcing the growth of art by such means, and are neither sorry nor surprised to see signs of its speedy dissolution : the rival schemes will swallow each other up, and the sooner the better. If the public really desire to subscribe their guineas to promote the ad- vance of art, let them do so, not for the sake of the money's worth in the shape of a certain print and a possible picture, but disinterestedly for the public benefit, in the manner proposed by our correspondent Mr. THOMAS NOEL. The first Art-Union started in this country, called the Society for the Encouragement of British Art, provided for something beyond the mere return of value for their money to the subscribers, by a regulation that 10 per cent of the gross receipts should be set aside as a reserved fund appropriated to the purchase of works of art of high character to be presented to some public institution ; but this plan failed because the choice of pictures was vested in a committee chosen from the subscribers. Had 10 per cent of the receipts of the London Art- Union been so appropriated, several fine paintings by living artists might have been added to the national collection ; to which two pictures, by HILTON and CONSTABLE, have been presented by private subscrip- tion among the friends and admirers of those excellent painters. The appropriation of a tithe of the subscriptions to the formation of a Nati- onal Gallery has been proposed to the Irish Art-Union ; and this kind of tithe is likely to be as popular in Ireland as the other is odious. Let the Art-Union of London follow the example. The originator of this suggestion—whose name we are not at liberty to mention, but who will be recognized by the members of the Athe- neum Club—some 3 ears since proposed privately the establishment of a society with a subscribed capital, the interest of which should be annually devoted to the purchase of pictures to be placed in the Na- tional Gallery ; and he now suggests that the Clubs should devote a por- tion of their funds to the encouragement of art,—following the example of the United Service and the Oriental, each of which possesses several pictures. Painting of some kind would certainly greatly improve the inte- rior of the Atheneum, whose spacious staircase with its cold sculptured figures starves for want of colour ; and the superb hall of the Reform Club, since the portraits of Lords Holland and Sydenham have been placed in its marble panne's, shows bow essential painting is to the splendour of the coup d'atil.
These manifestations of a feeling for art among private individuals, taken together with the appointment of the Royal Commission, and the recent exercise of Government patronage by the Premier, are gratify-
ing indications that the national mind is directed towards works at painting, sculpture, and architecture, as the noblest and most valuable ornaments a country can possess: we hope the artists will show them. selves worthy of the encouragement that seems to await them.
Apropos of Sir ROBERT PEEL'S selection of sculptors. His distri- bution of patronage between artists of the Three Kingdoms has been objected to as tending to foster national distinctions: we viewed it not in this light, but as the result of a desire to diffuse the encouragement of talent over as wide a space as possible ; giving to the resident scalp. tors of Scotland and Ireland a share of what has, till lately, been almost exclusively bestowed on those resident in London. A more substantial objection has been raised by an anonymous correspondent of the Morn- ing Chronicle, who insinuates that the artists chosen are unqualified though he does not make out his case. Of Mr. KIRK of Dublin we never heard before; but that is no proof of his incompetency, any more than his being sixty years old. Mr. STEIL of Edinburgh we know only by his clever bust of the Queen : but we are not bound to suppose Sir ROBERT PEEL would stultify himself by giving com- missions to incompetent sculptors ; and his selection of Mr. M'Doweu, inspires confidence in his discernment. The Chronicle's correspondent argues that the success of Mr. M`Dowma, in modelling little girls— the subjects most likely to please—proves his inability to model a co- lossal man: a non-sequitur the absurdity of which CHANTREY'S " Sleep. . ing Children" and colossal statues sufficiently prove. Some interesting particulars of Mr. M•Downx's career have bees communicated by Mr. EMERSON TENNENT in a letter to the Ulster Times. Young M•Dowem., at twelve years of age, was apprenticed to a coach-builder in London ; who, failing, took his apprentice to lodge in the house of the late French sculptor CHENU, where the boy amused himself by modelling in clay ; and on his master removing to Ireland, he got his indentures given up, and started as a sculptor without a friend and almost without a shilling. Unable to procure in- struction in modelling, he taught himself, and toiled on for years, supporting himself by modelling for the figure-shops, and working for others : he occasionally exhibited, but met with only empty praise. He sent in a design for the statue of Major CARTWRIGHT, which was preferred by the Committee, though they had previously decided on giving the work to another sculptor; but the funds sub- scribed being insufficient for the execution of his design, he was disap- pointed. "Ten years later," says Mr. TENNENT, "he told me that his subsequent career had been one almost unbroken series of disappointed hopes ; his labours had been all unproductive : his works in clay were admired and praised, but procured no commission in marble. His last effort, the statue of the Girl Reading, was then in the Exhibition ; and if that failed also he would have almost sunk into despair ; but it had been well received. Sir FitsaTcre CHANTREY, who had that year the placing of the sculpture, struck with its extraordinary beauty, gave it a prominent position, and brought several of the Academicians round to admire it with him." Still no order had reached the anxious artist for a copy of it ; and Mr. TENNENT, whose admiration of the statue induced him to seek out the sculptor, found him in a state of mingled hope and despondency. Mr. TENNENT directed the attention of Lord names Eciewrost to the work, who immediately gave a commission for it in marble. Mr. WENTWORTH BEAUMONT and Lord DUNGANNON did the same, and the tide of patronage now flowed in. Mr. M‘Dowett removed from his obscure lodging to a commodious studio; and, to the honour of the Royal Academy be it said, he was elected an Associate though personally unknown to those who voted for him.
Previous page
