LECTURBS BY SIGNOR MONTI.
A course of lectures on Sculpture, ancient and modern, by Raffaele Monti, commenced on Wednesday, at No. 18 Great Marlborough Street. The lecturer's object is rather to enlarge the study of art, by pointing out beauties, than to lay down principles. He affirms that we must value any art which completes its purpose ; the duty of art being to represent a na- tion and its ideas, or, as he expressed it eventually, that "the justifica- tion of an aim is its fulfilment." From this point of view he considered the art of Egypt, Assyria, and Persepolis, illustrating his remarks by large outlined copies of examples ; and he proposes, in the sequel, to give practical demonstrations of the processes of sculpture. As to the leading principle propounded, which Signor Monti guards by stipulating that not mere imitation, but the communication of an idea, is art, we are not dis- posed to subscribe to it without qualification. Art, in the sense of mere technical method, may be judged by its rendering the purpose intended ; but art as a mode of intellectual expression is valuable only when the in- tellect expressed is itself valuable. The justification of an aim is not its fulfilment ; rather, the justification or condemnation (as the case may be) of the fulfilment is the aim. To take the most pertinent of examples : Signor Monti, in his Veiled Vestal, quite fulfilled his aim of representing a face half-transparent through a veil ; but the aim itself was worthless for sculptural purposes, and the statue was also worthless in conse- quence. We don't want the notions of small races or small specimens of a race in works of art : the result might be valuable for ethnological studies, but contemptible and pernicious for art objects.
As a lecturer, Signor Monti shows competence and assiduity ; and his course, by the illustrative method adopted, promises to be interesting. His delivery is somewhat interrupted ; but his English is remarkably free from singularity or foreignism : indeed, we should surmise native assistance in the preparation of the lecture, were it not that Signor Monti, when speaking off-hand, exhibits similar facility.
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