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1

From The Quarterly Review. THE STATE OF ENGLISH PAINTING.*

THE announcement at a Royal Academy dinner that large sums of money are given for pictures is no evidence that Art is flourishing among us. When one or two thousand pounds are paid for a Chelsea vase, we need not assume that similar sums given for paintings by popular artists indicate anything more than abundant wealth and corresponding vanity. The price set upon a picture by art-traders and in the sale-room, has, in nine cases out of ten, nothing whatever to do with the real value of the work. The whims of individuals, the despotism of fashion, the catchword of the frivolous and ignorant, often carry a temporary influence with them, before the deliberative judgment of the thoughtful has been able to come to a definite conclusion. But he who neither bounds his horizon by the motives of the moment, nor shares the unreflecting prejudices of his time, will take a broader view. He will be little disposed to submit to the unquestioning tyranny of the present, but casting his eye over the whole kingdom of Art he will contrast the capabilities and powers that it displayed in the past with the aimless waywardness and trivial self-seeking that characterize its dissipated efforts now. The astute and judicious lover of Art for its own sake will follow quite another lead than that of an illusory prestige in gratifying his æsthetic tastes. He will look patiently and closely to the genuine qualities of what he selects; choosing that which suits his own temperament and sympathies, without reference to the false touchstone of popularity; and though unknown out of his circle as an art-patron, he may find ultimately that, in surrounding himself with artistic work thus carefully and independently chosen, he will have ob

1. The Exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts. London, 1872.

tained something more and better than that which the pretentious canvases of show-painters bring to the walls of those millionaires who invest their superfluous thousands in them. Perhaps we should hardly go beyond the truth in saying that scarcely one of the ambitious collectors who crowd their dining-rooms and drawing rooms with pictures selected from a fashionable and materialistic point of view, would be found willing to give five pounds for a picture by Titian or Tintoretto not inscribed with his name or otherwise externally authenticated. It is difficult to make such "patrons " understand that the buying of a name is not the buying of a picture; and that a genuine work of art has quite another kind of value than that of a Dutch tulip or a piece of Dresden china. This vulgar and commercial Mæcenism is the bane of art; it gives fictitious money-value to bad work, and by ill-judged expenditure robs the true artist of his merited reward. It exorbitantly raises the commercial value of the work of fashionable favourites, and depresses that of all others, however worthy it may be. Its tendency is to develop shallow sentiment, and by a clever meretricious execution a mere facility of representation - to supersede artistic dignity and genuine seriousness of aim and purpose.

For these and other reasons which we shall examine, we find our English Art in so depressed a state as to suggest the inquiry if we have Art at all existing as a school among us. The epic spirit certainly has left our canvases, the idyllic too has vanished, and in their stead we find merely clever imitations in detail of nature, analytic studies, infinite variety of material means; but of the spirit that could bring these into contact with the highest sentiments and feelings, we have nothing left. The dramatic idealism and concentration of Hogarth; the imaginative grace of Reynolds and Gainsborough; the picturesque diffusiveness of rustic Morland; the scenic breadth of

2. A Descriptive Handbook for the Pictures in the House of Parliament. By T. J. Gullick. London, 1866. 3. Descriptive and Historical Catalogue of the Pictures of the National Gallery, with Biographical Notes of the Painters. By R. N. Wornum. London, plain, downright John Crome; the suf1872. | fused tenderness and poetic glow of Rich4. Catalogo degli Oggetti d'Arte esposti al Pubblico nella R. Accademia di Belle Arti in Venezia. Vene- ard Wilson; the idyllic simplicity and sweetness of Stothard; the glory of the

zia, 1872.

early Turner, are all passed away. These correctness in the studies from both the things are as far above the mere vulgar "fiat" and the "round," though not imitation of nature and the dexterous wholly reprehensible in themselves (havpainting of draperies or flesh, as the dra- ing, in fact, something to be said for matic scenes and characters of Shake- them), are yet parts of an erroneous speare or of Scott transcend the dull rou- method, and are highly detrimental to the tine of ordinary life. Our recent pictures future destiny of the true artist. We are of an entirely different class. Com- must, nevertheless, protest unreservedly pare the huge masses of raw white, the against one element of the teaching purhard lines, the bald literalisms of some sued in these schools, which allows an of our most celebrated modern paintings, unlimited repetition of similar forms with the diffused tone, the eclectic con- within the same piece of design, supsistency, the intellectual ease and refine-posed to be “ornamental." A number of ment, the thoroughly-felt and well-bal- geometric or conventional figures are conanced values, both æsthetic and material- structed; they are then reversed to fill istic, of Reynolds and Gainsborough. In up a corresponding portion of the allotted our modern pictures we have a hetero-space, and the result is called "ornamengeneous network of lights and shadows, a tal design," though without any of that dispersion of colour utterly without cen- vitality of principle which in dealing with trality, and perplexing alike to the eye decorative forms strives to make them and the mind. All arrangement is lost, subservient to some ruling idea or mental and there is no more trace of mental plan which can alone confer a right to the effort, of the exercise of the art-function, title, and have the power to please the than is mechanically displayed by the lens eye and satisfy the mind from a right of the photographer. A noble, thoughtful point of view. This mode of training is style, broad and vigorous views, healthy almost sure to be disadvantageous to and natural motive, united with whole- those students who should afterwards exsome moral meaning, have given place to tend their practice to the painting of picmere cleverness of touch and slavish imi- tures, as their works must naturally extations of nature. hibit traces of it in a formality of arrangement and distribution quite as fatal to the spirit of Art in the one case as the other.

One of the chief causes of our present shortcomings is undoubtedly the nature of the Art education prosecuted at the A singular instance of the correction Government schools of Art throughout of repetition, and at the same time prothe kingdom. Of course drawing, as a test against its use, occurs on the façade piece of general education, or as an uni- of a small church at Pistoia, across which versal "accomplishment," is entirely dis- runs a simple stone moulding, consisting, tinct from the art of expressing individual with a slight exception, of repeated forms. ideas and sentiments in a picturesque The artist has been well aware that if his 'manner. This cannot be taught, and can ornament had been allowed to repeat itonly be directed. We must not therefore self punctually throughout its whole expect too much from these useful, but course, a single glance at the first of its far from perfect institutions. But while component elements would have sufficed all are taught the use of lines and the ele- the spectator; but, wishing his moulding ments of form, there is no reason why in- to be more particularly examined, he has struction should not be given in those sculptured a symbolical eagle quite out forms and those lines which contain an of character with the rest of his design artistic idea. At present this is by no about one-third of the distance across; means the case. The endless use of consequently when the eye falls upon this geometric examples in the "flat" (geomet- it is at once arrested and is compelled to ric, at least, in a more or less modified make a careful examination of the reform), the absolute indifference to any-mainder, if only to ascertain if there are thing like an artistic sentiment, and the more irregularities. One, however, has complete slavery to a mere photographic | been sufficient. It has caused a careful

and thorough examination of the whole solid and certain because they are diffipiece of workmanship, and it is quite cult to express or explain. Modern critbeautiful enough to preclude disappoint- icism, for the most part, not only avoids ment, which is all the artist desired. A the trouble and repudiates the necessity lesson like this in its full instruction, of mastering these principles, but actucould only come out of an artistic mind ally denies their existence altogether; capable of finding a remedy for every evil. Such an expedient would have no significance in our day, and would be sufficient to condemn the work of the most hopeful pupil or developed artist, if it ever occurred to him and he should have the hardihood to adopt it.

and, as every one can see if a line be crooked or straight, and perceive if a colour be deeper or paler or different from that which is found in nature, criticism is confined to these qualities alone, the ulterior object of all lines and colour in painting being entirely overlooked. Under such a supervision as this, true and large Art, the Art which appeals to the instincts of the soul rather than the criterion of measure and rule, must neces

gether. It is precisely in this condition that we find ourselves; and until the general tone of criticism, both of the public and the press, is altered, its depressing influence must be felt in every kind of Art and in every picture that is painted.

Another hindrance to the progress of true Art is the tone of modern criticism. For every other faculty or function an education is supposed to be required; for that of art-critic none is exacted. With-sarily at first languish and then fail altoout any attempt to ascertain the aesthetic laws and principles by a process of induction from universally accepted standards, only to be gained by long courses of study and observation, we continually find personal opinions thrust forward as the statutes and canons of judgment, Another cause of injury to Art is the without regard to any central principle large use of machinery in art manufacwhatever, as if, indeed, no such thing ex- tures, in which all trace of human work isted. It is true that a thing may be good is lost, and the mind but faintly reflected or bad according to the point of view or not at all. The very essence and nataken; but that does not annul the fact ture of a work of Art is its visible expresthat nevertheless there is something un- sion of some human sentiment, emotion, doubtedly good and something undoubt- or conception. Everything destitute of edly bad. For example, it is a sound and this expression loses claim to the title of established certainty that the Venetians, Art, whatever may be its qualities or recat their good time, painted on the whole ommendation. We do not say that these good pictures, and that the Bolognese on universal means of reproduction may not the whole, at all times, painted very bad bring special advantages of their own in pictures. From the highest point of view other ways; but they bring none of the the point of view which refers all genuine artistic kind. What makes artworks of Art to a central artistic princi- manufactured reproductions the more ple, not only dwelling in the eye but mischievous is, that generally the worst rooted in the mind-there is no more things instead of the best are chosen. In doubts as to what is a good painting or articles of domestic use, at least, fine a bad painting than there is as to whether shapes and good designs might be prea piece of glass be dim or transparent. ferred; since the one kind is quite as All men do not love apples or potatoes, easy to produce as the other, and it would but the common judgment, and undoubt-also be natural, that in selecting examedly the true one, accounts them both ples of picturesque art for reproduction, good and wholesome. The same thing worth should obtain a preference over holds true of works of Art. Their intrin- worthlessness; the contrary, however, is sic value is not a matter of supposition the case. or personal opinion at all, but a matter of fact, to be ascertained from an application of rules and principles not the less

It is thus that we are so overridden by the emasculated smoothness and regularity of machine-work and other appliances of the time, that if it should