364 Modern Piclures. [ Ocr. 
far from being the contemptible set of persons that a certain class of 
living English critics would persuade us ; and _ still more convinced are 
we,.that, whatever their pretensions may be, the way to make those 
pretensions higher than they are is not to hold them out as lower. 
We would not have it supposed, from the above observations, that we 
are inclined to deny the supremacy of the old masters: on the contrary, 
we are disposed to admit that supremacy, not merely over all living 
ones, but over all who have lived since their time. We are of opinion 
that, since the days of Titian, no one has lived possessing such an eye for 
colour, and such a perception of individual character, as indicated by the 
human face ;—that no one since Raphael has combined such an intense 
feeling of expression, of all kinds, with such a miraculous power of 
embodying it ;—that no one since Correggio has enjoyed so penetrating 
and absorbing a sentiment of female grace and loveliness, added to so 
unequalled a skill in working out that sentiment into visible images, for 
the delight and benefit of others ;—that no one since Rembrandt has even 
imagined, much less achieved, such brilliant pictorial triumphs, by. such 
seemingly inadequate means as mere light and shade ;—and, finally, that 
no one since Claude has seemed to feel and understand, still less been 
able (as he was) to make others feel at least, if not understand, the myste- 
rious correspondence and sympathy that exists between the objects of 
external nature and the heart of man. All this, and more to the same 
effect, do we 
** Most powerfully and potently believe ;” 
and what is more, we “ hold it honest to have it so set down.” But 
we do not hold it either honest, or reasonable, or politic, to have it set 
down in a form, and witha view, to the disparagement, or what is still 
worse, the discouragement, of other things and persons—which latter 
have more than enough to discourage them, in that absolute want of a 
national feeling for their art, and consequently a national patronage of it, 
against which they have to contend. 
Among the multiplicity of moral maxims, each contending with its 
fellows for the palm of folly, which every nation possesses, and calls 
them its “ wisdom,” perhaps that which deserves to carry off the said 
palm is the one which bids us “ never speak ill of the dead.” If the 
word “ living” were substituted for “ dead,’ the maxim would have 
some merit. Of the dead nothing should be spoken but the truth; and 
whatever is true should be spoken. But in regard to the living, we are 
half-inclined to admit the soundness of the modern law dictum, which 
lays down that “ the greater the truth the greater the libel.” At any 
rate, we would contend that, if there were no other reason or motive for 
so doing, social policy would teach us to “never speak ill of the’ 
living, except in very extreme cases indeed. Not that we would have 
any thing but ¢he truth spoken of any person or thing, at any time, or 
for any purpose whatsoever. But there is nothing, either in reason or in 
justice, which requires that “ the whole truth” should be spoken at all 
times ; and every thing, both in reason and in justice, forbids that it 
should be so spoken in a tone and temper calculated to make it an instru- 
ment of unmingled mischief to some, without the possibility of good to 
any. 
We would apply the foregoing remarks to the art of painting in Eng- - 
land at the present day. Its condition is: strong and flourishing enough 
to give it claims to great and constant encouragement, but not enough so 
