1829.J 



a farthing. Reynolds depreciated him, as lie 

 did many others ; but once, when he pro- 

 posed, at an Artists' dinner, Gainsborough's 

 health, as the " best landscape painter," 

 Wilson started up with — " Yes, and the 

 best portrait painter too." Generally, 

 however, the coarse and unskilful vehe- 

 mence of poor 'Wilson, as Mr. Cunningham 

 remarks, was no match for the cautious ma- 

 lignity of the president, who enjoyed tlie 

 double advantage of lowering his adversary's 

 talents in social conversation, and, e<v cathe- 

 dra, in his discourses. In his old age, he 

 came unexpectedly into the possession of 

 property — which, however, he did not live 

 to enjoy any considerable time. 



Of Reynolds more is known, and of 

 course more is told. He was a prosper- 

 ous and prudent man, and Courted lite- 

 rary men and great men. He was one 

 of a coterie, and of course got well bepraised 

 by the squad. The jealous spirit of this 

 most unamiable person peeps out on all 

 occasions, though veiled decorously under 

 the cloak of moderation and fairness. He 

 was himself almost nothing beyond a por- 

 trait painter — but in this branch of the Art 

 his merit was supreme : he had the sense 

 and courage to shake oft' old forms, and in- 

 troduce a freer and more natural style. His 

 efforts in historical painting, it must be 

 acknowledged, were, for the most part, in- 

 effective. He had little fancy, and no 

 flexibility of imagination — to tell a story 

 was painful to him, and cost him many 

 efforts. Though he received a thousand 

 pounds for JMacbeth, and five hundred 

 pounds for Cardinal IJeaufort, he declared 

 " it cost him too dear." That is, he could 

 have painted portraits that would have paid 

 him better, and cost him less trouble. 

 In his discourses he was for ever preaching 

 up the yrand style, as the proper object of 

 study and labour, while, in his own per- 

 formances, he was intent upon the Venetian 

 school, of which he never said any thing. 

 This looked Wkc poUcy. Barry, by listen- 

 ing to his injunctions, was brought to a 

 garret and a crust, and many anotlier, from 

 the same stimulus, prosecuted fame, and 

 missed his bread. Sir Joshua destroyed 

 many capital paintings of tlie Venetian 

 scliool, to get at the mystery of the colouring. 

 " It may be questioned," adds Mr. C, " if 

 his discoveries were a compensation for this 

 loss." Alludnig to .Sir Joshua's solicitude 

 in concealing liis own preparations, Mr. V,. 

 a«ks, naturally enough, " What was tiie 

 use of all this secrecy ? Those wlio stole 

 the mystery of his colours could not use it, 

 unless they stole his Nkill and talent also. 

 As a public and private teacher, he was 

 nurely bound to tell, not conceal, wiiatcver 

 he thought of importance to Art." 



The account of Gainsborough is sliort, 

 and, for the same reason as Wilson's, less 

 is known ; but liis merits are very justly 

 discriminated by JMr. C. His landscapes 

 and portraits are equally and wholly liis own. 

 M.M. New Series Vol. VIII. No. U. 



Domestic and Foreign. 



217 



He was no imitator of any man. He 

 belonged to no school. Mr. C. correctly 

 observes, " lie has not steeped his land- 

 scapes in the atmosphere of Italy, like 

 Wilson, nor borrowed the postures of his 

 portraits from the old masters, like Rey- 

 nolds. No academy schooled down into 

 uniformity and imitation the truly English 

 and intrepid spirit of Gainsborough." He 

 left a large mass of sketches and drawings. 

 Lane, his great nephew, some time ago, 

 published four-and-twenty of them, wliy 

 does not he publish more ? Gainsborough 

 worked with a brush with a handle six feet 

 long, and studied distant effect, rather than 

 elaborate niceness, fitted for close inspec- 

 tion, which, however, he boldly challenged. 

 In this dashing vigour of his hand he has 

 had many imitators, but no equal. Reynolds 

 remarks upon the manner very justly, ifhedid 

 not conclude with a sneer : " It is certain," 

 says he, " that all those odd scratches and 

 marks which, on a close examination, arc 

 so observable in Gainsborough's pictures, 

 and which, even to experienced painters, 

 appear rather the effect of accident than 

 design — this chaos, this uncouth and shape- 

 less appearance — by a kind of magic, at a 

 certain distance, assumes form, and aU the 

 parts seem to drop into their proper places, 

 so that we can hardly forbear acknowledging 

 the full effect of diUgence, imder the appear- 

 ance of chance and hasty negligence." That 

 Gainsborough himself considered this peca- 

 liarity in liis manner, and the power it pos- 

 sesses in exciting surjirise, as a beauty in 

 his works, may be inferred from the eager 

 desire which we know he always expressed 

 that his pictures at the exhibition should be 

 seen near as well as at a distance. The 

 imagination supplies the rest, and perhaj)g 

 more satisfactorily to the spectator, if not 

 more exactly, than the artist, with all his 

 care, could have done. 



Though both landscape painters, Wilson 

 and he differed essentially. Gainsborougli 

 made his landscapes for the figures — wliile 

 M^ilson as obviously made Iiis figures for the 

 landscapes ; by which, however, we only 

 mean the figure was the main object witli 

 the one, and landscape with the other. 



Elements of Natural History, by J. H. 

 Ilinton, M. A.; lf>29. This is simply an 

 introduction to Systematic Zoology, com- 

 prising no more than the classes and ordsrs 

 of an arrangement of h.is own, though taken 

 for the most ))art from Linnaeus. The 

 classes arc six, I. Beasts, consisting of nine 

 orders; II. Birds, of eiglit ; III. Reptiles, 

 of two; IV. Fishes, of five; V. Insects, 

 of seven; and VI. Worms, of two. This 

 arrangement, he considers, under all cir- 

 cumstances, tlie least objeclionulile, for, do 

 what you will, the animals of one de- 

 partment will run unto those of another. 

 J{ut besides his new arrangcmuiit, the inge- 

 nious contriver lias another object — a me- 

 chanical, an artificial assistance for fixing 



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