92 Mr Wilson on the State of the Arts in Italy. 



a cold affectation of classic purity, and a want of energy 

 and nature in all its productions ; but, whilst we avoid the er- 

 rors into which it has fallen, we should not allow these, and 

 the difference of its practice from our own, to blind us to 

 its good qualities ; many Roman artists draw exceedingly well, 

 and they evince this power in the large and fine cartoons which 

 they are in the habit of executing before commencing a pic- 

 ture. But if the student in this country does not draw long 

 enough, which I think is the case, the Italian student, in ac- 

 quiring his mastery of the crayon, seems to forget that he is 

 ever to use the brush ; and the Italian artists rarely prove eA r en 

 tolerable colourists, whilst their prejudices as to the adoption 

 of many necessary processes in painting, and which were un- 

 questionably in use amongst their great predecessors, are in- 

 vincible. This was illustrated in an amusing manner one day 

 in the Florence gallery. An Italian artist was busy copying a 

 Venetian picture, and my late friend Mr James Irvine, hap- 

 pening to look at his work, remarked to him that he never 

 could hope to imitate the brilliancy of the original without 

 glazing. " I know that," said the Italian, " but I won't* glaze." 



At Florence, painting is in much the same state as at Rome ; 

 of late some artists have endeavoured to add richness in colour 

 to the correctness of their drawing, but they have only suc- 

 ceeded in arranging on their pictures in brilliant juxtaposi- 

 tion rainbow colours, without attaining that harmonious effect 

 which marks the works of their great predecessors. At Naples, 

 painting is at a low ebb ; at Genoa, lower still ; at Venice, it is 

 little better ; but at Milan it reckons amongst its professors 

 clever men in some departments of the art. 



Fresco painting is still pursued in Italy, but with most suc- 

 cess by the Germans. I wish to avail myself of this occasion 

 to do homage to the extraordinary merits of the masters of 

 this distinguished school ; in looking on their works, we can- 

 not but regret that greater encouragement is not given to the 

 highest department of painting in this country; in those which 

 are encouraged, our artists excel ; and we may, I think, there- 

 fore, justly conclude that ability would soon be found to exe- 

 cute works of the noblest description. 



Engraving may appropriately be considered after painting. 



