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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[JutY, 



THE WESTMINSTER HALL EXHIBITION. 



Within the last month has been opened at Westminster Hall, the 

 exhibition of fresco painting and sculpture for the decoration of the 

 New Parliamentary Palace ; the frescos being an extension of the 

 cartoon competition, the sculpture a primary competition. If opinions 

 were very various at to the merits of the cartoons, still more discord- 

 ant are those with regard to the frescos, though when carefully exa- 

 mined they all show the same real result. The large artistic faction, 

 attached to oil and water colour, unwilling, often unable, to try a new 

 medium, have been consistent in decrying fresco and those who have 

 the courage to practice it. Many critics and connoissenrs of extensive 

 learning, well acquainted with the fine works of the great fresco mas- 

 ters of antiquity, have determined to gage the exhibitors by the 

 standard of Michael Angelo and Raffaelle, and to denounce it if, as 

 was sure to happen, it did not in merit come up to the limit so as- 

 signed. These parties too have in many cases vehement prejudices in 

 in favour of oil, and strong misgivings as to the genius and capabili- 

 ties of English art, being generally laudatores tcmpora act), and pre- 

 pared to maintain the supremacy of old masters, because old masters. 

 There are others again who without any pretension to knowledge of 

 art will, more vulgari, apply their noses to the frescos, and finding 

 they have often a coarse plaster surface, pronounce instant condemna- 

 tion. Hence it was a matter of course if there were strong denuncia- 

 tions of the trashy character of the cartoons, the condemnations of the 

 present exhibition would be loud and deep. This, however, as we 

 have before intimated, does not disturb the real conclusion. It must 

 be palpable to the least reflecting that in a country where historic art 

 was uncultivated, and the manipulation of fresco universally unknown, 

 no immediate exhibition could result in the production of master- 

 pieces, neither was it contemplated by the Commission of Fine Arts. 

 The best that could result, and what has resulted has been to show 

 the capabilities of English artists for learning, and to show what they 

 can do with the benefit of time, practice and opportunity. These are 

 exhibitions not to be judged by their immediate effect, but by their 

 ultimate tendency, and it is plain it can be but justice to award to 

 them praise or blame in conformity with the circumstances. Hence 

 while those who had fixed too high a standard of comparison have 

 pronounced condemnation so decided, others not less intimate with 

 art, not less learned in its traditions, or less conversant with its works, 

 have expressed their extreme contentment and their great thankful- 

 ness, that such and so much talent is to be found in the country, capa- 

 ble of making such progress in so short a time, and of doing the 

 greatest honour to the country and themselves in the future. This 

 too is the feeling of the members of the commission, men who have 

 had to contend with all the prejudices of their own predilections and 

 with the insinuations of their artistic a-.sociates and counsellors, mak- 

 ing them in the first instance unwilling and mistrustful ministers of 

 the public voice, but now feeling more confidence at every step, and 

 more satisfaction at the gratifying results of their proceedings. The 

 whole affair has been an attempt to make out a case for the employ- 

 ment of art and English artists— the exhibitions have been virtually 

 legal pleadings to show cause why such a rule should be granted by 

 the supreme authorities, and it is evident with success. 



When it is considered that the members of the Royal Academy, 

 those by their talents and position at the head of art, have, with about 

 half-a-dozen exceptions, held back from this competition from motives 

 which do little credit to them, and are an insult to the country, it is 

 naturally to be expected that the talent available for a competition 

 will be much restricted in number, while with regard to sculpture an 

 unfortunate indulgence has tended very much to reduce its character. 

 With a view to diminish the labour and expense of those sculptors 

 who might compete, works were allowed to be exhibited, which had 

 been executed within five years prior to May in last year. The effect 

 of this has been not to relieve the poorer artists, but prevent artists 

 of eminence having capacious studios from sending in original works 

 of importance, while it has filled the hall with nymphs sleeping, boys 

 bathing, Greek, Roman and other gods and saints, which are not pro- 

 per subjects for the place of meeting of the imperial English legisla- 

 ture. Artists are, as it is, little enough disposed to execute works of 

 high character, calling forth the resources of intellect, so that instead 

 of encouragement being given in their usual meretricious pursuits, 

 every care should have been taken to exclude those whose works 

 showed want of sympathy with the noble purposes, to which art is 

 called upon to apply itself, in that edifice. Two things should be 

 strongly enforced, the selection of a suitable subject and its proper 

 treatment, or if we are to judge from what we now see, the most aw- 

 ful perpetrations of ignorance will disgrace that very cradle of our 

 history and liberty, an English House of Parliament. To pass over 

 Boadicea and the Britons being represented as Romans, Greeks or 



English instead of Celts, King Alfred with the countenance of an 

 Athenian or a Jew, and Jews with English features, there are nume- 

 rous works strikingly inappropriate. IBeatrice Cenci meditating the 

 murder of her father, a Roman Contadlna, Recollections of Naples, a 

 Bacchante, a wounded Greek, KUchurn Castle, are wlth"many others 

 equally irrelevant in character to be found among the frescos. There 

 are also numerous scripture pieces, the relevancy of which to the Eng- 

 lish constitution, may very well be questioned. What principle of 

 English law, administration or glory, is illustrated by Samson slaying 

 Philistines with the jawbone of an ass, we cannot^conceive, neither do 

 we find greater appropriateness in its courtiers. We question too the 

 propriety of such works as the deeds of Cassivelaunus, Boadicea or 

 Caractacus, because they have nothing to do with the national history, 

 however rightly they would be introduced in an illustration of local 

 history. If we rightly comprehend the subject, the Palace of West- 

 minster, the seat of the Imperial Legislature, is to be appropriately 

 decorated in accordance with its history, its character and its func- 

 tions. Ancillary to these are decorations illustrative of the national 

 glory as expressed in deeds of arms, the works of poets and authors, 

 the discoveries of philosophers, and the inventions of mechanics. The 

 functions and actions of individual members of the legislature, how- 

 ever trivial, may in this case be appropriately represented, while 

 many important local actions must be excluded. While the pageants 

 and personal deeds of Kings of England and Scotland, make legitimate 

 pictures, the deeds of King Cassivelaun, Vortigern, Brian Boru, or 

 Llewellyn, are strictly inappropriate. Thus too we may admit a 

 Council of Ancient Germans as exhibiting the germ of English liberty, 

 while the councils and legislative bodies of Ancient Britons and 

 Irish, as having no connection with the constitution and no influence 

 upon it, would only suggest solecisms and anachronisms. Strictly 

 speaking the conquests of Ireland and Wales would be appropriate 

 constitutional subjects, but a feeling of delicacy would suggest the 

 exclusion of such. We think it necessary to make these remarks, as 

 artists generally show such deplorable ignorance of the national his- 

 tory, and particularly of its constitutional bearings, hence such lament- 

 able nonsense, as a "Council of Ancient Britons, Nucleus of the Bri- 

 tish Parliament," in which an artist of merit has completely wasted 

 his time. No student, however careless, of Hallam or Palgrave, could 

 make such a deplorable blunder, and indeed a third form boy at any 

 public school would be justly flogged for such disregard of the pages 

 of Cassar and Tacitus, which so vividly depict the ancient nations of 

 Northern Europe. How different on the other hand is Martin's noble 

 cartoon, the Trial of Canute, where we are reminded by the vivid, 

 truthful and able delineation of the scene that nearly a thousand years 

 ago, that palladium of our liberties, trial by jury, was in existence, 

 and that it even then constituted a tribunal, wiiicii kings and people 

 honoured. This is a true and great constitutional lesson, replete with 

 interest of the highest character, and one which would speak with 

 equal effect to all ranks, in future ages as in the present. 



Having made these preliminary remarks, we must avow our con- 

 viction that an exhibition has never been seen in this country showing 

 greater genius or finer works than the one now in question, and we 

 have little fear of its being adequately appreciated by the public at 

 large. Whatever Indeed may have been the character of the works, 

 the Westminster Hall exhibitions constitute an era in art, having done 

 more to instruct the public, than we are sorry to say the Royal Aca- 

 demy has done since its foundation, and proving the utility and ne- 

 cessity of opening to the public annual free exhibition of works of 

 modern art. We now proceed to the examination of the individual 

 works. 



DesiGNS AND Paintings. 



No. 1 is an encounter between Caesar and Cassivelaunus by Henry 

 Melling, a cartoon, because cartoons are allowed to accompany speci- 

 mens of fresco. The subject is scarcely a proper one, but its treat- 

 ment shows a good deal of ability, though marred by confusion and ex- 

 travagance. Mr. Melling's Britons have aquiline noses, which we 

 believe is not a common thing in the Vale of Llangollen or the regions 

 of Vannes. 



David Scott of the R.S.A. has a fresco No. 2, called Guards on a 

 Battlement, which exhibits the shoulders of one figure and the legs 

 of another. This we consider a defective arrangement, and we are 

 sorry we cannot say more of it. 



No. 3 is Boadicea leading her troops against the Romans, a cartoon. 

 Here is a good deal of care, though the style is harsh. Boadicea is 

 represented with a plaid. Now, although some few individuals may 

 counti-nance this, there appears no reason to suppose that the vary- 

 coloured garment of Boadicea was a plaid, or that any other members 

 of the Celtic race ever wore it beyond its present wearers, if it be not 

 indeed, comparatively speaking, a modern invention. 



