436 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND AUCHITECT'S JOURNAL. [Novembbr, 



REVICWS. 



Lectures on Painting and Design. By B. R. Hatdon, Historical 

 Painter. London : Longmans. 1844. 



Haydon lias created such a sensation in the artistic world that the 

 greatest interest has been felt with regard to his boolc. Those who 

 have heard him lecture knew how to settle the matter, but many of the 

 public Icnew scarcely what to expect. Was it to be something very 

 bad and very horrible, abusing the cocked hats of the Academy, and 

 putting forward a farrago of trash and discontent? This many have 

 asked, and many will ask, on hearing of a book from the pen of the 

 Great Satan of Art, which many innocent people, on the ingenious 

 suggestions of their neighbours, believe him to be. To this we can 

 answer that it is a mighty pleasant kind of book, hardly a word about 

 the Academy but what is good, no treason about Queen Elizabeth, and 

 a great deal of sound and useful information. It will be as pleasant to 

 tliose who appreciate the exertions of a hard-working man to know 

 this, as it is unpleasing to those who treat him as a bugbear to find 

 that they have no points on which to lay hold. As to ourselves, we 

 are not Haydonites, but we know of no allegiance we owe to the 

 Royal Academy to take part in squabbles against Haydon, and we 

 think we are able to form a good judgment of our own with regard to 

 him. He has very likely been an indiscreet man, he has involved 

 ■ himself in artistic rows there can be no doubt, and he is morbidly sen- 

 sitive as to the feelings of the Academy towards him, but what we 

 have got to deal with is his public conduct as a teacher of art, and we 

 can readily ascertain that. He has for the last ten years been engaged 

 in diffusing public information on art among the literary institutions 

 of the country, sometimes receiving an inadequate remuneration, but 

 often, to our personal knowledge, making great sacrifices and putting 

 himself to much inconvenience in order to promote some public object 

 where he could meet no reward but the conviction of having rendered 

 a valuable service. In his lectures he may on some points have been 

 unsound, no man is perfect, but there cannot be the slightest doubt in 

 the world that he has done more to give the public information on art 

 than any man in this country. Haydon's lectures have co-operated 

 more than anything else in the extension of schools of design and of 

 artistic instruction, and he has every reason to be gratified that he 

 has been listened to, upon a little known subject, witli attention, with 

 admiration, and v\ith the determination to profit by his advice. These 

 discourses have also roused the public as to the fresco competitions, 

 and prepared them to appreciate the works exhibited for their inspec- 

 tion. Art Unions have also benefitted by the popular sympathy so 

 excited, and no impartial inquirer will doubt that immediately and 

 indirectly he has done more for the arts than any single individual. 

 On these grounds he is entitled to our gratitude and our attention, 

 and all the private demerits in the world, if any attached to him, could 

 never cancel these public benefits. We believe, however, that as to 

 the squabbles between Haydon and the Academy the exasperation is 

 much moderated on both sides, and that with the good feeling of the 

 public a better disposition will be infused. 



The lectures of such a public servant demand, therefore our atten- 

 tion, but do so the mure strongly as Haydon's exertions have greatly 

 advanced the public taste for art, and excited a feeling which we 

 have endeavoured to stimulate, and which is already bringing a pow er- 

 ful influence to bear upon architecture, as we hope it will yet more 

 decidedly do. Let us have better educated architects, a better edu- 

 cated public, aye, and we say better educated critics, and we may hope 

 for the advancement of architecture, and on these grounds we now, 

 as we have always done, devote our attention with pleasure to one of 

 the collateral branches of the fine arts, which we firmly believe are 

 essentially united. We cannot but think it would be much better if 

 painters and sculptors wore more of architects, and architects more 

 of painters and sculptors, for we are certain this is essential to the 

 exertion of every energy of art. A great source of Charles Barry's 

 power undoubtedly is his appreciation of colour and design in con- 

 nection with his architectural monuments. Who does not prefer the 

 Reform Clnb to the British Museum or National Gallery whitewash? 

 These lectures of Haydon we have had the pleasure of hearing 

 more than once, and yet we read the book with as much delight as if 

 it had been quite novel, and so, too, will all its readers. Difficulty, 

 indeed, has been already experienced in finding fault with it ; it has 

 been intimated to be unsound, but it has not been proved, while that 

 it is entertaining none have expressed a doubt. It is pretty certain, 

 indeed, that it must become a manual not only for the student but for 

 the public, and it is well qualified for this, including in a small space 

 the rudiments of artistic knowledge, with adequate illustrations from 

 Mr. Haydon's pencil. The anatomy is carefully got up for the use of 



the artist, elarging on practical applications, and free from non-essen- 

 tial anatomical minutiae. 



Haydon's doctrines are well enough known. First, that High Art 

 is everything ; second, that the Greeks were the greatest masters of 

 High Art ; third, that the ideal in art consists of the selection of the 

 best points from the best models ; fourth, that dissection and a know- 

 ledge of anatomy are the essential preliminary to the artistic career ; 

 fifth, that Michael Angelo is not to be swallowed wholesale ; and 

 lastly, that people may stop at home and become great artists by 

 studying the Elgin Marbles. The last words Haydon says he wishes 

 to utter on art are "Elgin Marbles, Elgin Marbles," and to them and 

 the Cartoons he constantly refers. To Haydon's practice the public 

 will of course appeal, and we think there he has many points in his 

 favour, for though we believe he often misconceives liis powers and 

 has painted as many bad pictures as any man, yet we think few have 

 produced more good worlis, and in those he shows more mind than 

 any of his competitors. Unfortunately he paints for halls such as are 

 not yet built here, and his efforts are often ill-appreciated, and yet 

 such works as the Napoleon Musing and the Leap of Curtius would 

 be alone sufficient to stamp him as a man of high genius, had he not 

 other and not less valuable works. 



It is of course a great temptation to rifle the stores of such a book, 

 and we have many excuses for the author's benefit, but we feel we 

 need be sparing, while as we can scarcely enter with our readers into 

 the minuticB of painting and design we must string together a number 

 of desultory extracts and remarks. The anecdotes of artists and 

 public men are often good illustrations of valuable doctrines. Here is 

 a tradition of Vaiidyke — 



In the same way, as the above descriptions come direct from the great 

 men themselves. I can give you authentic intelligence from Vandyke's own 

 painting-room. 



An old lady of eighty sat to Richardson ; she, when a girl, had sat to 

 Vandyke. She told Richardson, Vandyke's pictures looked whiter and 

 fresher than at present ; Richardson told Hudson, Hudson told Reynolds, 

 Reynolds told Northcote, and Northcote tuld me. So that I can give you 

 positive information up to Vandyke. 



Wilkie's first public appearance with the Village Politicians may 

 follow — 



Never was anything more extraordinary than the modesty and simplicity 

 of this great genius at the period of this early production. Jackson told me 

 he had the greatest ditBculty to persuade him to send this celebrated picture 

 to the Exhibition ; and I remember his (Wilkie's) bewildered astonishment 

 at the prodigious enthusiasm of the people at the Exhibition when it went, 

 on the day it opened, May 1806. On the Sunday after the private day and 

 dinner, Friday and Saturday, the News said, " A young Scotchman, hy name 

 Wilkie, has a wonderful work." I immediately sallied forth, took up Jack- 

 son, and away we rushed to Wilkie. I found him in his parlour in Norton- 

 street, at breakfast : " Wilkie," said I, " your name is in the paper." " Is it 

 really ?" said he, staring with delight. I then read the puff " ore rotundo," 

 and Jackson, I, and he, in an ecstacv, joined hands and danced round the 

 table. 



Haydon himself may come in on the subject of ears — 



Not one in ten thousand perhaps, Mr. John Bell says, can move his ears. 



The celebrated Mr. Mery used, when lecturing, to amuse his pupils by 

 saying, that in one thing he surely belonged to the long-eared tribe; upon 

 which, he moved his ears very rapidly backwards and forwards ; and Albinos, 

 the celebrated anatomist, had the same power, which is performed by those 

 little muscles not seen. 



I tried it once in painting with great effect. In my picture of Macbeth, 

 (Painted for Sir G. Beaumont, 1812, now at Colchorton Hall,) when he was 

 listening in horror before committing the murder, I ventured to press his 

 ears forwards like an animal in fright, to give an idea of trying to catch the 

 merest sound ; and it vi'as certainly very effective, and increased amazingly 

 the terror of the scene, without the spectator's being .iwaie of the reason. 



Of his favourite Elgin Marbles he tells as follows — 



•' What are these marbles remarkable for?" said a respectable gentleman 

 at the Museum, to one of the attendants, after looking attentively round all 

 the Elgin marbles. 



" Why sir," said the man with propriety, " because they are so like hfe ! " 



" Like Hfe," repeated the gentleman with the greatest contempt ; " Why, 

 what of that .'" and walked away. 



To this gentleman it might appear no great thing to render works of art 

 like life ; but if he had reflected — so many are the by-paths which branch 

 from the main one, so much do men sophisticate in favour of their own pro- 

 pensities, — so easily are all deluded hy the seductions of idleness — that, in 

 4000 years, few indeed are the men who have made their imitations like that 

 life with which they are eternally surrounded. 



Opie is brought in for the following illustration— 



In the infant, the jaw not being formed, the shape of the mouth is not 

 altered ; but in age, the jaw having been formed in manhood, the moment 



