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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[August, 



wrought cartoons, ever display with the brush the most distant symptom of 

 nature, truth, or imitation ; the most ridiculous expectations have always 

 been excited, the most unbounded anticipations always put forth. Well, the 

 picture was begun, the hand felt awkward, the colour was muddy, the 

 touch feeble, the effect flat, the power of drawing even became poor, till it 

 could scarcely be credited the work was by the same hand, as the promising 

 cartoon. The artist was entirely justified, when looking at a laboured car- 

 toon of Cammucini, the labour of years, when he said, " And after all this 

 trouble comes a had picture," The cause principally of this incongruity, is 

 the error of modern Europe, in making cartoons a means and nut an end, 

 like the ancien's. The system of overwrought niggle is Ger.nan and modern 

 Italian ; the cartoons of the school of Athens is the thing— indeed Raphael 

 was but twelve years in the Vatican, if six had been occupied with one car- 

 toon, how many frescos would he have done ? the native spirit of tbe British 

 school will prevent this waste of time, and their common sense will also pre- 

 vent their making cartoons an end instead of a means, and if they thus con- 

 sider them under this head, there will be no danger of any injury accruing to 

 their power of pencil. 



The landing of Caesar, No. 64, is a head prize, and in my opinion most 

 unjustly — C'resar is paltry in character, stature, and expression— certainly not 

 the Caesar of Cicero, Suetonius, Sallust and Bacon ; he looks like a Centurion 

 engaged in a squabble. It would be impossible to conceive he was meant to 

 be a great general, the " prtrstns ilii-us," watching the landing of an army ; 

 there is no army, there are a few boats in the sight, without order or plan, 

 naval or military! — Who is a furious little ancient Briton darting his spear 

 at ?— Why is another pulling down in a fury tbe rocking horse he rides ? — 

 Why is one Roman soldier scrambling up and another down V— What is the 

 meaning oS all the scramble ?— What authority is there that all the Britons 

 had short arms, short bodies, and bandy legs?— Had they not got knee 

 pans? was not the inner ankle higher than the outer in the ancient Bri- 

 tons?— There is no evidence of a clear comprehension of story, no nature 

 in character, no dignity in action, no drawing, no knowledge of structure, 

 no beaoty, no grace, great dash of contl, great power of effect, great impu- 

 dence of execution, hut no mastery of form ; infinitely inferior to 63, close 

 to its side, and altogether an unaccountable specimen of the system of La 

 Roche's school— the costume school of La Roche — for, of the naked, it is 

 evident, neither master or pupil know much. 1 am quite astonished, and 

 respectfully enter my humble proiest against such an honour bestowed, to 

 the injury and insult of the British school. It is perfect infatuation, and is 

 evidence beyond controversy of the absolute necessity of professors being 

 settled at the Universities, to prevent men of fashion making such decisions. 

 If the general proportions of the human form had been explained at col- 

 lege, it would have been impossible for any men of station to have made 

 such a mistake. 



Firs: Trial by Jury (105)— A fine cartoon, composed with ability, but not 

 drawn equal to Alfred and the Danes. Alfred and the Danes, as a work of 

 composition, power, and expression, is admirable, and was fully entitled to 

 one of the highest prizes. No. 128, the Fight for tbe Beacon, is an admirable, 

 a daring, masterly, powerful, ill-drawn, vig reus group ; the student will do 

 greater things — but this stamps hirn as a man of genius. St. Augustine 

 (100) is a beautiful cartoon, adapted for fresco. Una and Satyrs (10) is as fine 

 a specimen of correct drawing as any school could produce in the world ; 

 Una wants beauty of feature and swelling of hip, to touch our hearts. 78. 

 Boadicea haranguing the Iceni, is a beautiful evidence of extraordinary 

 power of handling. 104, Alfred submitting his Code of Laws, is weak in 

 power of drawing, but an excellent cartoon. Caractacus (84) is a very fine 

 work, largely drawn, a little approaching to manner: how superior in dignity 

 tu Cesar! how poetically treated is Caractacus! there are symptoms of a 

 feeling for colour in the head and sky ; but I do not anticipate much power 

 of painting ; there is no look of touch in the chalk, and occasional feebleness 

 in the drawing — still it is a grand work. 82, A Skirmish between tbe Ficts 

 and Romans, is a magnificent work of art — full of vigour without exaggera- 

 tion, and power without violence. Think of what cartoons have carried off 

 prizes from this! It is painful. 135, is a fine specimen of pictorial ma- 

 nagement in a cartoon. 138 is by a boy of 16, and a fine instance of expres- 

 sion, though the convulsive man is overdone. The Death of Lear (26), is a 

 noble work, finely composed ; and not overdone in breadth and style. 



How easy it is to see the cartoons of painters. I would divide such works 

 into the cartoons of those who know how to paint — cartoons of those who 

 give promise of painting, and cartoons of those who will never paint at all. 

 I fear there are a great many here of the latter character. These are, I 

 think, all the principal cartoons. Yet there is one of Constance on the 

 ground (27). a very fine work, though a little hard — still it is finely correct in 

 drawing and costume— everything is distant, yet in keeping, nothing slurred 

 yet nothing obtrusive ; it announces a correct eye, nature, composition, and 

 drawing •, it has no prize • how could they prefer Eleanor to this, or Lear, 

 or Alfred in the camp of the Danes, or a skirmish with the Picts, or half-a- 

 dozen others. Really the judges had no difficult task, the gradation of merit 

 is palpable, and surely if the artists had made a respectful stand, many things 

 might have been prevented, which must give the judges pain now. The great 

 error was, coming to any decision before the public had been admitted ; this 

 was the practice of Creeks and Romans, viz.. always to admit the people 

 before deciding on works of art ; had this been done, the pupil of La Roche, 

 amiable as he is, would never have had a first prize, so strongly would the 

 public feeling have been expressed: — in future, it is the safest plan, unless 

 any portion of the judges have a predilection for a particular cartoon, and 

 fear the public, then, it bad always better be done w ith closed doors. Though 

 the country is convinced tbe names of the judges were a guarantee for honor 

 and integrity, yet they have all the habits of society, so much is done in a 

 pleasant party, so beautiful is the influence of women, such are the conces- 

 sions due to breeding, that there is no hope of absolute justice unless you 

 admit the people — their voice is the voice within, and alter their decision from 

 impulse, politeness is of no avail. 1 would therefore earnestly recommend 'n 

 future this to be done, to silence all cant. 



The object of the wealthy is amusement ; nothing contributes so much to 

 relieve ennui as novelty ; and nothing can be newer than a young man they 

 never heard of, producing a work they never saw, or a subject they never 

 ii before. Tins is the bane of English society, no youth is ever 

 suffered to mature the talent he displays, by continued kindness ; but, the 

 wonder of one season, he becomes the bore of the next, and his mind is tor- 

 tured and his heart lacerated, at the successive discovery that all the praise 

 bestowed on his works had been for years bestowed upon others who had 

 disappeared, and would be bestowed on those with equal sincerity who had 

 not yet made their appearance; artist or poet, admiral or general. beauty 

 or deformity, all contribute their share in the wonders of the season, which 

 lasts about three months. Whilst this pernicious system is confined to the 

 patronage cf private circlet, it is well enough, for all share the evil mid the 

 good; but carried into a great system qf puilic potnmage, its effect will be 

 deadly in the extreme : if we are to have a succession of wonders, first in 

 cartoons then in carving— one year in glass and the nest in fresco, how tar 

 shall we be fit to decorate when the bouses are ready ?— we shall not have 

 advanced one ]ot, and be as much at a loss five years hence, as we should be 

 now, if Barry was to announce the walls are fit for decoration. When Cor- 

 nelius was here, he said, " Now is not too early to begin the cartoon; 

 years are past, and no plan is defined ; we are trying for genius, as we 

 were then, and as we shall be to the last hour, six years hence. With these 

 tendencies, the following hints may not be useless. Take care you do no* 

 waste yourself with experiments, and be glad to get a cheap decorator after 

 all. Take care you do not pursue the discovery of new genius with such 

 keenness, as to fix on a new boy of 16, the last year. Take care, from a 

 desire to give every body B chance, the decoration be not a series of thoughts 

 without basis or connexion. Try no more experiments to prove the incapa- 

 city ot the British, for every trial will prove they have greater claims to em- 

 ployment than you wish to see. Fix on a plan for decoration as early as 

 possible, and let each individual work, fresco or oil, be but a part of the 

 general development. That the upper classes are sincere there can be no 

 doubt, only the government must not let their delightful and volatile habits 

 intrude on the solemnity and dignity of a plan, which is meant to honour 

 the legislature, the people and the sovereign, and develop to its full extent 

 the hidden and bursting genius of the country. 



With respect to '.lie selection of fresco or oil, fresco beyond all question 

 is to be selected for architectural decoration, provided the continental prin- 

 ciple of superior and subordinates be adopted ; but not else, if tbe Com- 

 mission wish the country to be saved from disgrace. The same system wh.ili 



