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THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



[Mat, 



to Rembrandt, inasmuch as it gives an extended light instead of a spot, whUe 

 the masses of shade form the effects of the pictures. It must be considered 

 that time has not changed the frescos, and that it is only in them we can 

 understand Guercino as the Magician of Painting, which he is called by his 

 contemporaries. Till I saw these Piacenza Frescos, I used to consider him as a 

 " vile shade-hunter." Another great painter in chiar-oscuro, never understood 

 in oils from his blackness, is Spagnuoletto, whose works in the church of St. 

 Martino at Naples are amongst tlie most striking things in art. The same 

 may be said of Raffaello's strong effects. In his oil pictures we see midnight 

 shadows in noon-dav, as in the " Transfiguration ;" but in his frescos it is all 

 truth and beautv, with power. The " Peter delivered from Prison," and the 

 " FUght of Heliodorus," have the charms of Corregio and Rembrandt. Then 

 I must remind you of the grandeur of colour and effect in Michael Angelo's 

 frescos on the ceiUng of the Sistine Chapel. What oil could ever have 

 approached such things ? %Vhen he said " that oU painting was only fit for 

 women and children," he meant on account of the labour and ditficulties of 

 the material, compared with fresco. We are assured he performed this 

 gigantic labour in twenty months, without the usual assistance of colour- 

 grinders or plasterers, but alone with his own hand. There are on this 

 ceiUng fourteen figures, of at least forty feet in stature, and nearly five 

 hundred figures, the least of which are double the size of life. AMiile we 

 regard this as the most extraordinary example of individual human power, 

 we must consider that it was only in the simplicity and ease of the fresco 

 material that Michael Angelo coiUd have accomplished such a stupendous 

 work. The preparation of oil colours, varnishes, &c. would alone have occu- 

 pied the twenty months. 



All these works I have cited to prove that the powers of fresco in colour 

 and effect are wholly architectural, and when I remind you of their gigantic 

 proportions, forming and assisting the grandeur of the architecture, I am 

 sure the superioritv of fresco must be apparent, as applied to buildings. Od 

 painting, applied in the same way, even with the advantage of good air and 

 Ught, is always subject to change to a sickly yellow, like a person smking 

 into bad health, and losing all his natural colour : but fresco never loses its 

 health and freshness ; and if it is to decay at last, like all mortal things, it 

 goes down with its own proper tints-it has a vigorous old age. Another 

 thing I ought to mention is, that so many great artists who have now immortal 

 names, condescended to inferior styles in the Vatican decorations: thus 

 Giovanni da Udine painted the fruit and the flowers, animals, musical instru- 

 ments, and so on, in a wonderful way ; Polidoro did the beautiful chiar- 

 oscuros ; and Lucca della Robia executed the coloured tiles for the floors. 

 AU those great artists raised the things they undertook under RaffaeUo, 

 whilst he himself seemed to raise the art when he worked in fresco ; for if 

 we consider oil painting up to the period of the Vatican frescos, that art 

 seemed in its infancy. The space, the architecture inspired Raffello -.-m 

 what but fresco could his beautiful mind have expanded ?— in what else 

 could he have given us such a range of art, from the most subUme history 

 down to ornaments of fruit, flowers, animals, and even pavements ? Has he 

 not given us a world of art in the Vatican ? Have not those grand frescos 

 given laws to the art r What is there like the " School of Athens," or the 

 " HeUodorus," the " Parnassus," or the " Burning of Rome "? Such dra- 

 matic art had never been seen before, such compositions of figures and 

 backgrounds, such colour and effect. And when it is considered that even 

 the minor details on the ceUings and walls all belong to one grand epic 

 invention on the subject of church empire, I think it must be seen that 

 nothing we have in oil colours has so expanded the limits of painting, and 

 made it the worthy sister of poetry. Can there be a doubt we owe all this 



to fresco ? • j , 



I will now consider the great advantage of painting being united to 

 architecture in this country through the medium of fresco ; and I trust to 

 show also why oil painting could never do the same, and that we can now only 

 have the long-looked-for era of historical art— art, patronized not only by 

 the State, but by the people at large. 



It is impossible to look on the historical fresco painting of Italy, recording, 

 as it does so powerfully, the valour and genius of the Italians, without think- 

 ing on England ; and reflecting that, with a history more heroic, and with 

 genius more useful, we have nothing of the kind in painting— no public works 

 to remind us of our illustrious ancestors. The ItaUans adorned their public 

 buildings in fresco, not onlv with the great events recorded in their national 

 history, but cverv man recalled and recorded the illustrious deeds of his an- 

 cestors, whether" public or private, which could confer honour on his name 

 and family. This noble emulation continued from generation to generation ; 

 and we see, in the monuments which remain, worthy memorials of the 



triumphs of mind in civil arts as well as the triumphs of war. These now, 

 in the fallen state of Italy, are all that remain to her of past glory, and it is 

 this which interests the traveller at every step. Who does not remember the 

 Colonna Palace at Rome f-the famUy now a name and nothing more, yet 

 its former deeds are written there; the principal of which was the great 

 battle of Lepanto. Hundreds of similar examples might be cited ; and the 

 influence of this system of beautiful decoration has extended even down to 

 the cottage, however humble, where you always find some little elegances to 

 remind vou that you are in Italy. It is but reasonable to hope, that when 

 fresco painting shaU have been introduced here, under the patronage of the 

 State, it will extend itself in a like manner to the adornment of the houses 

 of the nobility ; not only in tracing there the great actions of their ancestors, 

 which may bear comparison with those of any age or country, but in record- 

 ing the great events of our own times, events which are moving and modi- 

 fying the world. These are the true decorations of buildings, these are 

 things to be proud of, and these we shaU accomplish by the introduction of 

 fresco painting. The oil portraits of our ancestors are all that remain to us, 

 but fresco will pourtray their actions. When we reflect on the illustrious 

 names, and the illustrious deeds connected with them, there seems no bounds 

 to the field of fresco-painting. 



This never could have been accomplished, or even projected, through the 

 medium of oil painting, which, independent of the great cost, required such 

 architectural sacrifices to exhibit it. On the other hand, distemper was too 

 perishable and mean. Fresco will remedy all these evils, for its durability is 

 great, and its expense but small. Then the facility with which it may be 

 cleaned, and the ease with which it may be seen, even at night are advan- 

 tages which, I think, must insure its success. The grand ItaUan haU, decorated 

 with fresco, is unknown here, save in the impossible attempts to imitate it 

 in oil. For myself, I cannot but think that the want of fresco here, when 

 we consider all the advantages of durability, light, cleanliness, and cheapness, 

 must have been the cause why historic art has not risen and kept pace with 

 those magnificent things for which England is celebrated all over the world. 

 The English are a highlv imaginative people, in their Uterature particulariy ; 

 writers and readers go hand in hand, indulging for ever in the pleasures of 

 the imagination ; this extends to every thing, save painting. This limitation 

 must arise from the want of power in the medium, and the consequent want 

 of encouragement ; for oil-painting has been too costly for its historical pur- 

 poses, and, from its rareness, could never rise to suthcient rank to make it 

 worth the whUe of State or people to assist the education of her artists m 

 that most difficult branch of the art. 



The ease and facility of fresco will obviate all this ; the education of the 

 painters must and will be improved by it. The necessity for grand compo- 

 sition and manly design, even on a simple cartoon, will, I fully expect, not 

 only improve and raise the English painter till his natural capabiht.es are 

 fuUy developed, but will fascinate him on to new and imaginative regions of 

 art. Tliis healthy power in his hands, what will he not do ? what are the 

 Umits to a stvle of art, which has all the beauty, clearness, and lightness of 

 water-colour,' with the richness of oil, great dimensions and architectural 

 powers ? Were it alone for the advantages of design, it would be worth our 

 while, as a school, to introduce it, that we might outface all the railings of 

 the learned and the ignorant, as regards the English school having no fixed 

 principles of design. Indeed, in fresco we shall be able to answer every 

 objection. Who knows but. in the midst of our fresco labours, the pubhc 

 may take us up on this ground of design, and see us through our difficult 

 task of establishing historical art. The active capabilities of the Enghshman 

 are universallv known ; and it is enough that he has the warm support of his 

 countrvmen io accomplish anything, however great or difficult. INow, m 

 historical painting he has never yet had this advantage, for the English pub- 

 lic has been ever cold and discouraging on almost all occasions of English 

 painters having the misfortune to produce historical works. I am obliged 

 to say misfortune, because I understand large historical pictures are never 

 bought, and never looked at but with feelings of pity. This will be at an 

 end in fresco, for the patronage of the State (we have seen it in all ages, and 

 even now in the various continental states which excel in lugh art,) is the 

 only means bv which a school of history-painting can be formed. The ad- 

 mirable wav ihe State now proposes to do it through the medium of fresco, 

 is the first real chance the English painter has had in his own country, whaU 

 ever his success mav have been elsewhere. 



I may take notice here of the great encouragement always given by the 

 English government to sculpture, to the total discouragement and disparage- 

 ment of painting, which is singular, as in other countries painting has pre- 

 dominated in national art, for it has greater means in its closer imitation of 



