THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



1842.] 



the money which is purchasing for her the same fearful doom-can be beheld 

 by any reUgious man vvithout awe ? If so, I am sure he would sleep over 

 the best sermon on the subject. 



The true object of historical painting is to compress mto one compact 

 whole all the important points which in books are scattered up and down 

 through many pages, so that the entire power of the sulyect shall strd.e at a 

 riance Thi^ is completely done ia Ratfaello's splendid composition of St. 

 Paul preaching at Athens. Here the whole subject, which in the New 

 Testament occupies a long chapter, is concentrated in a single look. ..e 

 enter the picture bv the steps whereon the Apostle is standing with upraised 

 arms, communicating that divinity which inspires him. We distinguish the 

 various Athenians congregated about him. Dionysins and Damans m the 

 foreground are in the moment of conversion to the Christian doctrine of the 

 resurrection, and the similarity of their attitude to the Apostle himself at 

 once impUes that they beUeve his doctrine, and receive the Holy Spirit. 

 Near them is the Stoic, who ponders over the resurrection of the body, more 

 puzzled how it can be than questioning that it is. The Cynic stands next 

 eaning on his crutch, and listening with an ironical sneer. The elegant 

 Epicurean smiles incredulously. Beyond are congregated the disputants of 

 theacademv, lost in their own opinions, save those of Plato s school, who 

 show an elevated attention. Contrasted with this is the rankling malice of 

 the rabbi-the magician's mysterious glance. And all these various persons 

 are assembled on the Hill of Mars, as described in the lytli chap of the 

 Acts of the Apostles. Now it must be evident to any one who will be at 

 the pains to examine this sublime work, that no description can produce the 

 instantaneous effect of seeing all the persons brought together in one scene. 

 Is it possible that a work approaching so near to the sacred description 

 itself, and partaking of its sacred character, should not claim our deepest 

 attention.' Yet it rarely gets any attention. At Hampton Court maybe 

 seen crowds passing heedlessly through the room which contains these, the 

 finest works of Raffaello, who have perhaps bestowed hours of attention on 

 evervthin.' else. Why is this ? It is the mistaken locality. It is that these 

 works which are of the most sacred character, should be shown in a sacred 

 place,' which would inspire a devotional feeling, necessary for the entire 

 understanding as well as the feeUng of their thoughtful beauty ; for how 

 few persons are there, even amongst the high and educated, who are abl^ to 

 abstract themselves so suddenly from the profane so as to . appreciate these 

 P.CTOKT.^L SEKMOXS, in the midst of art's gay profanities, which on every 

 side surround them. It is too much to expect that Raffaello s cartoons 

 should dulv arrest the attention, placed as they are at Hampton Court 

 remember 'another example of the truth I would express. The la e gifted 

 historical painter, Hilton, produced a fine work of the Crucifixion which was 

 admirably painted, designed, expressed, and on a sufficiently arge scale. 

 This picture was exhibited at the Royal Academy, and excited little or no 

 attention; it was not even (as I am assured) noticed at the grand annual 

 banquet, when all the most distinguished personages of the state are present. 

 This I also find natural and proper; for how was it possible to look in a 

 right spirit on the agony of our dying Saviour, in the midst of a splendid 

 and .ocial festival, or even in an exhibition made up of happy smiling ladies 

 and courteous gentlemen ? Now this brings me to the great good of paint- 

 ing being united to architecture, in the introduction of fresco where in 

 becoming part of the waUs it must of necessity partake of the object of the 

 building. Of this good I will mention one singular and signal ex-ample. 

 That noble picture by Leonardo da Vinci, in the Milan Convent of San a 

 Maria della Grazia, representing the " Last Supper," is almost uniiitelhgible 

 to us as a composition, without due consideration of its locality. This is ad- 

 mirably pointed out bv Giethe. He saw the refectory, with all its religious 

 members at their solemn meal. Opposite to the picture stood the prior s 

 table, the monks sitting down the hall on the right and left ; so that you will 

 perceive at once that the painter in the composition endeavoured to make 

 his .'reat work fill up characteristically the other end of the room. No 

 doubt he made it correspond in everything-the table-cloth with the corners 

 tied up, the di.hes and the driuking-cups of the time and place. By thi. 

 interpretation is answered the objection continually made, that the figures are 

 all sitting on one side of the table, for the monks always sit so in a refec- 

 tory I cannot bear to allude to this wondrous work without speaking ot 

 its deep and impressive character. When yon stand before it you almost 

 hear the tremendous secret which our Lord declares at the supper-' / say 

 unto you, one of yon which eaMh with me shall betray me .'" Now who 

 would believe a picture could represent such a moment, unless he had such 

 a work ' The dreadful accusation falls upon every one save the beloved 

 disciple John, and at once calls forth the varied expressions of men accuse 



311 



of such treachery. The gazer may easily make out each Apostle by his indi- 

 vidual character and expression, as each one endeavours to show his innocence 

 of the charge. Judas is known by the money bag, and by his knocking over 

 the salt. What an appropriate subject for a refectory : The well-known 

 storv told bv Wilkie of a similar picture in Spain, will serve to show the 

 great moral'of such a work. An aged monk, observing him unusually inte- 

 rested, said to him, " Ah ! you cannot feel the interest I feel in that picture, 

 for I have sat before it at my meals some seven and forty years, and such 

 are the chauses which have taken place in Spain, so many companions have 

 come and gone in tlie time, everjthing changing but that picture, that when 

 I look upon it and its solemn company, I almost believe in truth they are 

 the substance, and we but the shadow." There can be no doubt that Hilton's 

 picture of the "Crucifixion" lost as much as Leonardo da Vinci's gained, 

 by the locality and its associations. 



Following out the same principle, we may thus have pictiures adapted to 

 the church, the palace, the theatre, the exchange, the hospital, and even to 

 the private dwelhng. Each will suggest its own just and proper associatmn 

 to painting. I am certain that the ait, in its highest destinies, is greatly 

 dependent on architecture, which best awakens those associations necessary 

 to its appreciation. ' M 



A-ain, are we not dependent on painting for the precise representation of 

 places which we haNe never seen ? Can anything be dearer to us than paint- 

 ing in its remembrance of the illustrious dead, or those who were dear to us? 

 Are we not dependent upon it and sculpture for the very existence of anti- 

 quity ' have we not the most distant climes at our fire-sides, and the people 

 of the antipodes made our very companions? and yet what I have enume- 

 rated, are but the limited performances of painting, and in no way to be 

 compared with its achievements when it raises itself to the representation of 

 history on historical walls. Is it not wonderful to have realized to our sight 

 the actual scenes of the past ;-to have the persons of bygone ages alive 

 again, their proper selves, and in full action, expressing their noblest deeds 

 Were the art reaUzing such powers, such dehghts, a new discovery, it would 

 be crowned as the immortal flower of the world-as a supernatural power, 

 re-creating the world which is past. But, dulled and kept down as it has 

 been by its servitude to common uses, in a commercial and a political society, 

 it only now begins to look up for emancipation in the midst of general im- 

 provement. It begins to spurn the prison walls of an exhibition-room-it 

 longs, it demands to be free Uke the other arts. We used to be told that 

 the Wrican slave was an inferior being, and only fitted even for servitude by 

 blows instead of laws ; bv a like injustice has the art of historical pamtmg 

 been depreciated in this country to a mechanical level, worthy only to point 

 out the alehouse and the gin palace. 



But are not those who bring forward such charges wilfully mistaken. Can 

 such works as the cartoons of Raphael be passed over with indifference ? have 

 they not a claim on our sacred sympathies ? Are we not rejecting in part 

 our Idessed rehgion, when we reject this powerful resemblance of it ? for 

 how can our senses receive the impression of the one and not of the other ? 

 I tremble at mv own rashness in saying this ; for in this country, if there 

 are works of art in a church, we are not allowed even to look on them. In 

 our cathedrals rails and men are employed to prevent us from taking more 

 than a glance even of those monuments erected at the cost of the nation. 

 We may take a hurried look, in the week days, but are never allowed to read 

 an inscription, or to linger on our way. Such a system is only worthy a con- 

 quered people, whom it is feared to inspire with their nationality; such 

 things are intelligible in Poland, where it is thought expedient to extinguish 

 even the natice language, but I cannot imagine the object here. I would 

 fain hope that a pictorial Wilberforce may rise up with fresco painting, and 

 emancipate us from these slavish customs, by opening the public buildings, 

 even to the churches, and showing the puldic monuments freely. Here 

 would be a new and powerful source of education to an inquiring people like 

 the English ;-the government, tlie church, the laws, and tlie people, would 

 be thus brought nearer together by the arts; and in showing how many 

 illustrious individuals have arisen from the lowest ranks, the most powerful 

 incentive would be offered to the ambition of aU endowed by nature with 

 genial impulses and generous feelings. .,!.•,. 



Another slavish prejudice to be done away with by the union of architec- 

 ture and painting is, our narrow-minded custom of allowing a man to do. or 

 to understand, only one single thing, when the services of Professors gene- 

 rally are required in divers things. Professors may acquire knowledge but 

 woe betide them if they attempt aught else but the one particular thing 

 which thev profess! For this I cannot account, as in all ages-save our 

 own-a man useful to i!ie public has been expected to possess a kind o£ 



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