1852.] 



EDUCATIOxVAL DEPARTMENT. 



ei 



see, upon a future occasion, that tlie spirit stirring incidents of tlie 

 last war, or the gi'eat events which ha\e marked the social pro- 

 gress and constitutional history of tlie country, have found their 

 fitting expositor in the fii'st native artist of Canada. Considenng 

 however, that historical painting is the highest branch of the art, 

 we must remark that the prizes offered are wholly insufficient to 

 tempt an artist capable of executing such a subject to sacrifice 

 time which might be given to easier and more remunerative 

 employment. It must be long before anything but portraits will 

 bo ni demand in this country : the prizes should be oft'ered for 

 the best sketch or study for an historical painting, not for the 

 painting only. Portrait painting was abundantly but very indif- 

 ferently represented. It by no means follows that a young artist 

 who can catch a tolerable likeness, and has overcome the first 

 difficulties of the brush, can deal with a full sized portrait. For- 

 getfuhiessof this fact, produced some sad examples of vaulting- 

 ambition which o'erleaps itself. The portraits were generally too 

 large, and their defects more glaring than their meiits, which 

 might not have been the esse had they been of half size. A 

 pleasing likeness of a lady b}' Mr. Geo. Reid, and a portrait in 

 full profile by Mr. Griffith, of much expression, although the co- 

 louring and especially the back ground, were far from pleasing, 

 were, with the two Indian portraits, which gained the first and 

 second prize, the only exceptions we remarked. These latter had 

 all the quiet truth and the mellow tone which most of Mr. Kane's 

 portraits possess. Among the landscapes, one by Mr. Whale of 

 Burford, attracted much notice. Whether such trees ever grew 

 in Canada may be a question, but of the merits of the painting- 

 there could be none, and the artist who produced it may aspire, 

 with study, to, a very high rank in his profession. Mr. William 

 Hind exhibited two oil paintings which showed considerable 

 talent and gave fair promise of future excellence in the 

 higher departments of Art. There was also a view of 

 Burlington Bay, with a boat and a few figures in the fore- 

 ground, by Mr. Bartram, of much merit for its simplicity and 

 truth to nature. Among the most spirited and striking works 

 exhibited was a coloured crayon of a ship on her beam ends after 

 a storm, by Mr. Wm. Armstrong. The freedom and seaman-like 

 fidelity with which the disorder of the wreck was treated, the 

 aiJmirable effect of the wild heaving waves, and a delicacy of 

 handling it is difficult to describe, gave this drawing an artistic 

 character we should have been glad to recognise in more of the 

 subjects present. The same gentleman obtamed the first prize in 

 water colors. There was also a crayon drawing, we believe by 

 Mr. Keid (we would suggest that the names of the artists in all 

 cases be attached) which it is a pleasure to notice, a landscape 

 with a group of trees in the foreground, the foliage remarkably 

 well handleii, the lights and shades on the stems and branches 

 extremely good, the sea in the distance and a little church in the 

 middle ground, very well done. Of the twenty three young 

 ladies who exhibited in the amateur Hst, few we grieve to say, 

 came up to the indulgent standard adopted by the judges in their 

 behalf. The greater part of the drawings exhibited in these clas- 

 ses were inditiijrent enough. In several of them no prize was 

 awarded, in othei-s only the second prize. That this apparent 

 rigour is absolutely necessary, few who examined the exhibition 

 would deny, and if it leads the exhibitors to form for themselves 

 a much higher standard of excellence, they will not regret hei-e- 

 after, their disappointment, but it must be admitted to be a diffi- 

 cult question to define the degree of proficiency which the com- 

 petitoi-s in these classes should display. Some dift'erence there 

 will probably be always in the standai'd adopted in different years, 

 and efforts be held unworthy of distinction in one place which 

 have obtained it at another. Miss Ida Jones of Bockville, Mrs. 

 J. B. Campbell of Toronto, and Miss Fitzgerald, were the lady 

 amateui-s who gained first prizes. Mr. R. J. GriflSth was the 

 gainer of scv-oral in this class, and before quitting the list we must 



not fail to commend the pleasing portraits in water colors by Mi-. 

 Hoppner Meyer (professional) to which the first and second 

 prizes of that c!a« were awaided. The unsuccessful entries may 

 be referred to as aftbrding a sort of criterion of the extent to whicli 

 painting or drawing, whether regarded as an accomplishment or a 

 profession, is cultivated in Canada. It appears th;it thrr.; were 

 thirty-eight competitors in the two lists, piofessional aii<l ainalcur, 

 and about 143 entries, VS in the former class, all iuiiiLsLed by 

 Toronto, Hamilton and Buiford; 70 in the latter class, to which' 

 Brockville, Picton, Cobouig, Niagara, Queenston, Oakville and 

 Wellington Square contributed. The dissemination of an inte- 

 rest in the subject evinced by this list, is the best part of the case, 

 and we believe that it only needs the formation of a School of 

 Design, to elicit works of art as creditable to Canadian ability as 

 were the more practical departments of the Fair. Lithoo-raphy 

 W!is represented by two very indift'erent portraits and some maps 

 and plans. Mr. Fleming's plan of Toronto, executed at Mr. Sco- 

 bie's establishment, was by tar the best specimen of the art and 

 obtained the first prize. Woodcutting and engra\'ing- on copper 

 and steel, were also very inadequately represented, and if the 

 artists in these departments desire to secure to themselves the 

 growing demand for works of the kind in Canada, a little more 

 exertion is desirable. Most of the wood cuts have been repeatedly 

 exhibited before — the new ones being- chiefly the maps and illus- 

 trations of Smith's Canada, exhibited by Mr. McLear, are well 

 known, and scarcely do justice to the state of the art in Toronto, 

 however fairly they represent the existing demand. Mr. Da\id 

 Fleming exhibited two figures in wood carving, both spirited, 

 and also a number of bread trenchers executed inCanadian wood, 

 of the designs which the Art Jovrnal has made so familiar. 

 These very favorite novelties open a wide field for the wood 

 carver, and it may be hoped will be followed by other things of 

 the kind. If they also recommend wood-carving as an art parti- 

 cularly adapted to the amateur, and lead to its extension to arti- 

 cles of household furniture and ornament, few who have witnes- 

 sed the massive carved chairs, chests and tables, of -old English 

 farm-houses one the one hand, or the delicate and spirited wood 

 carvings of the Swiss and German peasants on the other, will 

 think it a bad result. 



We must conclude this long notice, which is neveitheless 

 incomplete, by suggesting to those artists who ai-e not in the 

 habit of exhibiting on these occasions, that although a shed at 

 an Agricultural Show can ne\-er be made a Gallery of Ait, it 

 will long be the best opportunity the bulk of the population have 

 for acquiring correct ideas upon the subject; a consideration 

 beyond the value of the prizes should therefore induce them to 

 contribute something upon each occasion to raise the standard of 

 taste, and elicit among the thousands before whom they are dis- 

 played, that power and enthusiasm which is only dormant, not 

 dead. The quality of the exhibition in this depaitment must be 

 greatly raised, before a stranger can be referred to it as a criterion 

 of the progress tlie Fine Arts have made in this country. 



Educational Department. 



At the east end of the Fine Arts Department a building was 

 specially erected and appropriated for the reception of a variety 

 of educational requisites and school furniture, contributed bv the 

 Rev. Dr. Ryersou, Chief Superintendent of Schools for lliipcr' 

 Canada. 



The collection was very extensi\-e and varied, including many 

 interesting articles, never before introduced into the Canadian 

 Schools, designed to assist in promoting the instruction of youth 

 by an appeal as well to their senses as to tlieir intellect. The 

 samples exhibited were selected from the dejsository connected 

 with the Department of Pubhc Instruction for Upper Canada. 

 They are for sale by the department to public scliools throughout 



