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954 THE LEADER. [Saturday,
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/*s\ r% I IEaJ£ ^liTiSJ
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PHOTOGRAPHIC "VIEWS IN HOME AND T"E3<nCE...
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Tun Pom's " OoxJKron,."—Ilia Grace tho.A...
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THE KING'S KJTVAL. Ox Monday last the St...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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954 The Leader. [Saturday,
954 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,
/*S\ R% I Ieaj£ ^Litisj
€ \) i Srifl
Photographic "Views In Home And T"E3<Nce...
PHOTOGRAPHIC "VIEWS IN HOME AND T"E 3 < nCE . * We have before us about a score of views taken by the photograph in Rome -find Venice , presenting one of the happiest . applications of the art ; while some of the views are among its most perfect results- There is in all ordinary , art , except of the veiy highest kind , a constant tendency to deviate from the correct type of nature into maimeristn . An artist acquires a liappy knack of giving some particular effect—such as the sharpness of angles or ^ projections , whicbudistwiguishes the style of Prout ; or the smoothness-of eflect which belongs to Copley Fielding ; or , going into the opposite extreme , . the concentrated vividness which Turner procured for a prominent object by strongly opposed tints and vagueness of texture at a distance from the centre . But in either case the artist who lias succeeded in the
particular trait , lias a tendency to exaggerate the force of that trait and to -sacrifice the rest of the picture to a 'part . The most successful view-takers iiave fo ^ en bred in the theatre ; and in Oanale tt o or St amield we may see the result of the discipline which the artist undergoes in being compelled to prdduee such reality as would -deceive the * senses . It rnay be said that the finest -painting con do more than ex-cel the stature wihieh it copies . A . great . artist , indeed , may -omit from the / picture -accidental points that tead to diminish its effect by disturbance , but he cannot do more than nature herself does . Heean only obtain an iinproveuaent by an abatement ; and . the -most -complete "p icture , undoubtedly would be that ^ nich . ¦ should basing -up every Tpart -fcO' as-aiu 6 h perfection as the hand can attain , iHere again , tbere is
another . corrupting tendency—that to -give theidefcails aigreater . prominency than they xeailly 'bear . The 'gradation of force m the shad-ow and iaats of 'Objects , as * hey are seen in nature , is so extremely gentle that is Is very jd ^ ctitt for the painter -to follow--it . ; aad- the eye so a ? eadily gets vitiated , is so readily tempered 'by strong prints ( and shadows , that ifc is easily drawn away'ftom the regular series of gradations . The greatest masters , . indeed , copied natural effects . Titian could give minuteiiess and ibrce , . and at / the « anae time retain'breaidth . This combination-is . the graind . characteristic of the old masters : they preserve that breadth , which , tat / a comparatively distant view , masses the objects in a -few simple forms , while > they faithfully -follow the details , still ^ keeping them in their proper-ppoportion of
force-The old 'masters , artd especially the one -whom , we have just named , are fully jusEtified fejrthe'photograp lj , which has shown us how the most minute copying can be attained , and even perfected , with the broadest light and shade . Amongst the score of views that -we have before us , there are several objects-extremely' familiar even to those who have jaot visited Ilc « ne or "Venice , & om the * frequency with which they have been pourirayed . We have , for instance , -several of the remains of the temples of Jupiter Tojaans , o £ Venus , -trad Vesta ,-and the arch ofSeptimus Sever us , —mere relics of the . ancieat structure jSometiiuesremaining as model 6 of beauty fox succeeding ages ; we lave the menvatid horses on Monte Gavallo ^ one of which has been copied , improperly < enough , -as * ' ' -Ach ? lles ' in the Park % we ibave the iRialto , the Ducal Palace , ¦ and 'St . Mart ' s , at Venice . But in no foi * mer style of view-taking has the reality of "tJhe building , the absolute form of the statue , tLe strict identity
of effect , been -laid before the spectator at a distance as we ourw find it -through the photograph . Here , nevertheless , —while you can count every bride , while you can point to the literal exactness of each particular line in the-contour of a statue and in the marking < of the details—to each letter in the inscription on the pedestal , you have , at the same time the breadth of light and shadow , which gives the effect of the whole ; and still you liav . e the proportions of size , of tint , and " effect , " -which place you . almost bodily in \ the scene . 0 n the Colonna Antonina , you can trace many of the wellknown groups in the ascending spiral . In the front of the new Post-office , included in the same view , and again an the Piazza of St . Mark , you see the details of every wmdoiv ; the lees of the chairs before one of the caffhs ^ and ,
nevertheless , you have the effect of the whole , as if you stood with your baclc to the cathedral . A bas-relief by Gibson , representing Phaeton—an imitation of -ancient sculpture , —is here before you in such relief , that the baud itself moves to touch the form anil test its substance ; but always with the same breadth . In the picture of the Rialto , the shadows are sis soft as Copley Fielding could have made them : but Prout himself could not have translated the details with moxo sharpness , nor could a Miei'is have equalled the minuteness . In tine Ducal Palace again , while the peculiar and massive forms of that extraordinary building are presented with . great foi * co and grandeur , you havo at once a Itembrandt effect of light and shade , and a closeness and force of detail that far excel Canoletto . The happiest specimen of oil represents the old church at Rome , whose * Published b y Giusajppo SjuthoYur , Piuzza < U Spngna , Rome . Agont by appointment , TrUbner and Go .
name we forget , opposite to the Temple of Vesta : it is one of the smaller views , and presents by no means one of the most stinking specimens of architecture ; but as a specimen of photography it is perfect . " Here , again , there is the same breadth of light and shadow with the same minuteness . It is interesting to note the sharpness and accuracy of Hne with which the minuter forms such as certain iron rails , can be traced into shadow , and even through the shadow which at first appears entirely to submerge them . In short , these specimens of photography , while they justify the old masters , give at once the most faithful views that can be rendered of objects at a distance , and the most sterling lesson which the landscape painter can derive in the elements of accurate drawins ? andt > road effect .
Tun Pom's " Ooxjkron,."—Ilia Grace Tho.A...
Tun Pom ' s " OoxJKron ,. "—Ilia Grace tho . Archbishop of Tuam procoods to Homo at tho close of this week , on ithe invitation of Iris HoHuqss , to attend tho groat mooting of tho prelatofl of the church , whore tho Irish hierarchy will bo roproaontod alao by hid Gruco tho Ar « lil > i « hop of Dublin and his Grace tho Arohbiahoi ) of Armagh , I ' muato . Tim ' Dautio Fr « KiG' » in- this WiNrren . —Wo underatanul that aQioIiil inqniries hnvo boon prrwocutoil t \ a to the best Htution on our coant , whoro a portion of the liii . lt . lo floet now wndor Sir Clinrlort Napior ' a command inl ^ ht pusH tlio winter , and thi » t a Htrong rocommoudn ,-tiou him boon given in favour of tho Croinurty li'lrth . Tlxo likelihood in , thorefuvo , thnt Homo nix or eight \ inaof-battlo uhLpn may lie at , Ororrcavty for aomo montha iiv tho ensuing winter . —/" mtui'iiana Adtwrther . KaoAfia ( m A Convict . —Joseph Italph , tlie man who was uontonood to twenty yeara trunsportutiun for n
robbory at O-rim-tTjy , and "who escaped from Lincoln Oaatlo n short time ajj ; o escaped a second time from Lincoln Caatlu on Monday last , and hua not ninoo baon hoard of . Tun JIoyal 3 L \ iuni « ahi > Tina Moitst . vciik . —Tho Lordu of tho Admiralty havo issued an ordor , diroofcinu the lioyal Jlnrlao . i to grow tho mouafcaohofl , in order Unit thoro . ihull bo no diatinotion between tho Brltinh soldier nnd tlio nmriuo , w )» o nva constantly joined in tho siuno sorvlco and share tho Hiuno Uononrri and dangovs . SOQTTlrtU RuiUT . 4 AMD LoilD EftLIHITOS . —^ TllOrO h « 8 boon cv feast , nt , Glaagow , conaooratwd to tho cause of what are called " Soottblx Kightn , " aud in honour <> f Lord E ^ Hntou , tho champion of turn cause . Tlio banquet was givom b y tho National Association for the VindioiUion of Soottish Rights ; and to moot tho invited guu . it , wore , iimung otluir . H , tho Dulto of Muntroso , Sir Thomas Gladstone , Sir Archibald Aliriou , Mr . . 7 . JJairrl , M . I' ., Profodaor Aytoun , « ud so on . Vrom tho speeches
it nppourii thnt tlio AnHociution inoaiiH to jjjo on , nnd " place its roquoflts before PftrlJanuiiit , nml nl thu lout of tlio throuo , believing it will not be lon # l > oforo its wls-liea will bo accorded to thorn by tho £ Ood feelings of tUo people of JJnglnnd nnd tlio matronly solicitudes of tlifir Koyal mistress . " Mr , lt . DisiuK . Mt ahi > this fHiiKi ^ riKKD TMicicriN'd . — The Spectator naya i—At a recent Shefliold moetiny , which Mr . Roobuck wan invited to attend , ho attended nol ; ho sent a letter , but tlio letter - \ vuh publtahcd not i it is supposod to consist of reasons why tlio imU-pmnlonli membur would not ntlend to play tho fj ; ilin (! ° '" ' ! " ¦"''" by nttoinptinjj to < lofont thu " Wofltorn Powers in tlioir use of tlio AuRtrlnn allianco ; and hon < j «; , no dutibt , iw Miippreoaion . la that timoly theais t » be euiniU'il mnoiigrit tho lorit wrlca of liUiraturo ? C » n it ncl bi > publisliod ? 'What havo tho Shoflicld people donu vitl » thoir co |> y ?
The King's Kjtval. Ox Monday Last The St...
THE KING'S KJTVAL . Ox Monday last the St . James's Theatre opened , under the management of Mrs . Seymour , -with an English p lay and an English company . The play was The King ' s Rival , expressly written for the occasion by Mr . Tom Taylor and Mr . Charles JJeade . The company includes among the lady-members Miss Glyn and Mrs . Seymour ; and among the gentlemen-members , the very worst collection of actors ^ e ever saw in any theatre not situated on the Surrey side of the . Thames . In trying to" offer any ^ estimate of the dramatic value of The King's Rival , we labour under ihe disadvantage of having seen a play so badly acted by the principal male performers 5 n it , that we are doubtful -whether , in common justice to the authors , we ought to criticise it at all . If we may venture to form any opinion , tinder the most adverse
stage circumstances , we should say that the first three acts of The King ' s Rival struck us as being the weakest parts of the play . The last two acts were really interesting . They contained some excellent situations * and some very clever and telling scenes . The play may be described as a dramatic picture of tfee Court of Charles the Second . The " King ' s Bival " is the 3 > uke of Richmond ; and the lady-who is tie object of the rivalry is the famous Miss / Stewart—transformed ^ however , by the authors , from the loose ,, indolent , card-house building lady described by De Grammont , to a perfect pattern of virtue , aaid a very Griselda of affectionate endurance . This violation of historical truth iSr ^ as it -appears to us , a mistake in . Art . Miss Stewart , as represented in tb ^ play , is the conventionally virtuous lady o £ the stage . She is loved—she -is wrongly suspected—^ she is cleaxed of siis picioa-r-sheisiappy at last . Miss Stewart ,, as she really was- —unworthy
of honourable love , yet wittmng that love by Ler own irresistible attractions - —securing it , and yet not being fully certain of it—always in . danger of being justly despised the moment she ceased to be adored—would have been a more original dramatic figure an the stage composition . However , it is our business here to speak of tlie play—not as it might have "been written , but as it is written . The third act is , in every sense , the doubtful and perilous act of the drama . The fourth saved the play—the striking situation at tlie end being thoroughly worthy of the unanimous applause which followed the fall of the " drop-scene . " The last act , too , was full of clever dramatic writing . The interview between Charles and Nell Gwynne is one of the most au-ccessful scenes in the play ; and the final speech is the best we have heard for many a long day on the English stage—the best , because the writers have had the sense and courage not to make it ridiculous by making it a " tag . "
The acting , so far as the ladies were concerned , "deserves the warmest praise . The hearty good-nature and gaiety of Nell Gwynne were represented by Mrs . Seymour -with an ease , sprightliness , and unflagging spirit which won—and deserved to win . —the sympathy and admiration of the audience from the momcaxt when she first appeared on the stage . Miss Glyn , in the part of Miss Stewart , acted admirably from the first scene to the last . We beg especially to congratulate her on -the almost complete absence of anything like stage conventionality in her performance . She was natural , tender , womanly throughout the play—graceful without affectation . —r-and impressive without effort . She gave the actors who were engaged with her in the scene a lesson in their art "which they might all have proiitcil by—but they were incapable of profiting by anything . The more gracefully and naturally Miss Glyn acted , tlie more Mr . G . Vandenhoff and Mr . T .
Mead ( as Charles the Second and the Duke of Richmond ) roared , rolled their eyes , strutted , stamped , attitudinised , crossed tho stage , and bid for gallery applause , which we are most unaffectedly rejoiced to say they did nut obtain . The actors of less prominent parts were less positively offensive- —wo \ y ill treat them with all possiblo'tenderness , and utter no critical words in relation to any one of them . But if tho speculation at the St , James's , Thkatrb is to prosper ( and we most sincerely wish it may prosper ) , the truth must be tohl as regards tho male members of tlie company generally . Unless Mrs . Seymour ¦ engages some new actors who really can act , all that sho can do , nnd all that Miss Glyn can do , and all that Mr . Tom Taylor nnd Mr . Charles Reade can do , will not ayail to give tho management of tho St . Jamks ' s T . 'iijaA . Tni 3 the high place which we yet hope to see it hold in f . ho ostimiitlon of tine play-goisig public .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 7, 1854, page 18, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_07101854/page/18/
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