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We should fail in justice to the sister isle did we not place at the head of our fine arts iwtelligehce the laying the first stone of an Irish National Gallery by Iibrd " % Kntoun on Saturday last . The site chosen is on iLeinster Lawn , once adorned for a time by the splendid exhibition building for whose rise his country owed her obligations to William Dargan , and the funds raised for a testimonial to that eminent man have gracefully been devoted towards the construction of the contemplated edifice .
The pile will comprise , when completed , public libraries , including that bequeathed to the country by Archbishop Marsh , public schools , halls for lectures , an architectural museum , collections of national antiquities , raw materials and produce , and , lastly , a gallery of works in all departments of the fine arts . The reported speech of the popular Iiord Lieutenant . was well turned , and all wellwishers to national progress and the arts will sympathise with his kindly aspirations for the progress of the undertaking . It is intended to open in London very shortly an exhibition , consisting entirely of the works of Mr . David Cox ; the arrangements are not yet completed ; , but it is expected that the collection will be The works
very numerous as well as interesting . of this deservedly admired artist being * generally distinguished by a sombre tone of colour , and a breadth of treatment often amounting to sketchiness , are apt to contrast unfavourably with the brighter tints and finished detail of many other painters ; yet even on the walls of ordinary exhibitions the eye will turn with pleasure to one of his sober pictures , and generally finds it well composed , and often very poetical . A small number of Mr . Cox ' s drawings were collected together some time ago , and were much admired by those who saw them , and the belief that a large exhibition might be formed of them has led to the present project , which , we doubt not , will prove eminently successful and attractive ^
The mission of M . Silvestre , referred to m previous numbers , may be regarded as a proof of the increasing estimation in which the works of the English school of painting- are held in France . At a recent meeting of the xloyal Institute of British Architects , he stated that the French Minister of State had authorised him to invite English artists to send their works to the next exhibition in Paris , which will take p lace in April . As another fact in the same direction , we observe that- ' the Siecle , in recommending a work called Les Tresors de VArt , which it has published for the benefit of its subsortbersand which contains forty plates t
, -seven rom pictures . of different schools , says : — "Onavoulu aussi , en . plagant sous les yeux du lecteur de precienx SchantiUons des majtres anplais , initier le publip francais aux , beautes de cette 6 cole anglaise , si originale dans ses fantaisies , si curieuse dans ses hardiesses , si peu cOnnue en fin , et si digne de l'fitre . " Of course the last phrase is not intended to convey the idea that the English school is deservedly little known in France ,, though its equivocal construction , would admit of that translation . The forthcoming French exhibition in London , which will open in April , is to have an appendage
in the shape of a collection of works by painters of other foreign nations , but in order to preserve to the originaF exhibition its exclusively French character , the other pictures will be shown in a new room to be added to the gallery in Pall-mall . It is to be hoped that the works of each nation will be grouped separately , so as to exhibit at a glance their peculiar national characteristics , Such an exhibition as this promises to become will be a great benefit to our students , and must redound greatly to the credit of the energetic projector , Mr . Gambart .
The exhibition of the Liverpool Institution has been open during the few weeks preoedingits cldse at the charge of 3 d , each person , and largo numbers of the poorer classes have availed themselves of the opportunit y thus afforded them . If some of _ our Lqndon exhibitjona would adopt a similar principle , thefro is little reason to foar that they would bo losers by i % for jnany who are practically excluded by the admission fee of a shilling would gladly pay a . few * pence to visit the collections if they wore open at times to suit them , say on Saturday afternoons for the working classes only , at a charge of 3 d , or 4 d , for men and Jess for women , Why do
not the Royal Academy take the lead in such a movement . Perhaps the best answer to the question is , ^ Because they ought . " . . Mr . J . P . Davis , an artist , has just put forto . a powerful remonstrance . ' against the continuance . of the Koyal Academy in the enjoyment of their special privileges ; against the present management of the national collections , which professes to have been reformed since 1853 in obedience to the public will , but which is , in fact , unrefortned ; and , lastly , aeainst the chronological principle of arranging
pictures as invented or applied by Dr . Waagen . Mr . Davis is fiery in his mode of expressing himself , but by no means vulgar . In being able to write with facility upon a subject with which he is well acquainted , he has the advantage of many other capable men of his profession -who but for defective style might have ere now dealt shrewd blows against the favouritism , cliquism , and ignorance which have—almost , as it were , by conspiracy —maintained their sway over the direction of the
public taste . ' ' , The limited number of painters who have directed their attention to public speaking and writing has been of great service to the cause against which so strong a mute feeling prevails . Had as strong a party of the lawyers been minded to rid themselves of any similar incubus , they would hav * e done it in less than half the time . Mr . Davis ' proposition is , " that the Royal Academy is the greatest evil ever inflicted on the arts of this country . It is in spirit and character an anomaly amongst English institutions . It is a despotism , an inquisition , and
a monopoly . " His argument , while it bears hard upon this " select aristocracy of talent , " person of distinction called them in a moment of spoonerism , is but little , if anything , too hard ; and should be read by those members of the House who are willing , before Mr . Black ' s motion comes on , to refresh their memories on the subjects it will involve . The author quotes liberally on the National Gallery question from those admitted authorities the Blue-books , and his round unvarnished tale is not lightly to be gainsaid . We have not at our disposal space to examine his own scheme for a National Institution of Art . He has suggested one
—probably not a faultless one ; but as we are on his side , we will , for the present , at all events , leave its dissection to our bpponents .-f ' The anti-Academy party in the House of Commons is by no means weak if Lord Elcho , and Messrs . Disraeli , Locke King , Danby Seymour , and Ewart remain of their former mind . A symptom of conscious weakness on the other side has come to our hearing within the last day or two . It was announced at the general meeting of the Artists ' General Benevolent Fund , that the projectors of the Muswell-hill People ' s Palace had offered to place a land allotment at the disposal of the profession for the erection of an almshouse , or , to Use the slang
of the day , «« a college . " Sir Charles Eastlake , who as President of the Academy was present and was consulted , could hold out no hopes of a grant for building purposes from the funds 6 f the Royal Academy j for these would shortly be heavily taxed , he said , to provide a new home for the Academy itself . The authorities of the corporation had not long since , if we remember well , an interview with the Sovereign on whose protection they have hitherto much relied . Is it possible that they have been invited , from the only head-quarters they can choose to recognise after their contempt for the House of Commons , to set their house in order P In truth , we hope so . The new Vernon Gallery house is , by the grace of the compliant Lord , John Manners , progressing rapidly at Brompton "in-the-Fields , and lodgings will be
provided there for every stitch ot national fine art oanvas , unless the patriotic party do not finally contrive , during the next session , to eject the Academy from , Trafalgar-square . Of one thing we are pretty sure , that if the fortune of the war turn against that antique body , and they should yet determine to continue their annual exhibitions , tliey will rapidly discover , despite all their present patron ' s pleas to the contrary , that South Kensington is not central enough or accessible enough for the purpose . The glowing , yet praotioal address of Mr . Eus ; kin on the inauguration qf the Cambridge School of AH in October last , has just been published , * and offers for oxtraot much that is instructive as well as
something that is amusing ; Of the former are his remarks " on Art and Education . " Ho considers we have not sufficiently recognised or studied the distinction between the system of art education to be adopted in a school established for the general instruction and refinement of the people , and that which should prevail in one meant for the special instruction of the artisan in his own business . We have hitherto acted ( he says ) under a vague impression that the arts of drawing and pain ting 1 might be , up to a certain point , taught in a general way to every one , and would , do every one equal good ; and that each class of operatives might afterwards bring this general
knowledge into use in their own trade , according to it 3 requirements . Now that is not so . A wood-carver heeds for his business to learn drawing in quite a different -way from a china painter , and a jeweller from a worker in iron . It is of no use to teach an iron-worker to " observe the down on a peach , and of none to teach la ^ s of atmospheric effect to a carver in wood . So far as their business is concerned , their brains would be vainly occupied by such things , and they would be prevented from pursuing with enough distinctness or intensity the qualities of art which can alone be expressed in the materials with which they each have to do . I believe it wholly impossible to teach special application of Art principles to various trajdes in a single school .
Had we room for it , we would extract the quaint remonstrance against the neglect of Paul Veronese ' s draperies even by the ladies , who , our author thinks , should at least have been attracted by the splendid painting of the Queen of Sheba ' s brocade in a picture by that master at Florence , He saw dozens of them , while he was employed in copying one leaf of the pattern , pass carelessly by as if there was nothing in the room but their dear selves worth looking at . We have received a very important number ( the 87 th ) of an interesting serial , the Photographic Journal . A $ there appears to be a little sensation in the Dhotosrraphic world about the right to this
title , we had better state that we allude to the paper edited by Mr . Shadbolt , owned by Mr . Greenwood , and sold at Home ' s , in Newgate-street . The curiosity of the number is ah engraving of the undercliff at Niton , Isle of Wight ,, produced by Herr Paul Pretsch ' s patent process , from a photograph by Mr . Roger Fenton , with the enlightened permission of Mr . Fox Talbot , who claims some prior patent rights . This great step towards cheap book illustration , and the repetition of all kinds of patterns , must be seen to be appreciated . We will not , therefore , extract at length the editor ' s account of the process by which the copper-plates are
produced , as it were , ready etched . Suffice it to say , that from a transparent positive an impression in relief upon a mixture of gelatine and bichromate of potash is obtained by the agency of light ; and from this a mould in some plastic material . On this copper is deposited by electrotvpy . A copper matrix thus obtained , electricity will nelp us to a copper-plate more or less fit for printing * with , and of course susceptible of improvement . T ) y the engraver . An impression taken from this plate , touched or untouched , has , to produce the specimen before us , been transferred to a lithographic stone , if wo rightly construe the somewhat ambiguous terminate
letterpress , but the process may either thus or at an earlier stage by printing direot from the copper-plate itself . We observe with pleasure that the public of the Potteries have decreed honours to the memory of their great benefactor , Wedgwood . A public school of art , museum , and library is to be founded in his name , who , ; by making pottery in Staffordshire a fine art manufacture , applied vast stimulus to the trade and prosperity of the district at home , and raised the renown of the English wares abroad to a pitch they have not yet , with all the exertions of nis followers , surpassed . , ,
The private view of the first legitimate picture exhibition of the season takes place this day at the gallery of the British Institution in Pall-mall , in bygone days the works of candidates , expectant and aspirant , for the honours of tho Academy , wore seon hore side by side with those of actual *] »¦•* and A . E . A . s which had already appeared at their own exhibition . But a law passed by tho Pirootors of the Royal Institution , somo yoars ago , put an end to the exhibition of works that had already been seen by the public , and thus changed tho character of this annual show . Most of tho AOftdomioians discontinued to send their works , ana the would-be K . A ., knowing that tho forty-poto " tatcs of Trafaljmr-squaro acknowledge no Hairflunkeyistn , rcservo all their doings for tho great show in May .
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182 THE LEADER . [ Ko /^ 63 , Febattary 5 , 1859 .
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* Tho Royal Aoademv and t / tc National Gallery . Bj J . P . Davie . Ward and Look , Float-street . t Cambridge Softool qfArt . ~> Mr . fins / tin * Inaugural Address . Boll aud Daldy .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 5, 1859, page 182, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2280/page/22/
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