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    that Rotabi * Michael Angelo , and Titian have existed ? Has painting made no progress siiice the fifteenth century , and must we admit that all the genius of the greatest masters has served only to corrupt taste P Mr ! Mjllais draws divinely and paints scientincally . His pictures , painted withtriily British conscientiousness , not only reproduce the form and colour of flesh , W the texture , of stuffs ; the tradesman who sold the cloth would reco-nise the quality of his goods ; the sheep who furnished the wool would Wv the nature of his fleece . This merit would be but mediocre if the finish of the details destroyed the effect of the ensemble ; but Mr . Millais sentiment as well as a pair of gaiters , and a passion as well as a

    expresses coit-sleeve . The " Order of Release" is a masterpiece , in spite of the minute perfection of all its details . The pretty little Ophelia , drowning herself unconsciously , is full of grace and naivete ; the landscape which surrounds her is full of melancholy feeling , although you can count the leaves of the trees . What are we to think of this ? That Mr . Millais has a great deal of talent , since he touches and charms us while depriving mmselt ot all the means which modern art has discovered . We can only compare him to a man who has put on leaden soles to run a race in . Mr . Millais will go far , if he will consent to change his shoes . his friend Millaislike

    Mr . Collins belongs to the same school as Mr . . ^ him , he carefully abstains from any excess of archaism ; but it is not only against excess that he has to guard . He paints conscientiously and lovingly ; he studies nature faithfully and closely . His first works erred by feeble composition ; his picture of " Madame de Chantal , " without being irreproachable , denotes progress . The predominant qualities of Mr . Collins are austere simplicity in conception , care and remarkable talent m execution ; but his painting resembles ours so little that it requires an entire education to appreciate it . .., ... „ As to Mr . Dyce ' s " Virgin and Child , " it is too decided an imitation of Febitgino . She is reading the Gospel by anticipation , in a book » icely printed in Gothic letters- » he has , like her son , a slightly Chinese physiognomy . The execution is far inferior to that of Raphael ' s master . The shadows are dirty and clayey , and the body of the Divine Child is very much

    in want of a sponge . ** Lawrence ' s native country has sent us some fine portraits , amongst which we remark three , of very different character . The finest , If I am not mistaken , is the full length of the " Provost of Peterhead , " by Sir J . Watson Gordon . Setting aside a little uniformity in the plans , and monotony in the modeltf , this picture is really a masterpiece . The face is real , living , thoroughly English ; and it is not any given Englishman , it is the Provost of PeterheadiF One may say a priori and without having- seen the original , that the likeness is a striking one . The picture of an old lady , by Mrs . W . Carpenter , without being as vigorously painted , is remarkable for its boldness and breadth . The old lady has a delicate and haughty , though gentle countenance ; it is aristocratic dignity rather than pride . She wears on her brow that look of thoughtful meditation which is the greatest ornament of old age . The dross , -which seems to belong to two centuries ago , the arrangement of the

    headdress , the chaplet round the neck , all , even to the gloss of age which covers and softens the painting , are in harmony . If the catalogue had not told me otherwise , I should have fancied I was looking at the picture of the great Elizabeth , a year before her death , when her passions having died out , and the memory of Essex being effaced from her heart , she had no longer any thought but for great political schemes , the austere duties of religion , and satisfaction at having governed so well . Let us remark in passing that the dramatic history of Mary Stcart is not even mentioned in the English Exhibition ; there is not a picture , not a water-colour of it . The English follow Napoleon ' s precept : they wash their dirty linen at home . Mr . Boxall has painted the portrait of a young lady with thoroughly feminine delicacy . She is as white as a drop of milk , and fresh as spring dew . Her naive face seems to take a long , startled look at the things ot

    this world . Mr . Grant ' s portraits are perfect , save a little affectation . Mr . Grant is the most direct heir to Lawrence ' s qualities and defects . The English , who possess the art of creating landscapes in their parka and gardens , appear to me less clever in painting them . I will except Mr . Linnblx ., who is both an exact landscape painter and a warm colourist . " The Waggon bringing Trees from the Forest , " and " The Path through the Mountains , " will be especially noticed . I only regret that nature should appear so rugged and hairy in Mr . Linnell ' s pictures . In that lies a little

    mann . Mr . Holland has painted water splendidly in his " View of Rotterdam . " " The Thames at Greenwich" is a remarkable work . Nothing but a little naturalness is wanting to this painting . Mr . Creswick ' s " Showers " shows a little less talent and a little more truthfulness . " The Poet's Ravine" Mr . Redgrave is a pretty picture , a little monotonous , and fatiguing from the excess of detail . Mr . Gilbert ' s landscape—well drawn , fresh , delicate , and in beautiful harmony—is too heavy , too glossy , and fatiguing , liut Mr . Gilbert distinguishes himself from his countrymen by the truthfulness of his colouring . I fear that all English landscape paintera see nature through prejudiced eyes : one puts on pink glasses , another yellow ones ;

    almost all use microscopes . Gentlemen , leave your glasses , and open you * eyes wide ; that is how nature requires to be looked at . I can now pass without transition from oil to water-colour painting ; these two styles are less distinct iti England than they are with us . More than one English picture has the paleness and faint grace of a water-colour ; more than one water-colour is as vigorous as a picture . Water-colour painting is a national art in England . There are two water-colour societies in London—the Old Water-Colour Society and the JVew Water- Colour Society , which exhibit brilliantly and sell dearly the works of their associates . This style of art , which wo willingly leave to young ladies schools , is cultivated in England , by artists of the first class . And our neighbours do wonders with their colours and clear water : they obtain effects which wo have not even sought . Mr . Haag ' s two paintings , " Evening at Balmoral Castle " and " Morning

    in the Highlands , " in no way resemble the little water-colour drSleriea which are pasted in albums , or offered with a bouquet to a grandfather on the occasion of his f £ te . They are two fine , good pictures , solidly drawn , warmly coloured , and owing nothing to the gloss of varnish or the layers of paint . All is honest and aboveboard ; water-colours do not admit of quackery . The effect of night is given almost as powerfully as in Mr . Knight ' s " Wreckers ;" the stag is as good as if drawn by SirE . Landseeb , the persons , as if by Mr . Mulready . I should say that water-colours have never been used more successfully , if I had not seen a few steps further on

    the Dutch Ships" of Mr . Ditncan . That is what might be called a masterly water-colour , if two such words could go together in our language . Mr . Duncan has well deserved the reputation which he enjoys in England , and I regret that he has not sent a sufficient number o £ p ictures to render his name popular amongst us . Mr . Jackson , another Known name , only shines in the Exhibition b y his absence . Wo are the losers , and so is lie . Mr . Burton shows us his " Franconian Pilgrims . " The English critics have thought this picture admirable in point of composition , poor in effect and colouring . I would willingly agree with the English critics ; yet admirable is a strong word .

    Mr . Corbould not only aspires to the effects of which oil-painting believed itself to be sole possessor , but he almost gives his water-colours the dimensions of historical painting . Certainly , his " Scene from the Prophete" is a wonderful tour de force ; but what is the use of it ? The artists who take so much trouble to do with water what they could do easily with oil , resemble those romantic lovers who come down the chimney when the door is wide open . Yes , but water-colour painting is a national style . When I see water-colour ^ striving after colouring , and pretending to great effects , I fancy I meet a pretty young girl escaping from her convent disguised en mousauetaire . But the English have been in possession for many centuries of . I fear that the water-colour painters are sacrificing their future fame to their present popularity . For , after all , water-colourS , although they keep better than preserves , will not keep as long as oil-paintings . But our fathers painted in water-colours ; and we their descendants . . .

    All right ! I do not discuss questions of patriotism , especially with the English . Let us rather speak of Mr . Lewis . His chef-d ' aiivre , " A Bey ' s Harem , " was sold in London for 25 , 000 francs . An equal sum was paid for the right of engraving it , total 50 , 000 . I think it is difficult to carry the fetichism of water-colour painting any further . Mr . Lewis spent several years at Cairo , and I strongly suspect him of being the Bev whose harem he has painted . Many months were wanted to execute that" large room of filagree work into which the sun penetrates through a lattice-work , and forms little lozenge shapes upon men and beasts ; Mr . Lewis worked daily at this strange occupation . After sketching the

    composition , which is pretty , he passed on to the execution , which is mediocre , to the drawing , which is weak , to the colouring , which is criard . When he had failed in a bit , he cut it neatly out , replaced the paper by some pale of English manufacture , and began over again . One day he found his picture broken in two . He sent it over to England , had the pieces carefully pasted together again , and continued his work . You see that the manufacture of English water-colour paintings is a complicated business ; but there is a good deal to be got at it . Mr . Hunt ' s little drolleries , which border upon caricature , are sold for more than the pictures of M . Ingres , or M . Delacroix .

    Mr . Cattermole paints water-colours which have no pretension to being called pictures . They are small scenes cleverly arranged , and executed with rare talent . I should find it difficult to choose between Mr . Cattermoi . e ' s eleven compositions . In all there are the same qualities , and as to the defects , they are still to seek . The drawing is correct without affectation . Mr . Cattermole has greater breadth than most painters in this country . The scene of " Brigands at BenvenutoV would , perhaps , deserve the preference , if Benvenlto had been a likeness . Some highwaymen have , in one of their nocturnal expeditions , met if

    with a golden calf by Benvknuto Cellini . They want to know the thing is genuine , and if they have not been sold : being in doubt they consult the artist himself . The brigands have the physiognomy of their time and trade . Unfortunately , Mr . Cattkhmole has read neither Cki . lini ' s Memoirs , nor M . Alexani > rb Dumas's Ascanio . lie has given the Florentine artist the face and corpulence of a Gretna-green blacksmith . The picture would be worth much more if one saw in it the impudent vagabond , the bragging , fighting , gambling-seeker of facile amours , the elegant and muscular adventurer , who was the real Benvknuto .

    Decidedly I prefer "Sir Biorn of the Sparkling Eyes . " Sir Biorn ia an Englishman of the good old time . He gets drunk every evening , alone , in what is called English fashion . The only company he can endure is that of his ancestors . He has their rusty coats of mail placed in a circle , and ho drinks to their healths sans trinqucr . The grandfather of Sir Biorn , or at least his armour , is already under ( ho table . Two other steel ancestors are leaning against one another that they may not fall , and the scion of ull this illustrious fcrraillc stares filially and stupidly at his relations . We shall finish our examination of English painting with this sketch : pray confess that we could not do bettor . To sum up , the English school is the only one in the Avorld which does not imitate ours , and has preserved a marked originality . It has more esprit thuit imagination , more science than talent , more minuteness than verve , better drawing than colouring ; die chcrche fa petite bite , as they say in the studios of Paris . Its skill and manual dexterity improve daily . .

    . . Such as it is , it has an enormous money success throughout the United Kingdom . Its products are in request , it raises its prices , and cannot supply the demand . In England , painting in the highest degree of luxury to those who buy , and the highest degree of industry to those who paint . "

    Untitled Article

    g . THE LEADER . [ No . 282 , Saturday ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 18, 1855, page 800, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2102/page/20/