London, Friday, 2ud May, 1884.
Modern social and domestic life, and what. is called sometimes the comedy. of modern: society, are not so largely represented inthe Academy Exhibition as they ware wont to "be a-few years ago: The domestic drama of Mr. Rabertson's plays had a good long'run, but they're not now go common, either on the stage or on canvas. 'There is something more of pure nature—the tragedy of nature, the beauty of nature, the eccentricity. of nature. 'There is a growing" tendency to make a deep study OF things, and also'to cultivate' speciality in art. In the matter of the choice of classical subjects there has bosn reaction, and reaction upon reaction, many a time, since the revival of art. When men tire of going back to the classic stage and
modern and' domestic phases of things, to mythology, then, after a litle turn at we began to sce a tendency even to run back to the times of carly Christian art. There is quite " school of artists who aspice to the crudoand now wholly unsympathetic fancies of the time when men painted saints and mariyra asa matter of course, id when the Church laid down rule to painters that it was improb. impious to let the fect of the Vi visible in a picture. Ido not u one of these devotees of the modes of early Glhiristian art is a Catholic, and I doubt i ies anywhere are painting early ian pictures, But the classic clement la growing strong once more, and there a high, long reach after excellence in it which seems to imply.a resolution to try conclusions once-again with the ancients for supremacy. It is somewhat suggestive that the living' President of the Royal Acadamy is at work a good deal in the old classic quarries, and the far stretching aim of his work' seems to warrant the assumption that in the heart of the best artists of this school lies the hope that the time is coming when the moderns may claim supremacy over the and in the ancients' own art-quarries. I know not why there should be any despair. A hundred year or so ago we had scarcely reached old ci in any one branch of human achiovemout. Since then most. things, but ulpture, not in architecture, not other branches of art, not in the realization of the idea of grace, not in some fow fine strains of poetry. But what has not been done may yet be possible. Mr. Edwin Long has beaten all ancient paint-a scones of uld Hebrew history and legend. I am not sure Sir Frederick Leighton is not running very d on their ground some of the giants of golden tra of Italian painting.
Sir Frederick has been putting all his or the time into his " Cymon and which is the one great heroic picture of this year's show of the Royal Academy. I do not say that he has fully reached the goal of his own high hopes and endeavours. I am not even sure that this is the greatest work of its order that has been dono by living in this field of rivalry with the ancients. But a great work. It is full, from corner to corner, of splendour, grace and beauty. It is, however, a -cartuon rather 8 picture in our common acceptation of the term. The chief place on the long second side wall of the principal gallery is occupied by this ex-pause of canvas. It can hardly be called a framed picture as pictures are usually framed; for Sir Frederick has built a sort of gilt Louie temple in which to fix it, structure of elaborate Greek pilasters and classic frieze, built or moulded from models made, and said to be cast even, by Sir Frederick Leighton hi if. Sir Frederick has draped his Iphigenia. It is not in any degree a study of the nude, and Cymon's love is born like the love of the modern Cymon, who sees the modern Iphigenia as she is seen by her friends every day. The incident is not in any degree high-wrought. Sir Frederick paints grace, beauty, harmony and repose. An idealized conception of "decoration"—of some supernal condition of decorative art—governs nearly all the work of the President's hands, just as, in notably different ways; it governs the work of Mr, Hume Tones's hands.
"Hadrian in England; visiting aRomano-British pottery," is the full title of Mr. Alma-Tadema's' masterpiece, which occupies the chief place of honour at the head of Gallery ILL. For large effects of realism, for apreme feats of moulding, it surely, Kk, surpasses anything that: was hibited in last year's collection of the works of this famous Anglo-Dutch artist. It is an unusual thing with Alma-Tadema to approach towards life-size in the human figure as he has done in the case of these almost naked Britons at work in the pottery, or rather engaged in bringing forward specimens of their art for the inspection of Hadrian, and the artist has risen to the occasion in a quite wonderful manner. It is surely the nearest approach to the effects of real life that the han work of man with paint and brush could reach.
Mr. Orehardsou's picture—for he sends only one—is not specially ambitious, and not hung ina central place, but it has wou the unqualified and almost unmeasuei approbation of the judges, It the riage de conveyance."" "he fine fair woman who has given herself in wedlock to elderly and wealthy aristocrat is not making the best of her bargain, It is a dinner of husband and wife alone, at a banquetting table over-large for man and_ wife only. She is gloomy, unsatisfied, silent, in her rich robes of state; and he is silent, dejected and cold in his grandeur, with the atom of the wineglass between his icy fingers stretched out upon the table as the butler fills it up from the decanter. he figures are small, but the dramatic effect of the scene in indicating the story, and i to speak, saturating the whole splendid private banquetting room with the spirit of the story, is perfectly marvellous result of the painter's art. In tone and aspect the picture is modern, but the drama speaks for itsvlé after the manner of the very bust feats of Hogarth, It Hogarth purified, elevated, modernized, In the works of only one artist exhib in the Academy this year do I perceive notable advance in Inndscapo. paint Graham is not up to hix former level. grows too eccentric, and careless in his eccentricity. Vient Colo atill pointe exquisitely puotic landscapes, but in the pure, quiet, refined poetic style he does not at any rate surpass former achievements, and he does not develop vigour or fronli The man who has gone forward this time is B. W. Leader, I think we have his masterpiece in "A globe farm on the Welsh border." It is a little ecceutr Mon like to indulge their i and Mr, Leader's pet fancy is the our: face of still water with water lilies and pond flowers blooming on the level. He loves these things, and he paints them well, and perhaps he brings them ina little too often. But this is a lovely painting. It is a brilliant landscape. The banks and lines of vegetation, the hills and water, seem to rise and become instinct with life under the eye. Pieces cut from the broad, varied Iandacape and examined separately assume character of gems. Another admirable landscape by Mr. Leader, but sinaller and somewhat less ambitious, stands without any other title than the suggestive couplet Flow down, cold rivulet, to the Lhy tribute to deliver.
Of a very large picture in the second gallery, by Thomas Sidney Cooper, it was said on Wednesday that it was meritorious only in consideration of the venerable age of the painter. It takes a large and conspicuous place in the room, and is called "Pushing off for Tilbury Fort, on the Thames," It is, I need hardly
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.