to the greatest advantage when employed upon subjects taken from the tales and bacchanalian fables of the ancient authors. In these luxurious scenes, his imagination seems to"wanton at will." His nymphs, satyrs, and bacchanals are the very natives of the woods and wilds described in classic story,-nothing reminds us of civilization, or of modern customs and manners. The whole scene is jollity, animation, and liberty, while the excellent and appropriate landscapes, which he uniformly introduces in his backgrounds, give a charm, and a classical truth to the representation, which is perhaps not to be met with in the works of any other artist in similar subjects. Rubens and Julio Romano in stories of this nature, may possibly have displayed in their figures equal, if not superior, genius; but they are frequently so grossly indelicate and licentious, that the spectator turns from their productions with horror. The good taste and refinement of Poussin, preserved him from falling into such inexcusable faults, and render his pictures generally unexceptionable, in subjects even where there exists the greatest danger of violating propriety. His serious subjects, from profane and sacred history, discover the profound knowledge he possessed of the principles of his art. In no one of its departments can he be said to be greatly defective; for though his colour is often dark and crude, and sometimes offensively so, yet many brilliant exceptions occur in his works, in which it is not only light and harmonious, but admirably adapted to the subject. It is, indeed, very difficult to account for this singular inequality, which is too apparent in the works of Poussin, to escape the observation of the most careless observer. In landscape, his tones and colouring are almost invariably excellent, and we can, therefore, scarcely attribute to a defect of age, this strange disregard of every principle of colour, which occasionally injures and disfigures his happiest compositions. In all other respects he must be considered as an artist of a superior, if not of the highest, order. His style, indeed, does not admit of the daring flights of the Florentine and Roman schools; but, as far as it goes, it combines a greater number of excellencies, with fewer defects, than that of most other painters. His works and example may be regarded as an academy in

themselves alone, for any one who has the capacity to understand their great and various merit, and courage enough to persevere in his principles of study. Foussin's forms, in both sexes, seldom, if ever, rise above common nature. The countenances of his women are rarely beautiful, and their expression not unfrequently partakes, too largely, of the affectation and grimace of his own countrywomen, to harmonize with the antique and philosophical cast of many of his serious subjects. Perhaps, too, in some of his compositions, he falls under the censure which our authoress has passed, somewhat justly, upon many of our English artists; though she assigns a reason for their practice which cannot apply to Poussin. Hitherto, with the exception of very few instances, our English artists have been too much a people by themselves. If they look to nature for action or expression, it is to the exaggerated action and expression of the stage, or the mean and sordid action and expression of vulgar life, that they have been driven. Hence, in part, the failure in most of our historical pictures; exaggeration on the one hand, and want of dignity on the other." P. 23. It must, however, be acknowledged, that several of

Poussin's best works are quite exempt from the charge of theatrical effect, though, speaking generally of them, we think he has not altogether escaped the contagion of the French school, which, from its first establishment down to the present day, has been uniformly marked by a mean servility to fashion and theatrical pageantry, to the total exclusion nearly of elevated thought, and of the simple and general principles of nature. This being the case, it is not surprising that Poussin should have reached his 45th year before he was called to any employment in his native country worthy of his great talents, or that, during his stay, his life should have been embittered, and all his plans thwarted, by the intrigues, the jealousies, and cabals which finally drove him out of France. It is really melancholy to follow Mrs Graham in her detail of the many vexatious circumstances, and petty persecutions, which assailed this great and excellent man during what may almost be denominated his exile in his native land.-"They employ me," says Poussin, "for ever in trifles, such as frontispieces for books, designs for orna

mental cabinets, chimney-pieces, bindings for books, and other nonsense. Sometimes, indeed, they propose grander subjects; but, fair words butter no parsnips!" And again;-"I assure you, that if I stay long in this country, I must turn dauber like the rest here; as to study and observation, either of the antique or any thing else, they are unknown; and whoever wishes to study or excel must go far from hence." "I am now at work upon the pic ture for the noviciate of the Jesuits; it is very large, containing fourteen figures larger than nature,-and this they want me to finish in two months." To a mind constituted like Poussin's, we can conceive nothing more insupportable than this eternal whirl of hurry, impertinence, and frivolity; nor ought it to be wondered at, that, so circumstanced, he should have felt eager, in spite of the royal favour, to quit so

irksome a scene for the calm and dignified quiet that awaited his arrival at Rome, and which it was his good fortune to enjoy, undisturbed, throughout the remainder of his distinguished and honourable life. To the Memoirs, our authoress has added two dialogues by Fenelon on two of Poussin's pictures, together with a catalogue of his principal paintings. The latter is a valuable and useful addition to the work: as to the former, they might have been very well spared; they do not contain an accurate “description" even of the pictures which it was the author's intention to have criticised.

Upon the whole, however, we have received much pleasure and instruction from Mrs Graham's book, and have no hesitation in recommending it to the attention of artists, and to the generality of our readers.

SIR, THE fine arts are, unquestionably, among the sources of happiness which it was the gracious intention of Providence that man should possess; and therefore we are bound to believe that, as genius is one of the most precious gifts of Heaven, it is a duty religiously incumbent on those to whom it has been imparted, or who are entrusted with its early direction, to see that the divine present be neither lost by a total neglect of timely cultivation, nor wasted by the misapplication of its wonderful powers. As the opinions of men of high reputation in the arts on this important subject, must be allowed to have great weight, perhaps what I have now to communicate, may not be unworthy of attention.

It is my good fortune, Mr Editor, to have a son who has been thus favoured, being possessed of talents, which, if carefully cultivated, would, I have no doubt, ensure to him a name among the most distinguished artists of this, or, I will not scruple to say, of any other country. Under this conviction, and urged by the entreaties of my dear boy, I lately applied to an Artist of eminence to request the favour of his advice, as to the most prudent mode of proceeding, so as to make sure of the

accomplishment of my hopes. Having explained to him the purpose of my visit, I produced several specimens of my son's abilities in drawing, in painting, and also, in order to shew the strength and fertility of his imagination, several attempts in original composition. He appeared to be much pleased; acknowledged they contained incontestible evidence of very superior endowments, and entirely concurred with me in thinking, that, with due cultivation, aided, as he expressed it," with such advantages as were necessary to their complete developement and full effect," the result must be honourable to himself and his country.

Delighted and encouraged with the favourable issue of this examination, I took the liberty to request the obliging professor to tell me briefly what course he would advise us to take, and particularly what should be our first steps, that future success might not be endangered by an injudicious commencement." That I will do,' said he, "with pleasure, and I account myself fortunate in the opportunity you afford me to be useful to you and your ingenious son, in a concern of such importance. Much," continued he, "depends on early impressions: let him therefore have the benefit of the best advice at

his outset; for by which, not only much good will be done, but much harm prevented.-I trust the young gentleman has been liberally educated ?" "Sir," said I," most liberally. In his education, no expence or trouble has been spared on my part, nor application on his. He is familiar with ancient literature, and Homer is his idol." "You have done well, sir," said he, "in storing his mind with the treasures of ancient lore; let him not be deficient in the languages of the living: for in the prosecution of his professional studies, he will have much occasion for the information they contain, as well as the means they afford of general communication." I assured him that these had not been neglected; and whatever could be done to improve my son yet more in that species of knowledge, should certainly not be omitted.

Continuing the thread of his instructions, he said, "Be mindful, as I observed before, that no time be lost in placing the youth under a master of high professional reputation; one who shall be not less distinguished for his genius and good taste, than a sound understanding for then he will have at once the important advantages of wise instruction, practically illustrated by the best examples of modern art, at a time when they will be most efficacious. During the early period of his studies, he will derive great and lasting benefits from his access to the schools of the Royal Academy. In that noble Institution he will have an opportunity to copy the finest remains of ancient sculpture; he will have the same facilities in the study of the human body, from choice examples of living nature; he will hear the lectures of the several Professors on painting, sculpture, and architecture; and in the library of that establishment, he will find books and prints of great value, whence he will collect a fund of useful and interesting information on a variety of subjects connected with his main object.-No doubt," added he, "you intend your son shall pursue the art in its highest department-that of historical painting?" "Certainly," I replied, "I wish him-and it is also his ambition, presumptuous as it may seem, to be the rival of Michael Angelo, and of Raphael; and if there should be others yet more eminent,

VOL. IX.

those, I trust, it will be his endeavour to equal, and, if possible, to excel." "Such desires," said he, "are no evidence of presumption; they are natural, and what is more, they are wise. Whoever does not propose to attain the summit of Parnassus, will never reach the mid-way. It would be cruel in fortune not to reward as richly as they deserve, talents so promising, and ambition so laudable. The Royal Establishment, sir, which I mentioned, confers honorary tokens-medals of gold and silver, upon its meritorious students; these your son will doubtless receive; they will be a gratifying earnest of his final success; they will be gratifying also to you, and moreover be a passport into the world: the public will be prepared to approve the more mature works of a genius which, in its early career, had been honoured by those who were best able to discover and appreciate its claims. Advancing in his academical studies, another source of improvement offers in the Greek marbles of the National Museum, in which he will find rare examples of beautiful form and beautiful composition, in the purest taste. Those wonderful fragments seem to have been preserved expressly for the regeneration of art. The world has nothing in sculpture of equal value.

"We will now suppose your son to have completed his academical labours; completed also the stipulated period of tuition under the direction of a master, and to have arrived at the commencement of a new course of study, in which, I conclude, you are prepared to support him,-I mean his travels on the Continent, in order to behold with his own eyes those wonders of genius, which he has hitherto only heard of in the reports of artists, or faintly seen in wretched imitations." "It is my determination, sir," I replied, "not to subject myself to the reproach of having withheld any thing that I can command, that shall be recommended by you, as either useful or necessary to the honourable termination of our united endeavours:-for I consider myself as embarked in the same vessel with my son; at the same time, I confess I was not prepared to expect such an addition to expences, which, even without it, almost alarm me with their probable amount. But, sir, if travel be necessary, my son shall

D

certainly be enabled to go wherever instruction may be found."

"Sir," said he, "the grandeur of mountain scenery cannot be conceived by those who have not beheld it with their own eyes. The vast expanse of the ocean produces an effect on the mind of the actual observer which mocks all the 'powers of description. Equally inconceivable are the mighty productions of Italian genius in times past; and to comprehend truly what is there shewn to be within the grasp of human capacity, nothing short of ocular evidence will suffice. It is possible to believe what is extraordinary without sensible proof, but such credulity has nothing of the life of conviction; besides, it is the sight, not the report of great works, by which we are at once animated and instructed; your son, sir, must go and view the stupendous labours of Michael Angelo, in the Sestine Chapel; he must actually behold the enchantments of the Vatican, and indeed, all that the Imperial City contains of the divine Raphael, and especially that miracle of art, and last of his labours on earth, the Transfiguration.

"At Rome, your enraptured son will revel in the luxuries of art; he will quaff the beverage of inspiration, and lave his faculties in the purest waters of genius, issuing from innumerable fountains. Although the Pontifical City will be the chief, it will not be his only school. Naples is rich in art; but in the romantic, the grand, and beautiful scenery of nature, it is, with its surrounding vicinity, a region of wonders. Florence contains many a gem of purest ray serene;' the constellation of Bologna must not be view ed by him with a careless eye; the miracles of Corregio at Parma, prove that he was indeed also a painter,' though placed side by side with the most divine of artists. At Mantua he will be ravished with the pencil of the energetic Giulio; and at Venice, the glorious works of Titian, Tintoretti, and Paul Veronese, will at once captivate and astonish him. Day after day, month after month, he will dwell on the gorgeous scene: for there alone he will see the energetic and grand in composition, combined with all that is beautiful and splendid in colour, or powerful and harmonious in light and shade.

"On quitting Italy, the university of art, he will not hasten direct to his native land, but visit the wealth of genius treasured up in many a contimental city. Germany can boast of numerous collections that must not be passed unexamined. Belgium, too, may be proud of its Rembrandt and Reubens, whose extraordinary productions claim the admiration of the world. From both of those artists, the judicious student will derive much; and his taste having been purified in higher schools, he will know at once how to separate what is of an exquisite quality from what is base, and leave those great but dangerous examples, enriched by their beauties, and, at the same time, untainted by their faults.

"Arrived at length in the bosom of his much-loved country, he presents himself before a delighted parent, full of gratitude for the innumerable benefits which he has received through his means, and eager to prove that the affection he had experienced, had not been unworthily placed."

Here the artist paused: having, as he conceived, fully complied with my request. I therefore politely expressed my acknowledgments for his great kindness, and added, that I hoped, and indeed confidently trusted, he would have the satisfaction of witnessing the excellence of his instructions in the example of my dear son, who should certainly follow them to the very letter.

"But lest I might by any unfortunate accident,” I added, “ be deprived of an opportunity of consulting you on his return from the Continent, I entreat that you will further oblige me with your directions as to what steps will be most proper for him to take at his entrance into the world; being, it must not be forgotten, henceforth destined to subsist by the honourable employment of the talents with which Heaven has blessed him."

"I

66 Sir," said the venerable artist, " have lived long, and I know much of art, of artists, and what is more, of the state of public feeling towards both. By this knowledge and experience I am happily enabled to give a decided answer to your question, which, relying on your good sense and paternal affection, I am sure will be satisfactory. You are fully sensible of its importance, and therefore, I request your serious attention." I assured him, that,

deeply impressed as I was, with the kind interest which he took in my concerns, and convinced of the value of his counsel, it was impossible I should be either inattentive or ungrateful. "In the voyage of life," I added, "our vessel should not only be well prepared, but well conducted, and also our embarkation well timed; you, sir, who know all the requisites of equipment, know also exactly how to chuse the fortunate moment of commencement, the true course, and all that may be hoped and feared in that perilous navigation." "My counsel," said he, "be assured, shall not fail you.-Listen, sir, I beseech you. Far to the south, where the great Peninsula of Africa projects its lofty cape into the ocean, at some distance in the interior, the provident care of Government has assigned an extensive tract of beautiful and fertile land, expressly for the use of citizens under particular circumstances. To that far distant region let your ingenious son, when his studies in art shall be completed, transport himself; there let him dig;

SIR,

the earth, equally grateful and generous, will liberally reward his talents and his toil:-a return which neither will meet with from the soil on which he was born, with no better implement of cultivation than his pencil. There, I say, let him dig; there he may get wealth, and honour, and furthermore, he may be the happy parent of sons no less happy than their father: because they will neither be tempted by an unfortunate ambition to solicit the rewards due to merit, by occupations for which they may have no talents, nor by excellent talents, for which they will find no occupation."

My venerable counsellor now concluded; and being suddenly called away on other business, he apologized and left me to meditate on the "decided answer" he had given to my last question. How far I thought it prudent to be regulated by his advice, I shall take an early opportunity to inform you. In the mean time,

I am, Sir, your obedient Servant,
A. Z.

Ar the close of my former letter, I promised to inform you what steps I pursued in consequence of my interview with the venerable person whom I lately consulted, respecting my son's desire to embrace the profession of an artist. The apparent inconsistencynot to say absurdity, of that gentleman's final instructions, must, I am persuaded, have reminded you of the well-known receipt for dressing a cucumber in perfection: the most remarkable particulars in that process being very similar, which was, that after carefully combining a given quantity of the sliced fruit, with due portions of oil and vinegar, salt, pepper, mustard, and other ingredients, the whole composition, so prepared for the table, should be thrown out of the window into the street. Indeed his royal receipt, for preparing and dishing up an artist, brought this cucumber-prescription so strongly to my mind, that I was restrained from smiling in the face of my obliging counsellor, only by the earnest and grave manner in which his recommendation was conveyed.

That genius is more or less intimately allied to madness, has been long imagined; and although that notion may be wholly groundless, I confess the directions I had just received for the cultivation of talents, intended for the highest exertions of art, with their ultimate application, seemed to countenance the general opinion; and fearing that the respectable artist whom I had been consulting, was actually suffering under that calamity, I thought it advisable to try my fortune again, by applying to some other professional man, who, though not quite so great a genius, might have his intellects under better regulation.

I accordingly waited upon a gentleman, whom fame reported to be the person exactly suited to my purpose. To him, therefore, I opened my case, produced many specimens of my son's abilities, as I had done before, and mentioned his passion for the arts, and anxious desire to excel in that department which was accounted the most honourable: on all which his observations were in the highest degree satisfactory. Perhaps I was blameable, but I thought it only fair to repeat the