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The new path
(August 1865)
Josiah Wedgwood: a hint to American manufacturers, pp. 129-134
Page 129
Josiah Wedgwood. than any of the landscapes here, except Turner and Gainsborougli. Creswick, Lee and Linnel are very poor; I do not hesitate in saving I would as lief have a Hart or Shattuck. Leslie is a thorough master of his art; everything is done with ease, a transient expression on a face, a smile or a frown, is caught without effort, and a little work goes a great way. I hardly think I like Mulready so well. There seems a want of feel- ing in his work; all is manipulation. He seems to have done them to show how well he could do them, not caring for the subject. There are three or four chalk-drawings by him, of the nude figure, quite wonderful in their way. Being mere trials of skill, they are sat- isfactory. There are a number of Stanfields. "Texel Island " is about the best; but I look at that, and think of the beauti- ful green water I saw coming up St. George's Channel, and wish he had painted it like that. All is so drab in color, gray and brown, with a bit of red or blue on the figures. APRIL 4th, 1865. Every one advises me to stay and see the Royal Academy Exhibition, now that it is so near at hand; it opens the first week in May. I suppose there will be a great deal of rubbish; still, Millais will have two or three important works, which I should like to see, and then, I should get the best idea of the modern Englislh School, which I am told I do not get from the present exlhibhtion. I shall be glad if it is so, for the Brit- ish Institution and Society of Artists present, in my estimation, a most de- plol abl, show. Among so many things (over 1,000) there is not one bit of truth- ful, earnest work; among six hundred persons not one growing weary of his false labor, or caring to strive for the beauty and glory of nature. Is it not sad ? About the best thing was a study of a country church, by Antlhony-care- ful, but wanting in color and effect. The difference between these and our Academy pictures, is in the amount of flaringD color. I recolliect your state- ment, that our artists dare not paint color. Well, the artists here, with no more knowledge of nature, dare to do it; and you may imagine the result! It is not that they have no light, for they have Turner, W. Hunt, and a num- ber of "Preraphs," with Ruskin, but, that they love darkness best. Is it not stranga they should be so blind? JOSIAH WEDGWOOD.* A HINT TO AMERICAN MANUFACTURERS. A friend has put into our hands an address by the Honorable W. E. Glad- stone, Chancellor of the Exchequer, delivered at Burslem, Staffordshire, Oc- tober 26, 1863, on the occasion of the laying the foundation stone of the Memorial Bualding in honor of Josiah Wedgwood, the famous English potter, W "wedgwood," an Address by the Right Hon. Wil!iam Ewart Gladstone, M. P., Chancellor of the Exchequjer. London: John Murray, Albemiarle street, 1863. the manufacturer of the celebrated Wedgwood Ware,-an institution '-in- tended to comprise a Museum, Scbool of Science and Art, and Free Library, and designed to form a complete Edu- cational Institute, peculiarly adapted to the requirements of the district in which it is situated. Although this address is nearly two years old, it is new to us, and naily be unknown to some of oLar readers. We therefore make a few extracts. They 129
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