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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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