The most disagreeable of English
painters is Etty, who had a diseased appetite for woman's flesh, and
spent his whole life, apparently, in painting them with enormously
developed busts. I do not mind nudity in a modest and natural way; but
Etty's women really thrust their nudity upon you with malice
aforethought, . . . . and the worst of it is they are not beautiful.
Among the last pictures that I looked at was Hogarth's March to Finchley;
and surely nothing can be covered more thick and deep with English nature
than that piece of canvas. The face of the tall grenadier in the centre,
between two women, both of whom have claims on him, wonderfully expresses
trouble and perplexity; and every touch in the picture meant something
and expresses what it meant.
The price of admission, after two o'clock, being sixpence, the Exhibition
was thronged with a class of people who do not usually come in such large
numbers. It was both pleasant and touching to see how earnestly some of
them sought to get instruction from what they beheld. The English are a
good and simple people, and take life in earnest.
August 14th.--Passing by the gateway of the Manchester Cathedral the
other morning, on my way to the station, I found a crowd collected, and,
high overhead, the bells were chiming for a wedding. These chimes of
bells are exceedingly impressive, so broadly gladsome as they are,
filling the whole air, and every nook of one's heart with sympathy.
Pages:
771
772
773
774
775
776
777
778
779
780
781
782
783
784
785
786
787
788
789
790
791
792
793
794
795