1273. Benjamin Robert Haydon to EBB
As published in The Brownings’ Correspondence, 7, 168–169.
London
June 3rd 1843
My dear Friend /
Your remarks are so sound, that I think I shall embody the whole Truth in fictitious names—the object is to shew the progress of a character—to you the remarks on Aeschylus & Homer may have been read & made 100 years ago but to me they were original—they [were] my young thoughts—you object to them– If I send you the Life again will you draw a pencil line through all you wish out—add nothing only mark– [1]
I have begun the Second Volume—and as I am laid up in a burnt foot, I can only Sketch & write– What think you of a series of Picturable illustrations of Britain in Barbarism—Under Roman—Saxon—Danes—Normans either Picture illustrative of Religion & Law—& heroism & Poetry & Music, for Westminster Hall[?]
——
Barbarism
Religion
Law
Heroism
Poetry
Music—
Art—
Romans
Religion
Election
&[c]
Saxon
Religion
&c
Danes
Religion
&c—
Normans
Religion
&c
Till all was settled—
What a beautiful series might be made of Music for a Music Hall– Discovery for Commercial Hall– Science & Poetry for a Literary Institution– Good God if Power were only given me what I could do! & yet I shall die, & they will go on Painting. White lead & mahogany imitations for Centuries if they do not alter—— What I fear of this Cartoon affair is—it will be taken up by the Artists as they take up every thing, like a Portrait job a month before the Time! 3 parts of the year they idle—the 3 first months—they work up to the last hour—have all the importance of bustle & no time[—]send their works wet & half done & think it a great feat!– To correct this was the Cartoon affair planned & instead of correcting they have taken it up in the same trade light—they are coming at this hour to me to ask to see my Steamer! and are only begun a fortnight ago!!
I really feel disgusted at such disgusting conceit– Such a race in the present of half German, moustashioed, half furred, half Clothed, half shaved, half Cleaned Dandies make one sick–
The Art Union will raise them like Cabbages to rot on the ground– [2]
Think of Rapha[e]l & Michel Angelo taking Months about form & correctness & these young Monkies, marching up as if to a pas de deux & turn round as they stroke their whiskers, simpering for admiration–
Yours
BRH
Address: Miss B. Barrett / 50. Wimpole St.
Publication: EBB-BRH, pp. 107–109.
Manuscript: University of Vermont.
1. We do not know what EBB may have objected to; no such passage can be found in the published text, but the manuscript may have expressed similar sentiments to those recorded in Haydon’s diary entry of 25 August 1813. This contained remarks on murder and death, asking “is it any dereliction from a man’s Genius to choose such subjects for its exercise? On the contrary, are not the greatest works of Genius in the World those where the subject, the power, the material, were equally strong, imposing, & terrific? What is Macbeth? what Agamemnon? what the Iliad? what stronger exciter than Murder? what than War? And were Shakespeare or Eschylus or Homer considered unpoetic because the very nature of their materials & subjects were per se strong, terrific, exciting? The universal voice of mankind will answer ‘certainly not,’ because tho their materials were so powerful, yet the greatest skill is required … to prevent them degenerating into bombast & absurdity” (Pope, I, 323–324).
2. Haydon expressed some of these opinions in a letter headed “Schools of Design,” published in The Art-Union of June 1843 (pp. 143–144).
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