r,
rendered in a brighter key than his usual practice.
As limitation of space will not admit of giving any account of the life
of Turner, already well known, it may be sufficient to say that
_Lucerne: Moonlight_ (Plate XII) was painted in 1843, and was originally
in the collection of Mr. H. A. J. Munro of Novar. Ruskin, who calls it a
noble drawing in his "Notes on his Drawings by the late J. M. W.
Turner," makes a mistake in the title and describes it as _Zurich by
Moonlight_. John Sell Cotman, a member of the Norwich School, was
another pioneer who did much for the advancement of water-colour
painting. Unfortunately, his work was not appreciated during his career.
If he had lived in the twentieth century he would have had no cause for
the fits of depression to which he was subject during the greater part
of life. It can be well recognised that in the first half of last
century the public, who were mainly accustomed to carefully drawn
topographical scenes, failed to appreciate such paintings as the
_Classical Scene_ (Plate XIII), executed with such freedom and vigour.
It was recently exhibited at the Special Exhibition of Cotman's
Paintings at the Tate Gallery, when five other classical landscape
compositions were also shown. Cotman's work was not understood. His
paintings, both in oil and water colour, often only realised less than a
pound apiece. He was compelled to resort to teaching in order to support
his family. Eventually, through the influence of his friend, Lady
Palgrave, and the strong support of Turner, he obtained the post of
drawing-master at King's College School, London. His position then
became more secure. Still, teaching boys in the underground rooms of
Somerset House could not have been inspiriting to one who yearned to
seek Nature in the open air. He could not exclaim, like "Old" Crome,
when he with his pupils was once met on the banks of the Yare, "This is
our academy." He died of a broken heart. At the beginning of the
nineteenth century there was a feeling amongst the artists who worked
solely in water colours that they were not being fairly treated by the
Royal Academy. They were ineligible to be elected members of that body,
and they were of opinion that their works were never placed in a
prominent position on the walls of the galleries. William Frederick
Wells, a friend of Turner and said to have suggested to him the idea of
producing his "Liber Studiorum," proposed to his fellow artists that
|