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RACAR : Revue d'art canadienne Canadian Art Review

Victor Chan, ‘Leader of My Angels’: William Hayley and His Circle (exhibition catalogue). Edmonton. The Edmonton Art Gallery, in conjunction with the Canadian Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies / The University of Alberta, 1982. 89 pp., illus. Jennifer C. Watson

Volume 12, Number 1, 1985

URI: https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1073699ar DOI: https://doi.org/10.7202/1073699ar

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Publisher(s) UAAC-AAUC (University Art Association of Canada | Association d'art des universités du Canada)

ISSN 0315-9906 (print) 1918-4778 (digital)

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Cite this review Watson, J. C. (1985). Review of [Victor Chan, ‘Leader of My Angels’: William Hayley and His Circle (exhibition catalogue). Edmonton. The Edmonton Art Gallery, in conjunction with the Canadian Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies / The University of Alberta, 1982. 89 pp., illus.] RACAR : Revue d'art canadienne / Canadian Art Review, 12(1), 80–81. https://doi.org/10.7202/1073699ar

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This article is disseminated and preserved by Érudit. Érudit is a non-profit inter-university consortium of the Université de Montréal, Université Laval, and the Université du Québec à Montréal. Its mission is to promote and disseminate research. https://www.erudit.org/en/ Civile of 1711. Case t ta can be read as bolic horizon of the rhythms, pro­ of Alberta) is to be commended for a desperate attenipt to salvage the portions and symmetries of the producing the catalogue and mount- intersubjective realm of meaning palace. Thèse proportional rela­ ing the show itself. (convention, the public realm) as the tionships draw from the inveterate ‘Though Haylev was not a major locus of architecture still possible in mythopoetic power of numbers to poet,’ Chan notes in the Introduc­ the 18th century. This rhetoric is embody the ideals of order and tion, ‘his better ideas were ... fre- particularly clear in two very original justice of the monarchy through a quently filtered through his friends features of the palace: the emphatic synthesis of géométrie structure and and expressed in tlieir Works,’ ideas diagonal junctures of the massive classical ornament in ways thaï seem which in many ways, ‘helped in the vaulted corridors and entrances that to écho Vico’s thought. Wliat is less national crusade to create a new link the courtyards, and the theatre, obvious, however, when 011e recog- artistic identity through the forma­ where the literal stage-set of a niz.es the uncrilical use of Vitruvian tion of a school of history painting’ mythical play and the king’s 'prosce­ traditional principles and meta- (p. 9). Yet, except in connection with nium-box’ engage in a dialogue, phors in the building, is the assutnp- his patronage of William Blake - pointingto the transformation of the tion of both the most substantial who once narned him ‘I.eader of My entire palace-theatre-garden com- (critical) aspects of Vichian philoso- Angels,’ the title of this book - plex into a stage-set. Taking for phy, and the use of some planning Hayley’s rôle in the development granted architecture as ‘convention’ methodology that may bave pro- of late eighteenth- and earlv in a perspective world, Vanvitelli’s moted the réduction of plans and nineteenth-century English art has palace is far apart from the critical élévations to mathematical Systems not been adequately assessed. transcendence of the limitations of or sériés. Chan’s objcct, therefore, is to ex­ relativism and convention which was I’crhaps the major lesson to be amine Hayley’s relationships and propitiated by Vico’s hermeneutics learned from Hersey’s book is that artistic involvements in an effort to and, correlatively, in the architec­ the ‘house’ is architecture by virtue bring to light some of the major ture of Lodoli, the ‘Rigoristti’ and of it being a symbol. The concern of issues confronting artists of the Piranesi. thearchitect is not comfort oraesthe- period. Dividing his essay into two Vico’s interest in tiumber as malh- tics as subjective opinions to be re- main parts (plus Introduction and esis, as a primordial form of sytnbo- alized in the private realm. For the Conclusion), he deals with sensibi­ lization, is obvions in bis work on house to be architecture it lias to lité', sublimity, and modernité in the Pythagoras. Hts suspicion and criti- embody a transcendental inyth and context of historv painting, then cism of apriori Systems, exemplified operate in the realm of the public — specifically the Hayley circle itself. by the philosophies of the 171 h cen­ the domain of intersubjectivity — Eleven artists are represented by 151 tury, however warn us against read- regardless of the contradictions that drawings. prints, books and paint­ ing into his concern for number an this may entail in the contemporary ings, but the eleven surprisingly interest for Systems of mathematical world. Only established in this do­ include Jean-Honoré Fragonard, to logic. It. is well known that there are main does meaning appear, consti- my knowledge unacquainted with inconsistcncics in Vico’s oeuvre, but tuted by its own ‘syntactic’ horizon, Hayley, whilean important omission tve can safely assume that he was historically layered, with ail its rich- is Joseph Wright of Derby, not to being critical of the rnethod of natu­ ness and ambiguity. mention Jeremiah Meyer. More- rel science, postulated as a model for over, the author’s observations are ail types of humait knowledge. Hav- ALBERTO PEREZ-GOMEZ somewhat limited in scope, though ing this in mind, Hersey’s descrip­ Carleton University his thesis is well founded and con- tion of proportional relationships in vincing, as he reconsiders for the the palace as 'close packing, plaid first lime ail previous ideas from this graphs, nesting, and vectors’ seems meaningful point of view. inappropriate. Il would be useful to l’art 1 serves primarily as back- differentiate between the author’s Victor chan ‘Leader of My Angels’: ground, beingconcerned with sensi­ reading of architectural order in William Hayley and His Circle (exhibi­ bilité', the Sublime, the religious re- ternis of a vocabularv of functional- tion catalogue). Edmonton. The vival, and literature in relation to a ised mathematics (such as géométrie Edmonton Art Gallery, in conjunc- search for dramatic subjccts; the planning) and the disclosure of the ‘modem’ concept of a national intentions ascan begleaned from the tion with the Canadian Society for school of history painting is seen as texts, architectural treatises and sci- Eighteenth-Century Studies / The their converging point. l’articular entific culture of the tinte. University of Alberta, 1982. 89 pp.. reference is made to the artists The perception of Caserta in the illus. of Hayley’s own circle: Thomas tradition of Renaissance palaces Stothard, John Flaxman, and Ront- ruled by proportion, particularly This exhibition catalogue is an out- ney in the eighteenth century. The seen in the référencé of Gioffredo’s growth of Victor Chan’s doctoral poet’s life is summarized — Chan schente to the Escorial, and through dissertation on George Romney’s neglecting to mention that he was an it, to the primordial Temple of Solo- drawings of John Howard Visiling enthusiastic amateur artist, a salient mou in Jérusalem, is ail very convin- Prisoners. Likeotliersuchcatalogues, point - and his publicationsespecial- cing. Gioffredo wrote that architec­ it is a substantial publication which ly The Triumphs ofTemper presented tural order is 'the union of several breaks new ground. The Edmonton as projects which involved both things that by commutative pro­ Art Gallery (in conjunction with the artists and literary figures. However, portions create the formation of a Canadian Society for Eighteenth- the first biographer of Romney was whole.’ Hersey illuminâtes the sym- Century Studios and The University not Hayley, as stated (p. 11), but

80 RACAR / XII / 1 ton Magazine, cxvii (1975), 376-78; Mary Webster, ‘Poet Patron of the i8th Century: William Hayley and George Romney,’ Country I.ife, clxix (1981), 266-67. Nolwithstanding the above criti- cisms, Chan’s catalogue, with ils novel approach, constitules a telling interdisciplinary study, as his exhibi­ tion correspondingly served tomake visible little-known American and especially Canadian holdings of En- glish art. Too often the nationalistic emphasis on Canadian art can be limiting; the example of The Edmonton Art Gallery should spur (it is lioped) similar institutions to originale European shows of con­ séquence.

JENNIFF.R G. WATSON Kitchener-Waterloo Art. Gallery FIGURE 3. George Romney, Sludy fortheShipwreck in The Tempes!.’Ottawa, The National Gallery of Canada. Chan, cal. 85.

Richard Cumberland. In my view As an exhibition catalogue, too, mii.ton brown (ed.) with the assis­ thisessay is too brief tobe complctely the publication reveals a few flaws. tance of Judith 11. i.anius OneHun- successful. More than ltalf of the Works in the dred Maslerpieces of American Painting More satisfactory is Chan’s discus­ show are reproduced, integrated in from Public Collections in Washington, sion in Part 11. where lie élaborâtes the catalogue essay — an admirable bis théories concerning the poet’s design decision. But the quality of D.C. Washington, d.c., Smithsonian circle and necessarily clarifies bis the plates is only adéquate. Furthcr, Institution Press, 1983. 240 pp.,col- arguments. Focusing (for the firsl the exhibition list (pp. <81 ff.) lacks our illtis., $63.00 (cloth). lime) on ‘theartists who were direct lv any rcference to the illustrations and connected with Hayley and who the entries being arrangée! seeming- This book, as we are told in the workecl in the realm of history paint- lv at random, catalogue numbers are introduction, grew ont of an exhibi­ ing’ (p. 29), lie investigat.es in turn assignée! to the artist rallier than the tion of ninety American paintings in scènes front classical antiquité, liter- work of art. 1 lie entries themselves Washington collections that was sent ary épisodes principally from Dante, are not always consistent ; cal. 2, for to Mexico in 198 1. Those who orga- Shakespeare and Milton, and con­ example, is ascribed to Caroline nized the exhibition found it so tent porary social subjects. Flaxman’s Watson who engraved the work with intriguing that they hoped to hâve il illustrations became the best known no mention of Romney. the painter, shown in Washington and else- and the most influential, yet il is yet cal. 52 is ascribed to Flaxman where. Since this could not be donc, Romney who is treatecl at considér­ with no mention of the engraver, they contended themselves with able length, above ail. bis drawings and cat. 98 to ‘Blake ... (aller Rom­ translating into English whal is. in of Howard and Shakespeare’s plays. ney).' It is also unfortunate that the effect, a modifïcd and expanded While Chan rightly maintains that typeface chosen is too sntall for easy version of the catalog (originally few of his paintings exist, with re­ readability. Ncvcrtheless, the cata­ published in Spanish) which accom- gard 10 The Tempest (Fig. 3) this is logue ends with two useful appen­ panied the exhibition to Mexico. partir misleading, for three ltead dices, oneof Haylevand his writings, As 011e looks through the repro­ fragments, one of theni Hayley in the other of artists’ biographies ductions in the volume, one under- the characterol Prospero, survive in (which perhaps woulcl bave been stands lheir enlhusiasm. It is an the Muséum and Art Gallery at more effectivcly confined to the interesting and impressive arrav of Bolton. To state that Romnev’s Ages poei’s circle), followed by a selected works arrangée! in chronological ofMan'entphasiz.es only two stages in bibliographe (p. 80). If some addi­ order from Copley’s The Copley the human cycle’ (p. 47) is equally tions arementionecl here, it issimply Family (1776-77), to Richard Die- misleading, foi his letter (to Hayley) as publications contributing further benkorn’s #111 (1978). The exhi­ of 12 December 1793 indicates ‘the to the issues discussed in this book: bition must hâve been stunning. nuinber of the set [to be] twelve.’ Winifred H. Friedman. Boydell’s Unfortunately, il is with leafing Finally, in the nineteenth century, Shakespeare Gallery (New York and through the colour reproductions Blakeand toa lesserextent Stothard London: Garland Publishing, 197(1); that onc’s intei est in the book ends. are commentccl 011. though Chan Peter Tomory, ‘A Blake Sketch for The catalog entries accompanying nowhere identifies clearly the Hayley’s Ballad “The Lion'' and a each reproduction as well as the Hayley circle members. Connection with Fuseli,’ The Burling- prefatory text, a brief survey of the

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