“Paul and Virginia” by William Calder Marshall

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Paul and Virginia

William Calder Marshall

1845

Source: 1856 Art-Journal

“Mr. Marshall has succeeded in overcoming a very difficult task in representing two figures thus circumstanced: they are of nearly equal size; and, ordinarily, the act of one person carrying another in his arms has an awkward, if not a ludicrous, appearance; but” by a skilful arrangement of the upper limbs, and a judicious disposition of the heads, the group, in the upper division, becomes a graceful object. The sculptor has carefully avoided all sharp angular lines, not very easy to do when we consider the action of the figures.”

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Commentary by The Art-Journal

The sculptor of this group has chosen a subject which must have severely tested his powers of conception, if we examine it” by those principles which are presumed to regulate the rules of Sculpture. Thus, for example, the arrangement of the figures throws the whole weight and substance of the composition into the upper half; the result is that when viewed from the point presented in the engraving, the work has the appearance of being what is commonly called "top-heavy"—a defect, if we may so term it, that might have been obviated” by the introduction of a mass of rock, or something of the sort, at the base to act as a counterpoise. The stump of the palm-tree placed there merely to support the weight of the figures is not sufficient to restore the balance which the eye requires to remove from the mind the sense of insecurity, and to produce an impression of general harmony of the parts. . . . . The work is not a recent production of the sculptor; it was exhibited at the Academy as far back as 1845, the year after Mr. Marshall had been elected associate. We apprehend that few of our readers have read, since their school days, the charming little tale of Bernardin de St. Pierre; it may, therefore, be necessary to refresh their memories with the incident which forms the subject of Mr. Marshall's sculptured group. Paul and Virginia, returning from their mission on behalf of the runaway negress, contrived to lose themselves, and wander about till they come to a river, which threatened to arrest their onward progress. "The noise of the waters alarmed Virginia, and she was afraid to wade through them; Paul then took her on his back,"—the sculptor has very rightly placed her in the arms of her young companion, instead of following the inelegant mode of transport indicated in the text, —"and passed thus loaded over the slippery rocks which formed the bed of the river, regardless of the tumult of its waters. 'Do not be afraid,' he cried to her, 'I feel very strong with you.'" The features of the two forcibly indicate their respective feelings—the apprehensions of the girl and the bold encouraging words of Paul—the head of the latter is admirably modelled; so, indeed, is that of Virginia, but there is something in the expression of the mouth which is not quite agreeable: it is so long since we saw the original that we cannot determine whether the defect rests with the sculptor, or whether it is to be attributed to the way in which the shadows fell on the face when our artist made the drawing from it; we rather suspect the latter to be the cause, and that, therefore, he could not remedy what appears a fault without violating the laws of light and shade. To those who can see no beauty in Sculpture, save that which is after the similitude of the ancients, works of such a character as this must appear "flat, stale, and unprofitable," yet in reality they are not so, though we must allow this especial subject is better adapted for the painter's art than the sculptor's. To us, whose duty it is to mark everything that issues from the studio of the latter, almost any change is a relief: we are wearied with Cupids, and Venuses, and Psyches, and Musidoras, et hoc genus omne, and are glad sometimes to pass the boundary of the land of fiction, and find ourselves in that of fact, or of that which seems to approach to it. Moreover, subjects that belong to the class we may term "domestic," ought never to be considered puerile, or beneath the notice of an artist of genius: he cannot go far wrong who addresses us in a lan- guage we understand, and in a manner with which our common feelings aud sympathies are in some degree in unison.

Bibliography

“TPaul and Virginia.” Art Journal (1856): 224. Hathi Trust Digital Library version of a copy in the University of Michigan Library. Web. 28 July 2013.

Last modified 5 August 2013