GENRE-PAINT'ING, pictures of life and manners. Under this title are com prised the grave episodes of life, which are to history what a single scene is to a drama, or a lyric to an epic poem. Also coinie scenes of every kind ; a comic sub ject is seldom placed in the highest cate gory of art, because it is the nature of comedy to overstep the strict line of beau ty and to become caricature. The prin cipal genre pictures consist of scenes of every-day life, and may Those of the Netherlands are the best, and deserve to live ; though far from the ideal of art, they show a skilful execution and lead to higher thoughts. Another kind are the low attempts at coloring called costume or portrait genre pictures, which are merely studies. In taking for its subject the events of daily life., genre painting (unless the subject is eminently suited to the idea) avoids religious themes as high and lasting, as well as historical subjects, which, though transitory, ought, never to appear so. A view of an open house, into which the sun is shining, a peasant lighting his pipe,—all the pass ing events of life, its characters and aims, offer fitting subjects fur genre-painting. Pure nature, true humanity, national character, to revealed by domestic man ners, .kc., form the circle of true genre painting, the boundary being more dear ly defined than is the ease in historical or religious art. The distinction between history and genre-painting cannot be too clearly drawn. Transitions from one to the other are admissible, and such pic tures belong to the happiest productions of art ; and there are also circumstances under which the advantages of both styles may be united. We meet with speci mens of genre-painting among the an cients. As the character of ancient wor ship changed, a freer space was offered to Art, which, by degrees, overstepped the ideal circle of the mythic-normal, with drew the mystic veil with which the Saga covered everything, and reveal ing nat aro, assumed an individual character from which a genre-like style of art arose tend ing towards the mythic. This style was, however, very different from what we now call genre-painting, which may be ex plained by the plastic character pervad ing art. Still we see by the mural paint ings at Herculaneum and Pompeii, that in later Roman a-rt there were colored pictures of the genre kind. These were certainly imperfect attempts, but they prove, nevertheless, that more manual artists turned to domestic painting. The
introduction of a new religion, in the ser vice of which art was enrolled, delayed the progress of life-painting for more than a thousand years, hut when that which was unnatural in Christian Art gave place to a free Germanic spirit, genre-painting arose refreshed. This spirit inclining to wards the poetry of real life employed gen•e-painting for ecclesiastical purposes, but so many pleasing effects were devel oped, that religion was soon neglected and east aside. The carpenter's workshop be came popular, although it was not that of Joseph ; the landscape was beautiful, even without the procession of the three kings; and the nosegay riveted the eye, although not placed in the oratory of the Virgin.
GENRE-SCULl"TURE, we have evi dences of this branch of Art having been attempted by the ancients. After the time of Alexander the Great, religion, and consequently Art, underwent a great change ; there was more room for indi viduality, and a style of art was devel oped which corresponded to the wants of the age. and which produced many works of a genre character. We know that genre-painting was very popular (luring the last ages a Grecian art, from the de scriptions extant of the kitchen—scenes, &e., painted by Pyreices, who finished these little pictures so exquisitely that they fetched a much higher price than large paintings by other artists. There are several specimens of genre-sculpture extant, the most remarkable of which is the Venus Callipygos, in the Museum at Naples. We find tills style very often employed in Etruscan art, of which we have some specimens in the collection of bronzes in London, viz , a circular vase, the handle of which is formed by the fig ures of two struggling gladiators, a han dle formed by two jugglers, also a rare bronze, formed of au Etruscan slave, kneeling, whose physiognomy betrays his descent ; he is employed in cleaning e shoe, and holds a sponge in ono hand. We meet with genre-sculpture among, the biblical and legemlary subjects in the middle ages ; and it was carried on in 1 he Germanic period, though only in small works, and those of a secular nature, viz , ivory carvings, and Mandl' at10114 ill hooks. Many critics affect to t rent such works slightingly, but whoever looks at them with an unprejudiced eye, will be de lighted at the union of nature with gran deur of conception, and will reasonably expect to see such subjects for the highest efforts of the artist.