fortunate want of seriousness and incapability of true passion,
his calibre of mind was originally such that I believe the world may see
another Titian and another Raffaelle, before it sees another Rubens. But
I have before alluded to the violent license he occasionally assumes;
and there is an instance of it in this picture apposite to the immediate
question. The sudden streak and circle of yellow and crimson in the
middle of the sky of that picture, being the occurrence of a fragment of
a sunset color in pure daylight, and in perfect isolation, while at the
same time it is rather darker, when translated into light and shade,
than brighter than the rest of the sky, is a case of such bold
absurdity, come from whose pencil it may, that if every error which
Turner has fallen into in the whole course of his life were concentrated
into one, that one would not equal it; and as our connoisseurs gaze upon
this with never-ending approbation, we must not be surprised that the
accurate perceptions which thus take delight in pure fiction, should
consistently be disgusted by Turner's fidelity and truth.

Sec. 13. Turner scarcely ever uses pure or vivid color.

Hitherto, however, we have been speaking of vividness of pure color, and
showing that it is used by Turner only where nature uses it, and in no
less degree. But we have hitherto, therefore, been speaking of a most
limited and uncharacteristic portion of his works; for Turner, like all
great colorists, is distinguished not more for his power of dazzling and
overwhelming the eye with intensity of effect, than for his power of
doing so by the use of subdued and gentle means. There is no man living
more cautious and sparing in the use of pure color than Turner. To say
that he never perpetrates anything like the blue excrescences of
foreground, or hills _shot_ like a housekeeper's best silk gown, with
blue and red, which certain of our celebrated artists consider the
essence of the sublime, would be but a poor compliment. I might as well
praise the portraits of Titian because they have not the grimace and
paint of a clown in a pantomime; but I do say, and say with confidence,
that there is scarcely a landscape artist of the present day, however
sober and lightless their effects may look, who does not employ more
pure and raw color than Turner; and that the ordinary tinsel and trash,
or rather vicious and perilous stuff, according to the power of the mind
producing it, with which