THE WEEK'S GREAT DAY

Auckland Star, Volume LX, Issue 292, 10 December 1929, Page 6

THE WEEK'S GREAT DAY

DECEMBER 10.—THE FQUNDATIOr £ OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY. a s (Copyrighted.) a One hundred and sixty-one years ago, 01 t December 10, 1768, George 111. gave his- roya g assent to the plans for the formation of th< r Royal- Academy of Arts in London, which was e founded for "the purpose of cultivating and improving the arts of painting, sculpture anc architecture." The Royal Academy was bv no means the firsi 3 society formed in England with the object oi l the advancement of the fine arts, but none of its _ predecessors existed for more than a short period j most of them failing from the lack of financial 1 support from the general public. In 1758 an } exhibition of paintings was held at the Foundling 3 Hospital for the benefit of that charitable instituL . tion, and the crowds that paid for admission j suggested the means by winch an academy of art j might be placed on a paying basis. Two societies were immediately formed, and both of them made a feature of holding periodical exhibitions for the purpose of raising funds to . cover expenses. One of them disappeared after , an existence of sixteen years, but the other, known ' as "The Incorporated Society of Artists of Great , Britain," which was given a royal charter in . 1765, was the forerunner of the Eoyal Academv, for the majority of its most prominent members , resigned in 1708 and presented a petition to George 111. in which his patronage and assistance was solicited to establish a society "for promoting the arts of design." The petition stated that the society proposed to establish a school for the training of art students, the expenses of which it was hoped to meet by the holding of an annual exhibition of the works of eminent artists. The King was favourably impressed with the scheme, and, in response to his request for further particulars, he was supplied with a detailed plan, known as "The Instrument," which defined the constitution and government of the proposed academy. It was upon this document that the King Avrote the words: "I approve of this plan; let it be put into execution," and affixed his signature on December 10, 1708. The original thirty-six members of the Roval Academy, which included the majority of London's leading artists, sculptors and architects, lost no tune in carrying their plan into execution, for they held their first meeting on December 17 when officers were elected, and three days later the professors for the schools were chosen at a second meeting, while on January 2, 1709 Sir Joshua Reynolds, in his capacity as president, delivered the first of his fifteen famous "Discourses on Painting" on the occasion of the formal opening of the schools, and the- first annual exhibition of paintings was opened on the following April 26. George 111. agreed to supply any deficit between the funds derived from the annual exhibitions and the expenses of carrying on the schools, and during the first twelve years, in all of which there was a slight loss, he was called upon to provide- a little over £5000, but in 1781 the academy found itself with a surplus, and ever since that time it has been self-supporting. The presidency of the Royal Academy was held by Sir Joshua Reynolds from its formation until his death fourteen years later, and his term of office has only been exceeded by one other president, namely, Benjamin West, his immediate successor, who occupied the presidential chair for twenty-eight years. Among the other eminent artists who have held tho office were Sir Thomas ' Lawrence, Lord Lcighton and Sir John Millais.