ART.
THE "BLACK AND WHITE" AT THE EGYPTIAN
• HALL. [FIRST NOTICE.]
THIS Gallery shows an advance in the average excellence of its work, if we look upon the pictures simply from what may be called the professional point of view,—that is, considering dexterity of manipulation, and increase of skill in matters of drawing and composition, to be the chief, if not the only objects to be regarded. If, however, we seek for more than this, if we look to the qualities of high aim, earnest thought, and evidences of the delight in,faithful reproduction of Nature, we should almost feel inclined to say that there is a retrogression rather than an advance in the drawings exhibited. It is especially noticeable that it is in a gallery like this that we should find especial evidences of such aspiration, thought, and love embodied in the drawing.
Many an artist may fail in realising in finished water-colour, or elaborate oil, the conception which he struck out in a few rough charcoal lines, or scratched hastily on the copper with the point of an etching-needle ; and perhaps we should not find fault with such a one, if he only exhibits pictures, the subject and treatment of which are well within his compass. But in a gallery which is expressly entitled "an exhibition of works of art in Black and White," there is afforded the very opportunity for showing that the artist's mind is still active and earnest, and of proving that only want of technical excellence prevents him from realising conceptions of greater magnitude. No hint of beauty or trace of fancy, however slight, would be unsuitable for exhibi- tion in such a collection ; nay, the very incompleteness of the work would be, in some measure, a test of its having been executed in a right way, for it would show that the artist had not intended the present drawing to be taken as the ultimate result of his thought, but as a sort of first attempt to give it rough expression.
Thus, when we see that the majority of the pencil, charcoal, and • thalk-drawings and etchings grow more elaborate in their finish, year by year, it is, we think, no matter for unmixed congratu- lation; rather, indeed, when it is taken into connection with the absence of other qualities, such as we have spoken of above, it must be considered to be a sign that the artists are pursuing the minutim of their art to the detriment of its more vital excellencies. As a whole, the works of this exhibition are very skilful in their manipulation, and the chief error is the one we have just noticed, which gives a more or less pot- tering appearance to the exhibition, as if we were to see a grave company of middle-aged citizens, sitting down to play " spil- likins " with intense earnestness and elaborate preparation. Other characteristics of this year's collection arc a somewhat increased number of etchings and other works by foreign artists, two large cartoons by F. Goodall for sacred subjects, and two interesting sets of studies, by Mr. Poynter and Mr. Burne Jones, for drapery.
We will not attempt to give a detailed description of the drawings, but notice a few which seem to us speci- ally interesting. The first of these is an etching in brown ink, by Mr. J. Benwell Clark, of "The Three Goddesses," from a picture by Mr. Watts, R.A. Though slight, and perhaps a little rough in execution, this etching has caught the spirit of the picture well, and deserves attention from the way in which it exemplifies the illustrative power of the etching-needle when employed in copying pictures. An etching from a picture is not intended, or should not be intended, to serve a similar purpose to that of a steel engraving ; the difference is this,—In a steel engraving, what is first sought is an imitation of perfect accuracy ; a good engraving is almost mathematically accurate, whatever may be its other qualities ; it is, so to speak, a machine- made picture. An etching is, or should be, as nearly as possible the reverse of this ; the etching-needle is not by any means a per- fect instrument, and its proper use is not in restrained accuracy, but in unrestrained freedom. If you look at an etching by Mr. E. Edwards and at one by Seymour Haden, you will see the wrong and the right style of etching clearly contrasted; but of that we will speak further on. Notice, however, in reference to an etching from a picture, that what is wanted, is not the picture itself, but an impression of it, and an impression which should be by no means a machine-made one, but which should have, a distinct personal stamp, and bear much the same relation to the original, and to a steel engraving from it, as a hurried sketch of the main features of a landscape, bears both to the natural scene and to a perfect photograph. At the risk of being tedious to our readers, let us put the main principle upon which this function of etching depends into clear words. It is briefly this :—Each variety of medium and mode of reproduction, has a distinctive excellence of its own, and it is only while working in the manner by which such excellence is to be obtained, that the specialist is working rightly. It is not right, but wrong, for an etching to attempt to rival a steel engraving; it is not right, but wrong, to elaborate a rough material such as charcoal, to a pitch where it may be compared to a delicate one, such as chalk or pencil.
One of the finer rough etchings here is No. 38, " Rochers de Douarnenez," by M. L. Le Conteux, a scene of rocky coast, some- what deficient in tone, but very firm, and apparently accurate in its drawing. No. 48 is a portrait of "Miss Ware," by Alfred Ward. This is done in red chalk, very elaborately worked, the.
background being a pale creamy brown, which greatly heightens the effect of the picture, and is very pleasant to the eye,—a pretty portrait, without being a weak one, probably better as a picture than as a likeness. "London from the Top of Greenwich Observa- tory," by Mr. Edwin Edwards, is one of the large pictures of the exhibition, and the largest etching we have ever seen, about four feet in length, if we remember rightly. This is one of the efforts of misplaced industry, the criticism of which is a daily difficulty to the writer on art. Every one who paints or draws can see the large amount of labour and care which has been bestowed upon this work, and yet, it is not a picture. Some steps, towers, &c., of the Observatory occupy the foreground, and the remainder of the work (it is long and low in shape) is filled with a panoramic view of roofs of houses, &c, The whole of the etching is hard and cold, and there is little quality of light and shade about it; but it is not so much that, as the want of pictorial ability and artistic sense which annoys us, and makes us wonder how an artist of ability (and that Mr. Edwards has considerable ability, is certain) could choose such a subject, and treat it in such a way. As an exact contrast to this, notice a little picture in charcoal called " Fittle- worth Lock—Twilight," by Mr. A. W. Weedon, one of those soft impressions of nature which please us rather by what they suggest than by what they are, and hint at the feel- ing of "sadness and longing which is not akin to pain." Close to this there is a good etching by Mr. C. P. Slocomb, of "Mr. Phelps as Cardinal Wolsey," done from a picture by J. Forbes Robertson. No. 81, "Windsor," an etching by Mr. Seymour Haden, is notable as the first, if we are not mistaken, that he has sent to this gallery. It is a large and somewhat ambitious work, intended, apparently, to rival Turner,—at all events, the composition reminds us of that artist. This work has been exhibited about London for the last year or so, and is probably familiar to many of our readers. It is by no means a favourable specimen of Mr. Fladen's work, and appears to us to be coarse, without any adequate gain in strength and feeedom. That it is powerful and able, is only to say that it is by Mr. Haden, for his pictures are always that ; but the unrivalled force of his etching sometimes leads him into exaggeration ; and this, we think, has been the ease on the present occasion. No. 85, "Study of Beeches below Hayes Common," by Mr. Alfred Withers, is a faithful and deli- cate little etching from nature. It is somewhat unworthily hung low down, but will repay stooping. No. 96, "Halle aux Poissons de St. Male," by Ldon L'Hermitte, is a large charcoal figure-picture; on the whole, perhaps, the best thing in the gallery. Perhaps we may mention that this artist has evidently many admirers in England, as this drawing, though only in charcoal, is priced at 2200. M. L'Hermitte's drawings are un- like those of any other artist with whom we are acquainted, the nearest akin to them being probably the works of Josef Israels. He nearly always draws simple subjects of country life, and very seldom has any special pathetic or sentimental episode, such as the Dutch master is so fond of. But his works have a special atmosphere of their own, which, if not one of sadness, is certainly nearer to sadness than joy,—a twilight atmosphere. Technically, he is famous for a mastery over his special material greater than any living artist, and which leads him some- times—as we think, in the present work—to attempt more than his medium is thoroughly capable of performing. This "Halle aux Poissona " would have made a fine picture in oils, but there is, we think, an incongruity in seeing such elaborate work in charcoal. It must, however, be conceded to M. L'Hermitte that he is an undisputed master in the latter medium, and that at least in this exhibition he has no rival in his executive skill, and hardly any in his pictorial ability. The subject and treatment of the picture also show a higher aim than almost any work in the gallery, and both in the character of his faces and the action of his figures, M. L'Hermitte exhibits genuine talent. Mr. R. Macbeth sends several etchings, which are all good, but the best of which probably is the roughest, No, 104, "A Fon Flood." His drawing of Phyllis on the new-mown hay is excessively clever, and makes a very
pretty picture, the background being especially good, but it is, we think, a little finicking. Mr. F. Wilfrid Laweon's drawing of Henry Irving as Hamlet, No. 100, is a clever, but over-refined por- trait of the actor; he has missed the hard look of Irving'm face, which is essentially one of its greatest peculiarities. Almost next to this there is a clever, quiet etching by Chauvel, after one of Daubigny's pictures, more in the style of a good wood- cut than all etching.
In our next article, we conclude our notice of this Gallery.
Previous page
