FINE ARTS.
EXHIBITION OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTION.
The National Institution gets worse and worse. Setting aside some pretty landscapes, interiors, and so on, it is becoming a show-room for the artistic incompetence of the country—incompetence of such a kind, and so intense in degree, that the stigma of having exhibited there will soon be as a felonial brand among painters. What else, indeed, can be expected when we find such names as Barraud, 0. R. Campbell, Dukes, and Middleton, thronging the list of "proprietary members "—the men who give a tone to the "Institution," who accept, and who reject ? It must be evident that none but the lowest order of practitioners will wil- lingly belong to such a college. The better few have fallen off gradually, and are almost entirely absent this year : the one or two who remain are so remiss that they ought rather to have abstained altogether ; the very President seems to "fight shy" of his own gallery. Radical reform will be, if only possible, the most creditable course for the National Institu- tion; death by inanition the next best ; a continuance of its present in- anition, just minus death, the worst.
As there is not a single superior picture among the figure-subjects, we may as well begin, as etiquette would dictate, with the President. Mr. Lauder sends three works, all evidently old, and self-evidently bad : "A Cacciatore in the Abruzzi," which can only be considered as a study of the Scotch mannerism in colour; a "Portrait" of some aesthetic indi- vidual in a brigand hat and cloak, opaque and poor; and a wooden- fleshed and yellow-complexioned "Ruth." Mr. J. Eckford Lauder is twaddling in "A Maiden's Reverie," worse than twaddling in "The Wishing-bone," 'best in "The Rabbit-house," where the girl's figure has a rather petty sentiment of gentle protection ; but indifferent is the best. Mr. Mgan was wont to relieve the dulness of his environment with something not to be passed over without examination ; but he fails to do so this year. His "Battle of Culloden," where death-defying High- landers are received with a volley, is remarkable for its chalky-white colour, not for character or incident. There is an intention of brave dis- dain in the chief figure, but it is scarcely carried out Mr. Glass should not have exhibited "Too late for the Ferry " ; whose entire inferiority to his last works shows that it cannot be a recent one. He has now earned, and fitly earned, a reputation of which he should be jealous. We are almost reduced to saying that Mr. Hemsley, with his "Young Love," is the artist who shows to most advantage, having on his side observation, unexaggerated truthfulness, and care, though all of the feebler sort. Mr.
Pasmore's may be termed the coquettish style of art—light, impertinent, sometimes pretty, always provoking. " The Introduction " is his most pleasing specimen, and he is altogether, may be, a trifle less outré than last year. " An incident in the life of Luther" furnishes Mr. Frank Wyburd with a subject—Luther, insensible in his cell through the force of inward conflict, restored to consciousness at the singing of some chorister-boys. The catalogue supplies Mr. Wyburd with two notes of admiration ; not superfluously, if the article is in demand. The best we can report of the picture is that it is tamely bland—an attempt at re- ligious mildness falling short through debility. Luther has no distinctive character, nor even facial likeness ; the kneeling monk behind Inns has lost his legs ; the choristers are unsubstantial, and all the figures too weak to stand. Worse, far worse, however, is Mr. Egley's " Katharine of Arragon and Anne Boleyn," where the artist has tried " a touch of the P. R. B.," in a spirit which we could only call effrontery, might not the total want of qualification be supposed to include want of perception. "Harold the Earl and the Good Aired" by the same author, which we remember to have seen at the Royal Academy, has no such pretension, and is more tolerable. Mr. Deane's contributions, and especially the "Monk instructing others in the art of Illumination," can boast as much success as is conferred by a feeling for the picturesque—often the Clipstone Street picturesque—and a knack at sketchy colour, without originality in character or mind. Mr. Pittar has scarcely been benefited by the breach in his favour of the regulation that "no work that has been pre- viously exhibited in London is admissible." His "Don Juan and Haidee," seen high up in the Academy, appeared of more than common promise ; seen nearer, the colour is found to be poor, all except the left- hand group bad, and that less good than had been surmised. Moreover, everything else by this gentleman is execrable—save only the "Portrait of Henry Kift, Esq.," and that of "Mrs. Septimus Wray," which, spite of most slovenly painting, renders a clever face with a certain capacity. We pass, as hardly calling for criticism through want of decided quali- ties, the productions of Messrs. Surtees and Cobbett, which might with almost equal truth be termed prettyish, passable, or poor, and the skill, worse than unskilfulness, of Mr. Beeson (we fancy and hope, a French- man) ; and come to the degradation of Messrs. Barraud, Brodie, Middle- ton, and Rowan, which we spare ourselves from dwelling on. "These be thy gods," 0 visitor to the National Institution and patron of the print- shops ! One "proprietary member," however, is comic enough to de- serve mention—Mr. Waller, author of "The Alarm,"—whose nude Academy-model fingering a musket, Michelangelesque baby, face-sprain' ed woman, and meek lion, force a smile to the lips of the most jaded visitor —and he has had to traverse two rooms already ! The meritorious portraits are by Mr. Samuel Laurence ; and these are interesting also for their sitters. That of "Samuel Rogers," though too vivid in its flesh-tints, is in a high degree true to the expression of intel- ligence and native refinement in the most advanced age. There is cha- racter in the way the clothes are worn, and in the sinking into the cushioned seat. The method of painting is extremely unelabomte, but quietly effective. The life-sized likeness of "Professor H. H. Goodeve, ' is "painted for the Medical College of Calcutta, at the request of the students, more especially to commemorate the triumph over Eastern prejudices, resulting from the introduction of the study of practical ana- tomy, by Dr. Goodeve, amongst the natives of India." This purpose en- tails a rather unsightly female corpse upon which the professor is lectur- ing; and his own head is not very fleshy. There is fine style, however, in the drapery and general pose. Of the artist's two crayon drawings, one represents "Mr. Thackeray "—broad, English, with meaning in the upward throw of the head and glancing eyes which seem to challenge some one. Among the other portraits, Mr. Whitburn's (No. 8) is as satisfactory as any—poorly painted, but with character not petty; and Miss Davis's (No. 391) is an expressive crayon head. Mr. Houlton is far from redeeming the promise of last year. Mr. Hulme, spite of many older and more familiar competitors, takes the first place in landscape. His works possess softness, crispness, and transparency of colour to an eminent degree, much natural pleasantness, and a constant selectness and propriety. His principal contributions are "Wootton Woods, Surrey," broad and veiled in tone, and thoroughly parklike ; "On the Conway, North Wales "(66)—where the general colour is most harmonious, and the water, deep in soft shadows, which cross, neutralizing each other, admirably limpid ; and "River Scenery, North Wales," with its deeply-wooded mountains—strong and massive. The cattle here, bold, individual, well drawn and richly colour- ed, are due to the hand of Mr. H. B. Willis. Inferior to these works in no point save size are Mr. Hulme's "Bright Day" and "Common, Sur- rey," which form a charming little pair, never to be seen without an im- pression of fresh nature. The artist is less himself in the somewhat Creswicklike "Scene on the Conway" (164), and decidedly at fault in "Troubled Waters." The Mr. Willis just mentioned again evidences his peculiar gift for horned cattle in "An Autumn Evening,' —a very agree- able picture ; and he is here as elsewhere distinguished by solidity, even in occasional slightness, by soft tones of colour, and real country feeling. The subdued tints do not, however, prevent some crudeness in the " Scene on the Severn, Evening"; and No. 158 is not A Gleam of Sunshine." Mr. M`Callam's " Village Church, Pedmore, Worcestershire," is a very lovely little piece of careful design and true sentiment. The overgrowth of ivy is dense, as though one could thrust a hand into it, the churchyard grass trodden in heaps, and the whole lonely in mournful quiet. The foliage trailed wreathwise or framewise around is too artificial to be truthful, and in some respects objectionable, if intended, as would rather appear, merely for an extrinsic adjunct. The colour also is over neutral, though in keeping with the general treatment. Mr. Dawson sends a large view of "Nottingham, from Wilford Rills,"—a work of some mark, like all by the same author : but neither this nor any of his small pieces is a first-rate example. Mr. Armitage has one of those French landscape-sketches which he handles so characteristically—" Loading timber in the Morvan." Mr. W. Armitage follows capitally well in the same track : but it must be confessed that Nature is not the blurred smudgy thing this artist represents. To his eyes, French scenery, labouring through a murky twilight, consists of grim vegetable forms and dusky greens. We are glad to find here a confirmation of the good opin- ion we expressed of Mr. Dell from the experience of the British Institution. His very modest study "On Woodbury Common, Devon,"—a rabbit- burrow under the effect of an open sky with drifts of torn cloud,—is clear, forcible, and excellently truthful; and there are similar merits in No. 162, "On the Sussex Coast."
The three kinsmen in blood and art, Mr. Percy, Mr. A. W. Williams, and Mr. Gilbert, starting with strong and welcome individuality, have passed from the stage of self-repetition to that of mannerism, and from the stage of mannerism to that of untruth. Their rocks and tarns, their heath and sheep, their clear hazes of shadow in mid distance and garish sunlights, their Snowdons and Moel Siabods and Thames rivers at Med- menham, are become a weariness under the sun. They seem spell-bound as it were within a magic circle which they pace round and round, and the devil whom their conjuration is to evoke at last will be that of bad art. Expansion of their range is the only chance of rescue. Mr. Percy is foremost this year, and some of his pictures might be cordially hailed, were they the first of their kind : as it is, whatever their particular merits, they can only be considered so many steps for the worse. In Mr. Wil- iiams's "Hay-boat—close of a Summer's Day," the portion of the pic- ture where the boat is being loaded is good : the sunset is stained the hue of tomata-juice. His other larger pictures are more objectionable. Mr. Gilbert's "Hazy Day looking over Barmouth Water" is jallapy in tone. There is some stuff in Mr. G. A. "Williams's snow-scenes. Messrs. Peel and Thorpe appear in their accustomed and often commendable styles. Mr. Ilammersley has parted company with .Nature. Mr. John Bell's big picture, "The Village of Bettros-y-Coed," has some truth in its woolly distinctness, but of a coarse unapprehensive kind. Mr. Gray deserves a good word for his nice "Lane Scene, Jersey," and for that alone; Mr. Deacon for his "Terrace, Haddon Hall," with the sweepy thickness of its trees, though subject to considerable qualification on the score of un- skilful painting.
On the whole, the chief triton among the minnows of this gallery, for execution and completeness, is Mr. Previa ; whose interiors, warm in tone, strong in chiaroscuro, accurate and tasteful in detail, rank side by side with Mr. Hardy's; presenting at the same time many marked points of difference. More than up to his former level in several instances, he is in- contestably so in "The Village Smithy,"—which leaves scarcely anything to be desired; only, as we noticed in former examples, it is too clean. The best animal-piece is "A Study of Ducks," by Miss Lemasle (400); whom we require no further evidence to recognize as an original genius in this line, with a way of her own in looking at things. True, the draw- ing is dubious, and the colour opaque and dull; but the expression, the comic waddling personality, of two of the ducks with their earth-disdain- ing bills, and the poised "ducking" of the third, stamp Miss Lcmasle as first-rate at her very debut. Mr. Earl and Mrs. "Withers are the next best contributors of this class.
A few works not already noticed in the Water-Colour Room, (which is not confined to water-colours,) confer final mention. Mrs. Ilawkes sends three studies from no less exalted a source than the "Vita Nuova " of Dante; distant enough indeed from the exalted source of their inspiration, yet not destitute of respectful gravity. Miss E. Macirone is rather pleasant in "A Forest Scene in the Days of Wicliff" ; Miss S. C. Smith some- what commanding in "The Gleaner" ; Mr. Perry easy and self-possessed in various familiar subjects. Mr. Boyce has three landscape studies; among which "The Old Coach-road in Carnarvonshire" especially is free and vigorous in touch and rendering. The water in No. 399 is not satisfactory. Mrs. Duffield, whose better-known husband appears in force sufficient, has, with her floral and other materials, managed a gorgeous arrangement of colour in " Ipomeeas and other Flowers." Her "Basket of Roses" also has the right crumpled tenderness. In Miss E. Charnock's "Dahlias" and "Plums," though they can hardly be called well done in the execu- tive sense, good taste and feeling are very conspicuous.
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