PICTURES AND ARTISTS.
EXHIBITION OF THE SOCIETY OF PAINTERS IN WATER COLOURS.
THE limited space which politics leave us this week for other mat- ters, obliges us to be very concise in our remarks upon the present exhibition. Indeed, its universal popularity and excellence, and the established floe of the artists who contribute to it—who do not, as in the case of other exhibitions, vary from year to year—render a general account sufficient. The task of selection would be difficult where all is beautiful ; and the visitor needs not pass by any pic- ture, though he may dwell upon some longer and with deeper satis- faction. What a glorious display of genius and of the powers of this delightful branch of art might we not have had, if TURNER, STANFIELD, and STANLEY, had contributed to this exhibition! Some of STANLEY'S works adorn the exhibition of the New Society of Water Colour Painters in Bond Street; but the water-colour drawings of TURNER and STANFIELD we can only get a sight of privately. So much for monopoly !, Let us, however, enjoy the feast spread out before the eye. In COPLEY FIELDING'S pictures, we see the barren waste and misty heath, the green undulating sweep of the downs, the lowering cloud, and the fervid glare of noon, the swellibg canvas of vessels in a gale. DEWINT takes us with him into the harvest-field in some level corn country; or we sit beside him on the bank of a river or the sea-coast, contemplating with delight the green repose and bumble beauty of the scene, so truly English in its character. In ROBSON'S pictures, " Where the last sun-burst of expiring day In dying twilight weeps itself away," we see the bare rocks encircling the lonely lake, or the grey cathedral towers rising solemnly in the still evening. His "View of Westminster Hall and Abbey from the Bridge," is almost a deception : nothing can be more real than the ruddy glow of sunset, blending with the cold blue of the sky above, and the effect of the lamps glimmering in the moon- light ; the towers of the Abbey and the roof of the Hall are, however, scarcely solid enough. ROBSON has also some beautiful extended views of lake scenery, the only fault of which is a too great smoothness and monotony of texture. BannErr's resplendent sun-light effects and Claude-like evening skies are a perfect contrast to the cool green fresh- ness of Cox's verdurous scenes. This last-mentioned artist has seve- ral delightful little sketches of the exterior and interior of Haddon Hall; and two or three larger pictures, in which he has made more ambi- tious attempts with considerable success. GASTINEAU has made great advances this year. The number and excellence of his productions, and the variety of his effects,—moonlight (of which he has two or three beautiful examples), sunset and sunrise, storm and calm, a sea view or two, and more than one large picture, painted with a greater degree 9f force than was his wont,—attest his industry and improved talent. EvaNs has several natural-looking scenes, wanting only a little more power. W. TURNER, T. FIELDING, and W. SCOTT, also exhibit pro- ductions of great beauty in landscape. PROUT is, as usual, rich in his broad, forcible, and gaily-coloured architectural views, and picturesque fragments of curious old buildings. MACKENZIE has one or two elaborate and technically accurate Interiors of Cathedrals. NASII is not happy in his style, though he has two or three populous scenes,—such as a Market-place, an Inn-yard, and the Interior of a Church,—which appear to have been well studied. HARD- ING'S Scene at Naples is brilliant and clever, but it does not fulfil the promise of his sketches : the procession is not well brought out ; and the picture, as a whole, wants completeness of effect. CATTERMOLE is more intelligible this year. His Cloister scene (247) is profuse in Gothic ornament, rather more so than is perhaps correct ; it wants relief of light and shade. His Interior at Haddon (309) is purely coloured. HUNT has a numerous display of Plough-boys and Rustic Portraits,. the force and identity of which in resemblance and expression not only excuse, butjustify his choice of the subjects and coarseness of touch. His flesh is not so red this year; the tone of colour is not in the least ex- aggerated. One boy is eating hot bread and milk ; and another has got &lump of pudding, and is looking with a quiet merry leer of delight. This artist has likewise got one or two studies of swarthy Fishermen and Smugglers, with coal-black hair and beards, and looking like an- cient Britons. His fruit, flowers, and dead game, are all but real. LEwis has several very masterly pictures, of Sporting and Cottage scenes in the Highlands. lie selects the same class of subjects as EDWIN LANDSEER, and treats them in a similar way; rather too much so. His style is mannered, being too uniformly sketchy, with a hard outline ; and his flesh tints are always too opaque. His best picture is " Highland Hospitality" (192). The two gentlemen guests arc, in costume, look, and air, true portraits; the attitudes of both are easy, natural, and graceful—particularly the one lighting his cigar at an ember of wood. The attitudes of the Highland host and the old dame appear, on the contrary, studied and artificial. F. TAY- LER has two pictures of great promise—" The Spectator reading his papers to Sir Roger de Coverley," and " Rich Relations" (299). J. CHISHOLME has also several clever pictures; of which " King James the Fir:1 and his jeweller Heriot" (359), and " Shakspeare before Jus- tice Shallow" (329), are the best; Shakspeare's face is copied from the Chandos portrait, but lie looks neither like a poet nor a deer-stealer. The composition and making up of both pictures is artist-like, and the expression of Heriot is excellent ; King James, too, laughs royally enough. STEPHANOFF'S picture of the " Banquet Scene in Henry the Eighth" (56), where the King first sees Anne Boleyn, is gay, but more fit to be painted on glass, for the sake of its rich display of co- lour, than to be looked at as an historical picture. His faces are all alike, in possessing an affected character; and this capital defect, which is observable in all the works of this artist, neutralizes his mechanical skill. RICHTER'S " King CopheLua and the Beggar Maid" (3) is too meretricious in style: the beggar is a bloom- ing courtesan, with loose golden tresses wantoning on her am- ple and not concealed charms ; and her ragged petticoat is in the style of Opera beggars (not those of the Beggars' Opera). J. M. Warn= has a number of his clever little Stothardian designs, and a large picture from Tom Jones, of " Jenny Jones before Mrs. Deborah Wilkins" (126), which is admirable for truth of character and expres- sion : you seem to have seen all the gossips before. J. W. Waraur has several beautiful designs, painted in his usual broad and powerful style, with rich colouring. " Isaac of York, Rebecca, and Garth," has all the force of an oil-painting.. The head of the Jew and his in- tense look are finely portrayed: Gurth's figure, attitude, and costume, are also good; somewhat too noble and classical, perhaps, for a swine- herd. Rebecca is like one of CnAroN's ladies • in fancy costume. " The Confidential Communication " (409), two females talking over
the contents, of a letter which one of them has received, is, for drawing, colouring, and composition, a gem ; and the beauty and expression of the one whose face is seen, adds a charm and interest to the picture, which completes its attraction. It is perfect nature and perfect art combined. Last, but assuredly not least, are the brilliant pictures of Miss L. SHARPE. The scene with the two rival ladies at the ball-room, where one faints away at seeing the other enter with a black attendant dressed in a kirtle of embroidery of the same piece with her own dress, is highly wrought and beautifully painted; but the mortified fair one's swoon is too deadly, and the company appear to look upon the scene with great sangfroid. " The Widow " (369) is comely and expressive ; and the " Two Sisters" are lovely girls beautifully painted, but the look of one is not that of a daughter contemplating a deceased mother's picture. Miss SHARPE'S style of painting is rich, forcible, pure, and highly- finished ; but it is a little too hard and China-like this year; and in elaborating the faces, she loses something both of tenderness and vigour of expression.
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