FINE ARTS.
sOCIFIN OF BRITISH ARTISTS.
THE exhibition of this Society, at their Gallery in Suffolk Street, opens to t I.. public on lIonday. The private view is to-day; but sic °bud: ed a peep on " varnishing-day." View ‘d as a whole, the present show is by no means equal to sorm of former years : it has few prominent features, and the averageamount of merit is not above mediocrity. 'I'he largest and most 'vivant kable picture is one by Buss, of Christ Inas gimiliols in the olden time ; representing the interior of an old hall, after the feast, with the vassals in high merriment under the influence of good cheer, and the loidly party sharing the mirth. Buss has CVI- &fitly been emulating AinchtsE; and successfully too. Although tilt rude practical jokes and boisterous fun characteristic of the scene afforo
full scope for his broad humour, there is no offensive coarseness. • The painting is powerful, and carefully finished ; and if the gentle guests are rather uninteresting, there is no lack of character and spirit in the rest. A very characteristic and graceful design of a chivalric subject
not having a catalogue, we cannot give the title—by ELMORE, evi- dences great improvement on the part of this promising young artist. Two Fuseliesque extravaganzas by VON HOLST, and a pair of domestic subjects by PRENTIS, make up the sum of noticeable Designs.
The Portraits are not so numerous as usual ; and, which is a still greater improvement, they are generally better. A family party by SMART, is the perfection of still-life painting applied to mortals: the room and its occupants, the furniture and clothes, are delineated with equal accuracy ; the persons only want animation—they appear as if under an exhausted receiver. The painting is extremely clever never- theless. A whole-length portrait of a lady and child, by poor CLINT, is one of his best efforts. HURLSTONE'S portrait-pictures are the most
numerous and attractive: among them is a good likeness of Mrs. Butler—best known by her stage name, "Fanny Kemble." MIDDLE- TON has given Mrs. Nisbet's features correctly, but he has not caught her animated expression, as the hoyden in The LoveChase. His whole- length of Forrest, as Macbeth, is a satire upon that barbaric tragedian ; who seems to have carefully combed up his " fell of hair" to mimic its erectness in a state of horror, so that it looks like the black crest of a great cockatoo. We remarked two very clever portraits, of a mother aid daughter by EDDIS, and of a lady in yellow by LAURENCE, among those more particularly worthy of attention. The Landscapes andScenic pictures are numerous, but mostly slight : we noticed a Hungarian scene by ZEIGLER ; a large epic landscape by LINTON ; several rustic groups by SHAYER ; a fine coast view by STARK; several by TENNANT; a large moonlight by CH1LDE ; a strik- ing view in South America by EGERTON ; two or three marine pictures by WILSON; and many pretty bits of scenery by ALFRED MONTAGUE, ALLEN, VICKERS, and others.
Some Studies of rustic character by Lvincire and his clever imitator, by HANCOCK, PADDING, GILL, CLATER, and others, also struck Us. The Water-colour room is very miscellaneous. The Sculpture-room is better filled than usual. PARK'S busts of Dr. Bowring, Sadler,
Haydon, and Miss Rainfortb, are the best. There is one of Sir Ro- bert Peel, that is strongly characteristic ; and we also recognized the features of Lord Brougham, and of Martin the painter.
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