THE NEW WATER-COLOUR SOCIETY.
An exhibition so distressingly bare as the New Water-Colour Society's of this year is not within our recollection. Had it been otherwise, we might have considered it only courteous to apologize to the members for giving, through pressure on our space, a late twopennyworth in the pound of criticism : but really, irrespectively of anything beyond their own de- merits, we should be admonished to brevity all the same.
The President, Mr. Warren, is below his average, or rather at the very worst he can manage; for he belongs to that unaccountable set of artists who have no average, but are sometimes near being positively good, at others worse than extremely bad. We refer to his principal production, " The Warrant exhibited to the Lady Abbess of a Benedictine Nunnery for the Suppression of her Convent, temp. Henry VIII. " : another, " Mein Voglein," is a reasonably successful female study with something of native stateliness. Mr. Corbould is not, indeed, at his worst in "The Destruction of the Idols at Basle " : but it is just in his usual style, where costume does duty for historical manner, and hard dexterous nicety for real finish. "King John refusing allegiance to the Pope, as performed at Windsor Castle," and "Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean in their Macbeth characters," both "painted by command of her Majesty," are very inferior, though the likenesses in the latter are correct. Macbeth enshrined by art under the lineaments of Charles Kean !—But "la Reine le veut." Mr. Wehnert is at his worst: it seems impossible that the perpetrator of " Pia thole," with its absurd arrangement and liney meaningless faces, should be an artist of real and proved capacity. Mr. Absolon is careless, and in both senses indifferent. Still there is something lively and pretty in the corn- field on which his phantasy has bestowed the title of "The Field of the Cloth of Gold, Guinea" ; and the motion of the merrymaking dancers in No. 202 has ease, if not the ease of peasants. Mr. Haghe is as good as ab- sent from the walls, or there would have been one figure-painter not dis- appointing. The rest we need not mention, with the single exception of Miss Egerton, symptoms of whose graceful quality are perceptible.
In landscape, the Society has lost Mr. Davidson, as we before had oc- casion to note. Other prominent exhibitors of the better class contribute, some weakly, others in tolerable, none in unusual force. We fix un- hesitatingly upon Miss Fanny Steers as the author of the two best things in the gallery,—" An Autumn Evening," and " A Woodland Scene" ; both diminutive. The sweet warm colour, nice observation and drawing, and tender glow of these little works, are most refreshing. Miss Steers is a perfect example of modest merit ; her productions are always unconspicuous and delightful, like violets. Mr. Carsick is bright, vivid, and forcible • " The Sea-side," in action as well as in the colour and scenery. dr. Pidgeon may also be distinguished for the strong un- laborious painting of his "Weir on the Thames, Soaping" ; and Mr. Cook for the vaporous softness of atmosphere in his " Stag Rocks, Lizard, Cornwall."
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