FIN E ARTS.
SOCIETY OF BRITISH ARTISTS.
THE Exhibition of this Society opens to the public on Monday, at their Gallery in Suffolk Street. The private view is to-day; which being too late for notice in the whole of our impression, we were ad- mitted to take a peep on "varnishing-day." The result of a cursory glance on a dark morning and without the aid of a catalogue, is, that this exhibition, like that of the British Institution, has suffered materially by the strong competition among artists for places at the ensuing grand display at the Royal Academy. There are fewer pictures of mark than usual.
HURLSTONE takes the lead in the number and excellence of his paintings. He exhibits almost the only "historical picture" in the col- lection—Captives in a Dungeon : but, without knowing the precise story, it would be unfair to ci iticize it. His groups of Italian children are full of character. He has also several portraits, some of them whole-lengths.
Among the designs, we recognized the style of PRENTIS, Pooce, and PARKER ; but they are not so happy this year in their choice of
subjects, or in their manner of treating them. A very wild and cha.
neteristie scene of a party of armed barbarians fording a river, by ZEITTER ; an exquisite cattle-piece, by SIDNEY COOPER; a beautiful view in Mexico, by a painter of great skill; and one of HOLLAND'S brightly.coloured views in Venice,—are the most prominent among the Scenic pictures. LTNTON exhibits two of his artificial landscape Compositions; ALLEN several pretty glimpses of rural scenery; and CmiAsteens two or three of his clever marine pieces. WILSON Sit AYER, WATTS, STARK, A. CLINT, LEWIS, and CIIILDE, have also WILSON, of merit. Among the portraits, Cusrr's are next 1mm importance to .HURI.STONF..S; and there are several admirable ones by other painters. In the Water Colour Room, the landscapes of ALLEN, BARNARD, and Fowt.F.a, are most attractive.
%t he Sculpture Room contains two or three good busts and figures. One of a nymph reclining is the most beautiful. As we write, several clever pictures rise to our recollection, that ought not to be omitted even in this hasty glimpse. We shall have Mn opportunity of doing justice to them, however, in the more com- plete and exact account of the exhibition that we shall endeavour to find room for next week.
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