26 SEPTEMBER 1835, Page 17

PICTURES AND ARTISTS. ILLUSTRATIONS OF THE ANNUALS.

WE had been solacing ourselves for the want of that welcome exhibi- tion of the earlier works of the English school by the Soviety of British Artists during the temporary close of the National Gallery for its keepers' holydays, by enriching our sight with another view of CLaune's lovely landscape sketches at .AICSSIS. WOODSURN'S Gallery, in St. Martin's Lane, when a blossom of the Landscape Annual met our eyes. Were it possible to find fault with the early appearance of these Pictorial petals of the Annuals, the consideration that they enliven what would otherwise be the dullest part of the year, in respect of works of art, would disarm censure. flail ! then, to the glorious pageant of miniature pictures—to these tiny galleries of engravings ; and, especially, hail to the foremost—and the best, we had almost added--•

JENNINGS'S LANDSCAPE ANNUAL.

DAVID Rormas is pursuing his progress through Spain, giving us views of its wild and romantic scenery and noble and picturesque architecture. Last year he confined himself principally to Grenada, and its pride and glory, the Alhambra, that rich gem of Moorish archi- tecture; this year he explores other parts of the pi evince of Andalusia. He coasts it from Gibraltar to Cadiz on the one hand, and Malaga on the other ; and then proceeds to Seville, from whence he diverges to Xeres and Cordova.

Roamers is preeminent as an architectural draughtsman ; and his knowledge of perspective enables him to give that appearance of size which is so essential to the grandeur of a stately pile of building. In Ois particular, indeed, he is equal to TURNER, while in minute accu-. racy of detail he is superior ; but he does not come up to him either in the truth or variety, the breadth or the brilliancy of his effects of light and shade. This year, however, he has made a great stride in advance of his former efforts. Some of his effects of sunlight are worthy of TURNER ; and in the representation of vastness and dis- tance he often equals him. The View of the Rock of Gibraltar con- veys a perfect idea of its stupendous magnitude; and the point of view is, moreover, admirably chosen for shun ing the picturesque form, isolated position, and great extent of this impregnable fortress of Nature's own construction. The View of the massive Castle of Tarifa, in the Gut of Gibraltar, is admirable for the skilful drawing sod arrangement of the vessels and figures in the foreground, whieh give the scene an appearance characteristic of the country. In the vignette of Malaga, in the title, the cathedral would seem to be preternaturally lofty, and the boats are somewhat artificially grouped ; but it is an im- posing scene ; and it' the proportions of the edifice are truly repre- sented, it must vie in altitude with St. Peter's at Borne. In the general liew of Malaga—looking down from the ruined Moorish fortress—the Cathedral towers above every other building, as St. Paul's does above the churches of London. This is a bold and masterly piece of perspective ; but justice is not done to the drawing by the painter, who has evidently been at a loss how to give it its due effect. A similar View of Xeres has the like merits and defects. Of Cadiz we nave but one view, and that is so strikingly beautiful that it makes us wish for more. It represents the sumptuous architecture of the grand entrance of a convent, and the Square of the Alameda, with its lofty palace-like houses, its trees and fountain, and a throng of loungers. We shall look for other scenes in Cadiz next year. Of Seville we have seven views ; in needy all of which the beautiful Meorish tower of the Giralda and the rich Gothic Cathedral form prominent objects, seen in various directions. Three of these views are not only the best of the series, but perfectly beautiful as works of art. One is an interior—the entrance to the Hall of Ambassadors, in the palace of the AleazarL-which closely resembles in its architecture the Alhambra; though its decorations are even more rich and elegant. Another is a river scene, showing the " Golden Tower," tinged by the slant rays of a setting sun, with a flood of light

reflected in the stream. The relief of the figures of the men launching a boat in the foreground, and of the water birds, gives

a surprising effect of reality to this lovely picture. The third is is bull-fight ; the superb architecture of the grand gallery, the extent of the area of the ring, the crowds of spectators, and their excitement, as the wounded body of one of the horsemen is lifted over the en- closure, and the magnificent mass of buildings in the background, are all represented with most powerful effect, and bring the whole scene vividly before the eye. We had almost named a fourth—the Plaza Real and Procession of Corpus Christi; and, in point of splendour and character, it deserves mention, but the grandeur of the scene is destroyed by a spotty distribution of lights and an indecisive effect. The general view of Cordova, looking down the Guadalquiver, is the most brilliant picture of any. The composition is elegant, and the sunlight is glowing. The masses of buildings are picturesquely vaned in their forms, and every part preserves its due place. A boat or two on the river would be an improvement ; there is not a single. one visible. This makes the city wear a deserted look, quite at variance with the animation that is given to the scene by the group of fisher- anen and loungers on the terrace in the foreground. The View of the Prison of the Inquisition, with its gloomy walls and frowning towers, is impressive. The reflection of sunlight in the water is beautifully bright ; but it makes the rest of the picture appear to want atmosphere : the ruin in the foreground seems to join the distant buildings. This Want of air lessens the effect of the street scene with the lofty tower of the church. The Interior of the Great Mosque at Cordova, with its numerous Moorish arches supported on Corinthian coltanns and another of the Church of Xeres, with its lofty pillars of superb dothic fretwork, lose much of their grandeur by the fault of which we Lave before complained-a want of decision and meaning in the ar- rangement of light and shade. The general views of the Monastery at Xeres, of the ruins of the ancient city of Italica, and of the town of Carmona, are well-chosen, striking, and comprehensive ; but the romantic wildness of the country is not shown to the best advantage : the landscape wants the out-door look. But, however unequal the views may be in beauty and naturalness of pictorial effect, the drawing and arrangement is admirable in all : the architecture of the cities, and the general aspect of the country are accurately and grandly portrayed. The novelty and magnificence of the scenes combined with the artist's skill, lead us to anticipate that this will be the most popular, if not the most beautiful, of the Tourist Annuals.

The engravings are so uniformly excellent, that we cannot, without doing injustice to the others, name any one in particular. They are, for the most part, perfect.

THE ORIENTAL ANNUAL Is illustrated, as usual, by WILLIAM DANIELL, R. A., who is famed for the fidelity and neatness of his delineations of the scenery and antiquities, the animals and plants of India. The tameness of his .style causes a monotony of character which lessens the force of the impression which the strangeness of the wonderful scenes and objects is calculated to make upon the unaccustomed eye. But this, which -we consider a defect, may serve to render the views more pleasing to those who prefer insipidity with smoothness to originality and vigour with rough freedom, and they are at least intelligible to all.

Here is a pretty view of Bombay under a clear bright sky, with the shipping in the harbour ; the tall cocoa-trees with their plumed heads that grace the slopes of the shore being the only objects that give the landscape an Oriental aspect. How characteristic is this scene on the coast of Malabar, with its grove of tall straight trees, contrasted by thick masses of foliage depending like drapery from its twisted many- stemmed trunk on the edge of a lake ; where the adjutant crane stalks, and the solitude is only broken by a group of half-naked Hindoo women performing their ablutions and filling their cala- bashes, after having worshipped at the little pagoda near. The stupendous architectural caverns of Salsette and Elephanta im- press us as much by their singularity as their vastness, which is not fully shown. The colossal statue of an elephant is a curious fragment of Indian art, and proves that the Hindoos could sculpture animals cor- rectly, if not the human form. The domed tombs at Delhi, and the lofty temple at Tritchengur, sink into insignificance in comparison with the Choultry at Madurah, whose interior presents a specimen of Hindoo architecture unrivalled in extent and magnificence of design. In gran. deur and elegance it may vie with the Greek temples ; and the prodi- gality and beauty of its sculptured enrichments cannot be surpassed by Moorish splendour. The scenery on the coast about Muskat has a very Indian look, with its conical cliffs and fortresses crowning every rock.

The drawings of animals are rendered more pictorially interesting by the landscapes in which they are introduced, and by making them illustrate the wild sports of the East ; as where the elephant directed by hunters is trampling on a tiger, and goring him with his tusks or the character of the beast, as where the lion has fastened on a buffalo. The anecdote of the monkey that plucked a crow in revenge for the bird having eaten his victuals, is very amusingly pictured by Mr. DANIELL. The sable brethren of the unhappy delinquent darken the air as they flutter round the monkey with open hills, screaming a hoarse chorus to the plaintive cries of the sufferer, and the monkey looks as if be were apprehensive of their vengeance.

The tall, well-proportioned form of the Hindoo females is shown to great advantage by their light and graceful dress : it looks primitive in its simplicity, and of classic elegance, as they walk poising a vase -on their heads.

The engravings are executed with extreme care and neatness.

THE CHRISTIAN KEEPSAKE.

The embellishments of the Christian Keepsake consist of portraits .-of the Princess Victoria (to whom the volume is dedicated), Mrs. Fry, the late Mr. Wilberforce, Mr. Buxton Dr. Morrison and

his two Chinese translators of the Bible, and Buxton, Ali, a Per- : aim convert to Christianity.

Among the landscapes, are views of Antioch, Nazareth, the Cedars .of Lebanon, Canton, &c. An interior of the chapel leading to the 4cave in which the Cross is said to have been found, taken by Mr. CA- "THERWOOD, is curious and picturesque. This Annual and

THE DRAWING-ROOM SCRAP-BOOK,

both of which are published by Messrs. FrsitEa, contain some ambi- tious scenic designs for the Pilgrim's Progress, by H. MeLvILLE-a new name in art. He cultivates the ornate and artificial style of the imi- tators of TURNER and MARTIN: we would recommend him to study nature. The embellishments of the Drawing-room Scrap-Book are very miscellaneous; consisting of an Omnium Gatherum of plates selected from the various publications of Messrs. FISHER. To those who do not possess these works, the plates will be attractive from their interest and merit. The views of India, from the works of Captains ELLIOTT and GRINDLAY,-of English lake scenery and antiquities, by Act.om,-and the portraits of celebrated persons of the present day, including Lord Mulgrave and Mrs. Trollope, are interspersed with little designs and views, some of which we are not familiar with. Among these it a striking view of the Horseshoe Fall of Niagara, looking up under the cataract from a ledge of rock, drawn by ALLosr, from a sketch by Colonel COCKBURN. It makes an attractive frontis- piece to the volume. The poetical descriptions, by L. E. L., will more properly come under notice in reviewing the literary contents of the Annuals.