school of painting. In this field it is without a
rival ; and, humble as HUNT'S studies of rustic character and scenes are identities: the is the ground of preeminence, we may well feel proud Gf it. Artists force and certainty of his realizations are extraordinary : he goes di- of other countries may produce more elaborate imitations of external rect to the point, and never misses his aim. He is the COBBETTof nature; but where else shall we find the atmosphere painted ? what painters. " The Toilet" (90)—a gipsy mother seated on a bank braid- other medium is there shat can convey with such congenial truth and ing her hair while a girl holds the looking-glass—is interesting from its freshness, that out-door feeling which is the charm of landscape? We truth merely ; as are his interiors of kitchens, wood-houses, hovels, not only see trees and grass, but we scent the hay, breathe the moist and cottage bed-rooms,—objects homely and common, but to which the air, or bask in the warm sunshine. The spirit of the scene is embodied. actuality of the representation gives a charm. His urchins are this Every variety of aspect which nature wears is presented to us in turn ; year more droll than ever : the best praise is the irrepressible laughter and, however different the manner of the artists—in some cases it is they excite. The drollest of them are," The Day of Rests' (199)--a peculiar to faultiness—the result is nearly equally satisfactory, so vivid boy in his " Sunday's best," seated bolt upright in a pew, his legs that is not the less affecting because it is real and of too frequent oc- We must, for want of room, be content with a the affair, heighten by contrast the effect on the mind of the spectator. STEPHANOFF ; and turn to the LANDSCAPES. The painting is powerful and highly wrought, and the accessories of the discreet wife blushing at the violence of her husband, and the serve' LAKE PRICE, one of the newly-elected Associates, bids fair to prove a most efficient member : his contributions are numerous ; consisting THE P1CAROON of interiors with figures, full of fine picturesque feeling, in a bold and bodies. " Othello relating his Adventures " (38), is only an "interior with figures ;" " The Parting"—a knight taking his last embrace of his little simple country girl by a naive remark unconsciously implies the old moral that, to have no wants is to be miserable, is prettily told by
IS the truth of the impression. dangling so listlessly that his shoes seem ready to drop off, giving a Before characterizing the landscapes, however, we must speak yawn of hopeless weariness ; " The Fly-catcher" (237)—an !die of the DESIGNS. Of this class, LEWIS'S Spanish Scenes are most schoolboy preparing to seize a fly that has settled on his spelling- interesting and characteristic : war, devotion, and time dance — the book ; his eye fixed on the victim with a smile of exultation, and three pursuits that divide the attention of the Spaniards — are his hands bent on his fatal purpose ; " Winter" (195)—a boy, who pictured with the force and animation of reality. "A Spy of the hest just set down two buckets full of frozen water, out of pure inabi. Christine Army brought before Zumalucarreguy" (316), is an epi- lity to carry them further, standing with pendent arms and benumbed sode of the civil war told with simplicity and dramatic effect. A fingers bagged in worsted mittens, with a face of lachrymose disgust at peasant and his family have been arrested ; the man stands bound the cold ; and last and best, " The Barber" (251)—a ploughboy between two Carlist soldiers, and returns a look of undaunted resolu- having his hair cut ; the boy's face twisted up with the effort of en- lion to the searching glance of Zumalacarreguy, who has just taken durance, and his bands bent with the intensity of apprehension, as if his cigar from his mouth as if to pronounce the doom of the prisoner, his hair was being tugged out by the roots ; while the village tensor s The Carlist chieftain, in his red cap and sheepskin jacket, the monk melancholy visage hangs over his head with the apathy of habitud. e, who is bolding out the despatches found on the prisoner, the military inost ludicrously heightening the comic effect. The force of painting secretary recording the circumstance, the aide-de-camp lounging behind can no further go—we thought we never should have ceased laughing the general, the soldiers listening to the order, and the wife, so soon to at it. This might serve as a hint to the ingenious artist that two be widowed, kneeling in tears to beg for mercy, while her unconscious heads are better than one in a picture; why does he not try is comp infant is playing with the cross she wears, make up a tragical incident sition ?—he would tell a story capitally.
currence. The indifference of the actors, and the business-like air of 14 efforts the e_orts of J. M. WRIGHT, CRISTALL, CHISHOLM, RICIITLR, and
passieg allusion to picture are introduced in a masterly manlier. "The Sacristy of a Ca- and brilliancy without heaviness and hardness; he has produced more " Venice " (174), is HARDING'S finest work : it has all his power
thedral in Spain, with devotional Peasants "(269), and "A Fiesta scene effect with less effort. The view is that which the painters have made in the South of Spain—Peasants, &c. of Grenada dancing the Bolero" so familiar to us—the Doge's Palace and St. Mark's, with Santa Se. (146), are full of the spirit of the people and the clime. The last scene lute in the distance: a golden evening sunlight glows .over the scene, sunlight piercing through the trellissed roof. overgrown with vines, and a group of boats and figures gives colour and animation to the fore. ground. The aerial perspective, indicated by the masts of the stranded as similar to one in the artist's Spanish Sketches : the effect of the vessel in the middle distance at.d those of the shipping beyond, is per- fect • and the shadows are warm in their comparative coolness, so as to harmonize with the prevailing tone of the picture. The pinky hue of the sky strikes us as peculiar ; it may nevertheless be true.
EL
CoebEv FIDING connibutes numerous beautiful scenes of down and heath and mountain and sea in storm and sunshine. He is excel- lent o usual : to point out his merits is superfluous, but two pictures especially charmed us—" View from Bow Hill, near Chichester — Goodwood in the distance" (61), in which the smooth, rounded sur- face of the downs, the close turf nibbled short by sheep, is imitated to perfection ; and " View looking over Busted Woods to the Weald of Sussex" (94), with an effect of distant rain and sunlight breaking Ovough the shower—this is the nc plus ultra of landscape painting. DEWINT, whose loose, heavy manner (a strong contrast to the deli- cacy and finish of COPLEY FIELDING') derogates from the art of his pictures, charms Us, notwithstanding, by the sober truth and freshness of his verdurous landscapes, with hay-fields and cornfields; and his river scenes, with cloudy skies and a moist warm atmosphere, tempered by the refreshing coolness of the stream. The examples are too numerous and alike for individual reference, and his drawings are so easily recognized that they do not need particularizing. EVANS has improved surprisingly : the cool gray of his green tints is beautifully fresh and clear, and there is a chaste sobriety of tone and refinement of style in his landscapes this year which bespeak the accomplished artist. Most of them are Irish scenes, characteristically wild and verdant : two others, Windsor (343), and Cone Castle (353), however, pleased us more than any, by their elegant simplicity and local truth. BARRETT paints suns as brightly, and beautifully true as ever, but in other respects he is more deficieet than usual. F. Nam's three large views of Windsor Castle (85, 95, and 1570 are a great advance : the effect of sunset in Rivaulx Abbey (172), end in his view of Old Fish- mongers' Hall (172), is beautiful. GASTINEAU has made a bold and successful effort to portray u scene of savage grandeur, with rocks and foaming waves—vide Kynance Cove, Cornwall (52). And NESFIELD, though still too hard and monotonous in texture, has produced some effective drawings ; the most :rttructive being a scene in Dove Dale (8), and Chatsworth Park, with deer admirably painted (158). W. TCRNER pleases by the fidelity of his broad-cloth-textured views and their vivid colouring, which not even his artificial and mechanical mat:-
tier can destroy : the water-lilies in 2;16 look delicious. Cox's fresh breezy landscapes of upland and lea, with low horizons sparkling v. ith sunlight, or dewy, cool, and cloudy, with atmosphere so pure that we almost seem to inhale it, an scattered about in profusion : so perfect is their truth, that we are ncunciled to tile loose, free touch of these
slight sketches. Scorr's cottages—in the best style of the old drawing-master school—and 6!e cle;.:ant mannerism of Fiseri and VARLEY, conclude the Ii t of lalliiseapes.
HOLLAND'S water-colour drawings are not equal to his oil-paintings ; but his Venetian scenes (125 and 145), are admirable for the depth and
brilliancy of local colouring. Pnours architectural views are too familiar to need more than a mention of them : they show no signs of his ill state of health, except by their fewness.
BENTLEY has made a daring and vigorous effort this year : " The Raft" (37), is the largest water-colour painting ever exhibited, we should think ; but it is nothing more than a huge wave after all, for the human beings on the raft are mere nothings : it is power and labour thrown away. CHAMBERS is bright and clear, to hardness, iii two Dutch water pieces; but it is a welcome improvement on his heavy and opaque manner. In cattle-pieces, F. TAYLER is still admirable for rich colour and tone, and the glowing truth of his effects : his horses, oxen, dogs, and men, are full of character ; but besides being loosely painted, as last year, they are muddy, and still more slight. Let him beware that he does not fall into an incurable slovenly mannerism he must define more. THALES FIELDING'S Cove-like landscapes with cattle, and IIILLs's worsted-work deer, &c. are unchanged.
A group of dahlias OW, by BARTHOLOMEW, exemplifies the highest excellence of flower.painting,--namely, the combination of pictorial skill in the management of light and colour and arrangement of forms, with accurate imitation of nature, uniting breadth of effect with minute details.
We looked for some time in vain for specimens of the talent of the other new member, GLENNIE ; till at last we found out an insignificant landscape or two. And this is the man that was preferred to DANIEL FOWLER, whose originality and power stamp him as the foremost of the rising young painters of landscape !
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