30 APRIL 1842, Page 18

NEW SOCIETY OF WATER - COLOUR PAINTERS.

THE exhibition of the New Water-Colour Society, always interesting because of the fresh talent it annually brings forth, is this year more attractive than usual: the new members are of high promise, and some of the older ones have made great efforts ; few have failed in maintain- ing their position, though all are not equally successful. Among so many young exhibiters, each desirous of exciting attention, there must needs be some instances of misdirected energy and ambitious attempts beyond their powers, as well as imperfect skill and immature judgment ; but the evidences of inherent vigour and latent genius redeem much that is crude and defective by the indications of future excellence. Viewing this exhibition as a whole, its prevailing characteristic is want of repose : there is visible on every side a straining after violent effects beyond the legitimate powers of the water-colour medium, and at sub- jects above the grasp of the artist : all seem vying with each other iu bright bites and startling contrasts ; and the eye, fatigued by the im- portunate demands upon it, rests with grateful pleasure on the chaste and sober representations of nature that are scattered here and there.

Along the whole length of the gallery, on both sides on the line of the eye, there is almost an uninterrupted succession of large drawings, of considerable pretensions. In Figure subjects, Messrs. H. WARREN and E. CORBOULD take the lead ; but "place aux dames !" Two of the most striking and powerful productions are the designs of Miss S. SETCHEL and Miss F. CORBAUX. Miss Szreant, one of the new members, has treated a subject from one of CRABBE'S "Tales of the Hall "—Smugglers and Poachers, with a homely pathos akin to the poet's narrative : the picture has no title, but is No. 58 in the Catalogue. It represents a de- voted and self-sacrificing girl visiting her lover, in gaol for poaching, and in the set of appealing to him to speak the word that is to determine whether she shall share his miserable fate or become the obedient but not happy wife of his brother: her calm earnest look is expressive of deep sympathy rather than suppressed anguish. The wretched prisoner covers his face with his hands, but it is evident that the struggle going on in his bosom is more agonizing than the suspense of her whose doom hangs upon his word. The simplicity of the design contributes greatly to its touching expression, and is no less admirable than the extraor- dinary breadth and force of the effect, which is equal to oil-painting: the light thrown on the walls of the cell and the fetters of the prisoner, partakes of the cold gloomy character of the place, and harmonizes with the painful emotions of the inmates. Miss F. CORBAUX has chosen a tragical subject of more elevated character, and therefore more difficult to treat successfully ; the Scene from Borneo and Juliet, (1100 where Juliet awakes in the monument. As regards pictorial effect it is a fine work of art : the luminous depth of the chiaroscuro, the skilful blending of the moonlight with the rays from the friar's lantern, and the general arrangement, are admirable : the utmost power of water-colour is obtained without sacrificing any of its transparency and purity : but the Juliet is not according to our ideas of SHAKSPERE'S heroine.

EDWARD CORBOULD has essayed a Scripture subject—The Woman taken in Adultery, (77)—in a large composition, of numerous figures, treated in an academic manner, with great breadth of effect, and a de- gree of elevation that is commendable, but not adequately impressive : the action of the woman, who kneels at the feet of Christ, covering her face with one hand, expresses rather a momentary paroxysm of passion, than that deep, overwhelming sense of shame and contrition which we may presume to have moved the Divine compassion. In this picture Mr. CORBOULD has discarded his glaring, showy execution—we hope not to return to it again — and adopted a massive and grand style suited to the lofty character of the theme : his meritorious attempt has been rewarded by Prince ALBERT, who purchased it for two hundred guineas. The Prince has thus held forth the promise of Royal patron- age for the highest class of art, which has long languished for want of encouragement ; and has given us some reason to hope that other paint- ings besides portraits of pet animals and pictures of state ceremonials will at last find their way into the Palace. HENRY WARREN has three large and powerful pictures of Oriental scenes, in which Egyptian figures are principal : The Cooling-room of an Egyptian Bath, (17,) exhibits a combination of the sumptuous deco- rations of Moorish architecture and the splendour and luxury of the East ; but the faces of the dancing-girls and others betray a want of the imaginative power necessary to raise the interest of the picture above the material characteristics of the scene. In Mr. WARREN'S attempt to depict Abraham casting out Hagar and Ishmael this defici- ency is still more strongly felt : his most successful production is the Sale of a Nubian Girl, (99,) in which the mournful resignation of the young slave, the cold voluptuous character of the buyer, and the greedy savageness of the seller, are dramatically expressed.

LOUIS HAGUE has only one small design—a Knight at Confession ;

forcible in execution, but somewhat cold and coarse in style—for he has been occupied with a picture of the christening of the Prince of Wales. In designs of humorous character, J. J. JENKINS, a new member, gives promise of excellence : his group of Gossips is capital ; and his Cin- derella, though not the heroine of the fairy-tale, is a graceful and pic- turesque study of maidenhood. J. ABSOLON'S designs from the Senti- mental Journey, Barnaby Budge, and Gil Bias, though not altogether s.tisfactory, are lively in colour, and indicate a feeling for pleasantry and gaiety that study and cultivation may develop effectively. E. II. WEHNERT mistakes grotesque exaggeration for humour, and transfers the coarse vulgarity of his subject to his style, in Nigers Introduction to Alsace. W. H. KEARNEY falls into a similar error in his elaborate picture of Wardour Castle Surrendered to the Roundheads; the uncouth- ness being more in his drawing than in the characters of Cromwell's soldiery. L. HICKS'S Juliet on the Wedding Morning, is only fit for a theatrical print ; A. H. TAYLOR'S rustic figures are vulgar caricatures; and A. PENLEY'S Dairyman's Daughter is a ludicrous specimen of maud- lin expression and miserable drawing. In Landscape, two new members of remarkable talent, in totally op- posite styles, claim precedence. F. W. TOPHAN exhibits two wild rustic scenes, with groups of wayfarers resting, called The Wanderers, (240,) and The Wearied, (196,) that remind one of BERGHEAI in their tone and feeling; but also evince an originality of thought and fresh- ness of perception that augur better things than clever imitations of old masters. G. HODGSON, in a view of Durham, (247,) of which the noble Cathedral is the principal feature, shows in the exactness of the per- spective and the elaboration of the details the skill and patience of an architectural draughtsman ; but the delicacy in the local tints of the weather-stained gray stone, and the grandeur of effect, are indica- tions of much higher powers, which diligent study of natural pine- nomena and the refinements of art would develop. R. K. PENSON challenges attention and provokes censure by the extravagant pitch to which he carries his unnatural colouring and violent effects : in his large interior, representing the Tomb of the Cardinals Amboise, (276,) this vicious exaggeration attains the utmost height which perverted skill is capable of reaching; proportion, form, space, and substance, are confounded in one mass of livid glare. In striking contrast with this preposterous misuse of power and labour, are the sweet, simple landscapes of E. DUNCAN ; such as this meadow with a row of pollard willows beside a stream in Summer, (220,) to which we turn to refresh the sight with a glimpse of nature after being scorched by Mr. FEN- SON'S fuliginous effects. Mr. Duman's large sea-piece, Mount Orgueil Castle, (66,) is the best of its class in the gallery, and a clever picture; but we should prefer to it his lovely little bit of .Twilight, (284.) W. OLivEa has numerous romantic views in the Pyrenees ; and one on a large scale, the Valley of Luchon, (27,) which has space and grandeur : his studies of English scenery in Warwickshire and elsewhere are fresh and bright. M. YOUNGMAN has made a stride this year in his lane- scenes and corn-fields ; but in gaining power he has become opaque in his colouring. Divan Cox junior reminds us of his father in his peopled views of Haddon and Ludlow. G. HOWSE is still conspicuous for his ultra-picturesque mannerism in Gothic interiors and views of old towns; his large View of Rouen is a heap of exaggeration. T. S. ROBINS'S marine pictures, and the landscapes of Messrs. W. TELBTN, H. MAPLESTONE, W. N. HARDWICKE, W. ROBERTSON, RICHA.RDSON senior, J. W. ARCHER, G. B. CAMPION, J. FAHEY, T. LINDSAY, and SIDNEY SHEPHERD, contribute in due proportion to the variety of this department.

The limners Messrs. F. ROCHARD and B. R. GREEN are not fortu- nate this year. In flowers, Mrs. HARRISON has found a formidable rival in Mrs. MARGETTS.