ART.
CABINET PICTURES IN OIL AT THE DUDLEY GALLERY.
THE first thing that strikes us with regard to'this exhibition at the Dudley Gallery is, that a large majority of the works shown are rather studies and sketches than what we are accustomed to consider Cabinet Pictures. This is seen more particularly in the contributions by artists of established reputation—for instance, Mr. Stacey Marks's painting of a young lady's back. There is no work here of surpassing merit, nor indeed any one that is very remarkable in any way ; but there are many bright, pleasing pic- tures, not, as a rule, striving after very high art, but accom- plishing their minor aims fairly well. There is a very noticeable lack of subject-pictures, representing stories or incidents, and an excessive quantity of single figures walking in gardens, sitting solitary in chairs, or poking the fire, as the case may be.
Of the great majority of these it is really impossible to give any detailed description that would be in the least interesting, from the feet that there is no subject to be described, and no unusual amount or lack of ability shown in execution of the painting ; but there are some dozen pictures which form excep- tions to this general rule, and of them we shall proceed to speak.
No. 182, "Samson," by G. F. Watts, R.A. The moment chosen to illustrate is apparently just after the slaughter of the three hundred Philistines, and Samson, weary with the conflict, is resting upon a rock, in a somewhat dejected attitude ; in front of him lies a dead Philistine, the only trace of the battle in the picture, and by his side the jawbone of the ass, which has fallen from Samson's hand ; behind, a quiet landscape of green fields and blue mountains, sun and shadow. It may be noticed that Mr. Watts has insisted upon the most literal interpretation of his subject, and perhaps it would have been better to have treated it in a less realistic manner. We do not mean that the drawing is
realistic, for it is not, but broad and suggestive, after Mr. Watts's usual style. The face and figure are dejected in expression and attitude, and the former seems too refined in character and de- ficient in strength of purpose. The drawing lacks firmness of outline, and the muscular development strikes us as hardly adequate. It is, however, quite the best piece of colour in the exhibition. The warm brown flesh, the red garment, the sunlit green slope, and the dark-blue mountains are most harmonious, and the whole, though very subdued in tone, is warm and glowing.
On each side of this hang Mr., Phil Morris's two pictures of "Breezy June" and "The Dust-Cloud," Nos. 177, 197. The former of these is a small replica of the one in this year's Academy, —a girl and boy hurling bundles of hay at each other. The latter represents two girls coming along a country lane in a storm of dust, holding their dresses above their heads for protection. The motive of both these compositions seems to be the opportunity which the subjects afforded Mr. Morris of making use of the same- kind of dim, undefined outline and ghostly colour which may be- noticed in all his later works. We had it in the best picture he has ever painted, "The Sailor's Wedding," in this year's- Academy. We have it also in his third contribution to this exhibition, representing a mower and his sweetheart coming down a steep lane in the gloaming. That there- is a certain amount of grace and fancy about these composi- tions, we readily admit, but they are thoroughly flimsy and un- substantial, and more suitable for the outside of a French sweet- meat box than an exhibition. But if we wish to see how infinitely preferable painting like this is to a certain kind of realistic treat- ment, we have only to turn to No. 239, "Bread-and-Cheese and Ale," by Harry Leslie. We looked at this picture fora long time in utter amazement as to how it could possibly have been accepted.. It represents one of the most hideous of modern public-houses,., with three tiny figures, like those in a Noah's Ark, eating and. drinking at a table placed in front of the tavern. There is abso- lutely no meaning of any kind in the picture. " Iluggin's Ales," "Slate Bagatelle," and various other inscriptions are painted in- full length with minute care, and will, perhaps, qualify this artist in future days for employment in a more congenial if somewhat lower style of his art. All these details may be seen and noted, but the hopeless, objectless vulgarity of the whole, the degrada- tion of a certain amount of technical skill, render this one of the most painful pictures we have ever seen. If our realism is to get to such a pitch as this, in heaven's name let us throw it over- board at once. The worst of French blottesque were far preferable.
Mr. Heywood Hardy sends two works, Nos. 77 and 309. The latter of these is entitled "The County Circus," and is, on the whole, perhaps, the pleasantest picture in the Gallery. The scene is a small canvas-tent, with a somewhat scanty audience, hardly visible in the dim light, while in the grass plot which forms the centre of the ring, the circus-proprietor is introducing his "star. equestrienne," who is making her introductory bow to the audience._ On one side a groom in red leads a grey horse, whilst on the other a decrepit and miserable-looking monkey squats against one of the poles of the tent, and surveys the whole of the proceedings with a look of unmitigated disgust. Though somewhat coarsely painted, and in parts very slight, this is a thoroughly pleasing composition, and full of real feeling. We do not think that in any of his larger pictures has Mr. Hardy made a more genuine success than this. Hitherto, we have always felt, whilst looking at his compositions, that they were deficient in feeling, particularly was this the case with the "Gathering of the Animals into the Ark" in the last Academy; but here there is real character boldly and clearly indicated, the indifferent way the groom holds the horse, the professional grin of the foreign circus-master, and above all, the miserable little monkey in his yellow jacket, are alike good, and the colour, on the whole, much more pleasing than is usual. The composition is a little seatterect, the groom and grey horse hardly seeming to belong to the centre group, but this is of little importance compared to the manner- in which the spirit of the scene has been reproduced. The best of the paintings of young ladies, of whom there are so many here, is undoubtedly that by Valentine Bromley, entitled "Sweet Home" (180), a lady in long, trailing, white dress, leaning back in an arm-chair, in a room filled with old. English book-cases, old china, &c. We cannot help thinking that the picture was rather made for the sake of the room than the lady, but it is like all Mr. Bromley's works, clever and well drawn, though how such a painting as this, and that of ladies at "the Zoo," can be called "cabinet pictures," it is somewhat difficult to understand.
There is a curious painting here called "Watchers," by Mr
W. B. Richmond (not the Academician), which should be noticed as at least an attempt in the right direction, though the idea of the picture is by no means an original one, and the figures of the angels watching seem a great deal too substantial. Indeed, to draw a very muscular man, and fit him with a pair of large crimson wings, which he has no apparent possibility of moving, is at absurdity too patent to pass even in an allegorical picture. What we meant by this being an effort in the right direction was that it has evidently not been done as a mere "pot- boiler," and that the picture possesses evidences of true feel- ing. There is considerable grace in the figure of the angel who leans in at the open window, and the stillness of the room where the dead man lies has been happily expressed. As an example of quiet humour, a little picture, No. 325, deserves a passing glance. "The Cock o' the Walk," by John White, a proud old rooster, stepping down by the side of a puddle from his native dunghill, with crest erect and tail gallantly spread out. No. 266, "The Parting," by J. D. Watson. This is one of the pleasantest of the scenes of lovers parting, or meeting, that Mr. Watson has given to us, and he has given us a great number, two figures, in the dress of the last century, standing hand in hand by the side of a bank, and a general atmosphere of evening, autumn, falling leaves, and tender words. Always nice in feeling and pleasant in colour, it would be ungrateful to find fault with an artist who gives us so much pleasure for not being otherwise than he is.
Mr. Marks sends one of his humorous pictures, hardly so suc- cessful as useful. It is called "Twins ;" two little boys sitting together on a bench. There is little to be said of it, except that it seems to miss the point somehow, and is a rather unworthy subject for an artist of his abilities. His second figure-contribu- tion (No. 265) is called "A Book for the Beach," but is really the portrait of a young lady's back, interesting perhaps to the young lady and her dressmaker, but to no one else. He also sends two small landscapes, not nearly so nice as those which he generally contributes in water-colours. Nos. 286 and 287 are two small sea-side pictures by Hodgson, A.R.A., very quiet in tone and careful in treatment. Mr. Armitage sends a picture en- titled "A Kentish Bacchante," of which we can only say that it is quite as much like a Bacchante as his picture of Phryne was like Venus, and no more. There is a picture here (No. 374) by Evelyn Pickering, called "St. Catherine of Alexandria," which should be noticed for the good drawing of the drapery, and which is also an attempt, and far from an unsuccessful one, to re- produce the glowing colour of the old masters. OR the whole, it is not a pleasing picture ; the woman's figure is clumsy, and her face uninteresting, but there is in it undoubted promise, and it is the only piece of carefully drawn drapery in the exhibition. George Manson, whose picture of the " Fishing Village in the Zuyder Zee" deservedly attracted so much attention, sends a fine study of a fisherman's daughter, standing with arms akimbo by the side of the sea ; a thoroughly good, honest piece of painting, though, as life-studies are apt to be, somewhat devoid of interest.
Amongst the sea-scapes, of which there are but few, there are two by Henry Moore, both of stormy weather, painted in his usual low tones of bluish grey. Both of these are good, but the finest we are inclined to think is No. 59, "Gale freshening, Lifeboat under Sail ;" though No. 362, "Breaking Up," is wonderfully true to nature, with its leaden sky and long lines of jagged foam. A good deal has been said at different times about the unnaturalness of Mr. Moore's colouring, but however this may be, it is certain that no artist in our time has been able to paint the breaking of the sea on the sand or beach in any way to compare with him. Once fairly out to sea, and there are perhaps several who could be mentioned, but close in-shore he is unrivalled at present. No. 107, "A Barra Boy," by Hamilton Macallam, is one of the effects of sunny light, of which this artist has painted so many ; it is effective, and the scarlet tie and purplish brown of the boy's clothes form a plea- sant piece of colour with the shining surface of the sea ; but we must confess to being a little tired of Mr. Macallam's pur- ples and browns, when the picture is evidently only painted for their introduction, and not for the sake of the subject. Nos. 104 and 105 are two pleasant river-side sketches, somewhat in the manner of Tiasot, by W. F. Stocks, very quiet in colour ; the second, "A River-side Retreat," much the best. We have not spoken of the foreign contributors, as there is nothing particularly striking amongst their pictures, if we except the Chrysanthemums of M. Fantin, which are a wonderful piece of realistic painting ; the tray of peaches in the same picture are not at all good, and look dirty and spotty, besides not coming at all well into the composition. There are many small landscapes and figure draw- ings of a fair degree of merit, but we do not describe them, for the reasons above given, and content ourselves with mentioning F. G. Cotman, Tom Lloyd, Leon Lhermitte, Frank Walton, and Harry Goodwin as deserving of special attention.
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