THE 'WATER-COLOUR EXHIBITION.
The Exhibition of the Old Society, which was opened on Monday, is one of unusual interest ; there are abundant signs of thought and ac- tivity shown in the works of the members, and many of the subjects have an interest of their own apart from the questions of art which are involved in the mode of execution and the treatment adopted by the artist. The most noticeable characteristic of the Exhibition is the dis- position to follow the teaching of the photograph in studying to delineate every minute and trifling object which contributes to the general beauty of nature's pictures. Never in our recollection has high finish been carried to such a pitch of microscopic effect, as for example in the land- scapes by Mr. Birket Foster, and those by Mr. C. Davidson, are not different in intention, and certainly not inferior in success. But the method pursued by the two painters differs considerably. Mr. Fster setae himself the task of imitating nature absolutely ; every fleck in the sky, every thorn on the briars, frond on the ferns, and feather on the ducks, in the foreground, is to be painted. The trees are touched leaf for leaf, almost, or at least the leaves are as visible as in nature, if not a trifle more so. The whole picture becomes in this way a work of the mi- nutest construction—a sort of micro-mosaic done with the finest point of the brush. How it is possible to give as much air to the picture as we admit exists in Mr. Foster's works is a secret, but there is no conceal- ment of the labour, and we cannot imagine that the sacred fire has burnt very brilliantly all the time this devoted bestowment of handi- work has been going on. If reality is to be the grand aim in art, we shall run some risk of being called upon to esteem the wax-flower as highly as the painted one. Some of the Pre-Raphaelite school are in the habit of justifying the brilliancy and texture of their coloured draperies by holding a piece of the real material to the picture ; suppose we were to apply the same test to Mr. Foster's painting of ferns for example, and the test is not unfair in this kind of art, it would be found that the neat- ness and subtle work of nature renders such attempts all but ridiculous. The comparison may be thought a harsh one, but it is provoked and challenged by pictures in which minute dexterity is so prominent a cha- acteristie. Were these pictures to be painted on a larger scale, the defects would be terribly offensive ; as it is, we are delighted with the cleverness of the imitation, and there are those who prefer the prettiness of the daisy to the beauty of a forest-tree. The landscapes of Mr. Davidson are more works of feeling, and they have more of the tenderness and stodesty of nature ; they do not challenge direct comparison with !eel objects, though they suggest to the eye and call upon the
rory to complete the charm, while we care very much less fInd out how the picture has been done, just as we never edusidor the geological properties of a blue mountain. His pic- ture of " Cutting the Haystack," is admirably truthful and suggestive of country scenes; the grey tone over the old barn is very simply touched, yet we feel at once how sensitive to the rustic and weather-worn character of the hovel the artist must be, and in the mind's eye we see through a long vista of country life in these common objects of a barn and a haystack. Of similar excellence is his picture of "A Corn-field," in which a great beauty is the middle distance—a chalky bank, hot and glistening under the harvest sun. We Observe that neither of these painters who devote themselves to detail so closely carry their thoughts to the Sky ; they pile up clouds right down to the horizon in forms that could not be seen and are never seen, as Mr. Rus- kin has pointed out in his chapter on clouds. In some pictures, as in 276, "View on the River Mole," the clouds are like. vertical sheets rather than hanging vapour; in others, as in 208, "Holmwood Com- mon," they are sky-blue. Speaking of clouds, perhaps no more remark- able picture could be pointed to than Mr. Duncan's " Wreck," (No. 14), here the sky is surprisingly well painted as regards the forms, and the hurly-burly of wild movement in the air, but the clouds have too much the appearance of smoke. The awful scene is, however, called up very vividly by this picture, which, even if less successful, would be admi- rable for the boldness of the attempt. A smaller work by the same artist, 55, " Supply Stores to the Island Lighthouse," has much in it to admire, but there is the same fusty kind of sky which is not pleasing.
The landscapes of Mr. Naftel are, perhaps, the most indebted to the photograph for their style, though we should be sorry to deny them the possession of much original power of seizing the natural colour and realizing the effects of open daylight. The touch employed is peculiar; and joined with a rather copious indulgence in body colour, gives a cer- tain violence and hardness more startling than suggestive of the soft brightness of Italian landscape. The view over the Bay of Palermo from a watch-tower or height, gives the best idea of Mr. Nafters forte. Mr. Rosenberg proceeds upon a similar method, and still more pointedly shows the photographic tendency in 107, " Amongst the Heather." Another picture should be pointed out as decidedly photographic in cha- racter, although on a very large scale—No. 69, " Mountain Gloom," by A. P. Newton. As a landscape of the old contented style, the view of Durham by F. M. Richardson, is excellent ; the fine old cathedral is neatly drawn, the composition is graceful and the general atmosphere of the picture is sunny and bright. Mr. Carl Haag's view of Palmyra in the Desert is a most interesting picture, the solemn grandeur of the story is finely told by the gorgeous display of nature ever the same, in the sun striking through the ruined columns, and the wild Arabs scat- tered in wandering groups with their camels and horses around the once magnificent temple of the Sun. Technically, also, the picture is extremely well handled, and interesting as having been painted on the spot.
Mr. Topham shows a very beautiful example of genuine water-colour in his " Welsh Fern-gatherer," in which the calf is capitally painted. In this picture, we find all the amount of relief and brilliancy required, without the use of opaque colour, the high lights being simply height- ened by a scratch from the scalpel—an artifice which, thus sparingly used, is admissible enough. 109, " Donne Moi " is a very pretty group of Brittany peasant children, by Mr. J. J. Jenkins ; and there are seve- ral very pleasing works of similar kind by Mr. Walter Goodall and E. A. Goodall. Mr. Gilbert exhibits several of his characteristic works in the peculiar manner: he adopts in water-colour, of which the best is 73, " Pistol telling Falstaff News of the Court." Mr. Samuel Read, as a painter of church interiors, is now one of our most able artiste. No. 186, " The Church of St. Paul, Antwerp," is a large and magnificent draw- ing, the higher parts of the roof, perhaps, a little too pale, but altogether a very beautiful work. We have but little space to do justice to the remarkable examples of still-life by W. Hunt, which, however, tee not so absolutely true as they pretend to be ; neither can we do more than draw attention to two gems of colour and faithful study—in 215, " A Child carrying a Drake " and 228, a little German child carrying a white lily, Am Schutzpatronentage," by F. W. Burton.
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