The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-06-13 00:00:00

THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTSr

Now that the Royal Academy has been under the
critical inspection of those whose duty it is to write
art critiques for the press for more than a month, we
may fairly claim to be in a position to estimate
briefly its general character for those who are likely
to visit the metropolis during the season. It is the
117th exhibition, and may fairly be pronounced "a
good academy," though there are not many pictures
that are sure of immortality, and though, by retain-
ing and observing their monstrous rule of privilege,
the Council has gone far to oover the academy with
ridicule by giving conspicuous places to more bad
works of incompetent academicians than have ever
been gathered together before. It is an exhibition in
which almost all our painters of the first rank, and
several who are only now beginning to emerge, have
shown pictures that are worthy of them and of the
English School. Portraiture has never been better—
witness the delightful "Lady Peggy Primrose," the
"Miss Katharino Grant," the "Dr. Weir Mitchell,"
and Mr. Farquharson's "Portrait of a Lady," not to
mention the works of one or two foreign exhibitors.
"Madame Recamier has more than kept up the
reputation of Mr. Orchardson ; Mr. Alma Tadema
and Mr. Hook are at their highest level; Mr.
Poynter's picture, teterrima belli causa, is at all events
better drawn than any similar picture by an English -
man could have been 20 years ago ; Mr. Briton
Riviere's best picture of the year is among the very
best of all that he has done. In landscape the exhi-
bition is not strong; in pictures of pure imagination
or of the more serious " historical " kind it is almost
entirely wanting. Several of the younger artists have
made a distinct step forward, such as Mrs. Merritt,
Mr. Frederick Brown, Mr. Walter Hunt, Mr. J. W.
Waterhouse, Mr. Stanhope Forbes, and Mr. Picknell.
In a word, there is plenty of evidence of activity and
ability; there is increasing evidence of training and
study. Two things more are wanted before we can say
that art in England is all that it should be—first, that
the standard of public taste should rise a little abovt
its present level, when to judge by the comments
of the multitude as they pass through the rooms at
Burlington House, all that is asked of a picturo is
that it should tell a story in a manner that is easily
understood; and, secondly, that the body which so
powerfully controls the fortunes of our art and artists
should amend the regulations which have this par
been so lamentably abused. As for the accomplioh-
rnent of the first of these objects a work has been
issued which cannot fail to go to some extent in the
direction of elevating the public taste. It is The
Royal Academy Illustrated, 1885 (Sampson Low and
Co.), and, besides being a handy and desirable cata-
logue of all that is best in the several galleries, which
are treated consecutively, the work contains fac-similes
from the exhibition drawings of the principal artists
reproduced by the Lefman process. This is the
second year of the publication of the work, which is
edited by Mr. Henry Lassalle, who may be congratu-
lated upon his enterprise, as well as upon the fact
that while his production is more meritorious than
its predecessor, he has been able to reduce the price
from half-a-crown to one shilling. The accomplish-
ment of the second object we refer to is, of course, a
matter for the Council themselves.