The Express.
London, England, 1863-05-25 00:00:00

FINE ARTS.

A SCANDINAVIAN GALLERY OF PICFIIREt3.

The inbereet created by the works of Norwegian I
painter exhibited in the Internattooal Exhibition was so
new, and the pictures pmesseed so much originality of style I
and truth of expresame, that we are quite sure every one
concerned for the spread of the influence of art will be sled
to find that a gallery for the regular exhibition of pictures
by the pointers of Denmark, Sweden, and Norway has been
opeoed, and with the view of continuing it m an annual
exhibition. At present the gallery, which is in the Hay-
market, is nearly filled with pictures by Mn Marcos Lan"
• landscape painter of eminence, who sheen by them his
works that he is quite entitled to take the laid in the ruder-
taking. There are twenty Octane by Mr. Lance, end one
of these le • very remarkahle work. This is a piton *lmo
oo the largest seals (l 9 foie by 13), rereseetiag a brilliant
sunset after • storm on the Swedish sena of Solitudes.
The sea is dashing with the wildest hay of a maelstrom in
the narrow channel enclosed by immense granite rooks,
and two unlucky ships are tossing helplmely about, In-
evitably doomed to be smashed upon this iron-bound coast.
The tremendous, power and movement In the waves, and
the driving clouds, suggested by the bold and vigorous
handling of the sea and sky, give • very striking quality
of truth, sad this is roads more so by the large one of the
picture, which gives the work quite the impressive
and awful character of the real scene. Then there is a
wonderful effect of • glorious sunset spread through
the picture, precisely such as we constantly see follow the
most terrific storms. This Is extremely well painted, with
• rare feeling for natural aeon, and the most complete
knowledge of the art requisite to threw this sunlight in equal
keeping throughout the picture. Turner has done the
same thing with more delicacy and on a small scale, but
we can remember no picture exactly comparable with this
Bee work of Mr. Larson's. Certainly our landscape painters
may take • lesson here. The picture has, we hear, been
shown at Paris and St. Petersburg, where it mead so muck
admiration, that the painter was elected a mamba cf the
Imperial Academy. Of the other pictures by Mr. Lance
there is an admirably truthful moonlight sea piece, with a
steamer sending her long dark curling lies of smoke across
the clods, which move slowly before the moon. A burning
steamer, with a moonlight effect, at sea, is another work in
similar feeling for the contrast of lights. The picture' of the
midnight sonnets in those northern regime of the Norway
mountains sod the high latitudes at sea off the North Cape
ere exceedingly interesting, and probably the only genuine
artistic studies that have been shown of the strange effect of
the six months' night. Of all them very clever and most
original pictures it may be said, perhaps, that there is
wanting in them something of the refinement that bolero
to the painters and the people where art ham long bees
cultivated. At the same time it may be • question whether
the grand teaching of nature has not been with our artiste
overlaid with too much oouventioeisliem of the schools. A
little of the true levee of taste is Indispensable, but in
excess it is apt to produce thaw highly frothy and puffed-up
works to be found in most of our exhibition.
There is one picture by Johan Fredrik Hockert—" A
Dalecarlian woman bringing her child to be baptized "
which shows the same excellemes so remarkable Mtn
Laplander's Hat" and other pictures which were iir the
International. There are olrio pictures by V. Melby, E. M.
James, J. F. Moiler, F. Kiorlica, L. Bramber, and H.
Yak. All these are pictures of fair preimaions, bat we
base mid enough of Mr. Lames pictures to show that
they aloes give the greatest interest to the exhibition. It
is stated by the promoters of the Smodinavisa gallery that
they expect shortly to exhibit some work by M. Wonted,
the painter of the beautiful domestic and historical pic-
ture in the International—" Sunday Afternoon," the
" Haugiatus Preaching." and others; and there are Revers]
Mho:distinguished painters of the Norwegian school who
are preparing to oontribate to the exhibition.

MUSIC.