The Press.
London, England, 1854-05-20 00:00:00

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SOCIETY OF PAINTERS in WATER COLOURS.
(Second Notice.]
IT would be difficult to assign any precise limits to
the licence which the painter claims to alter the
features of a well-known scene so as to suit his
immediate purpose, or to borrow well known objects
in order to give reality and interest to ideal composi-
tions of his own. The example of the great land•
scape-painters of old may be pleaded in favour of
unbounded liberty in these respects ; but, in modern
days, we venture to lay it down as the best practical
rule that it is inexpedient to be "found out." It is a
matter of fact that those compositions are least popular
in which well-known objects are introduced in new
combinations ; and the eye of the spectator is offended
when the features of a scene familiar to his imagina-
tion are so changed as to alter its distinctive cha-
racter. In both cases we have been accustomed to
associate certain objects with certain accessories;
and to disturb this association gives the same
dissatisfaction that is caused by the gross violation
of historical truth in a work of fiction ; nor is this
all, for whereas it would be the greatest triumph of
the painter to leave it doubtful how far his landscape
were a transcript of nature or the creation of his fancy,
the spectator, before he has had time to examine
the consistency and credibility of the composition, is
informed at the first glance that it has no real
existence. One thing at all events is clear. Whether
the latitude against which we are arguing be conceded
or not, the whole landscape must be consistent with
itself : the laws of perspective must be observed, the
relative size of objects must be regulated by their
distance; and no improbability should provoke the
" incredulus odi" of the critic.
As an instance of the neglect of this obvious rule
we may quote a very pretty drawing by Mr. M.
Richardson—No. 116, " View on the Arno." The
stone pines are out of proportion to the buildings,
and both are out of proportion to the bridge ; nor is
it possible to say on what part of the bank the whole
group finds standing-room. Again, whether we
consider the ruins of " The Temple of Vesta at Tivoli,"
by Mr. Carl Haag (No. 82), as a composition or a
view from nature, we find it equally open to criticism.
In front of the temple and its rocky basement one
of Pinelli's waggons, drawn by a yoke of oxen, is
speeding down the rock with as much probability as a
coach and four might be represented winding its
way up the face of Dover Cliff; and on the right
are introduced the cypresses of Villa d'Este dimi-
nished to Lilliputian proportions, and growing, it is
impossible to say where. On the whole, we think
Mr. Haag's landscapes decidedly inferior to his
figure-pieces. It is on the latter that we rest our
hopes of his future excellence.
We must again raise our feeble protest against the
abuse of body colour. We do not deny that body
colour affords great facilities—that in sketching it is
often employed with great effect—and that a
picture painted almost entirely in body colours
is a very pleasing performance, as many of the works
in the present exhibition abundantly prove ; but we
do maintain that it is a different thing, and we ven-
ture to add an inferior thing, to a landscape painted
with transparent colours. The fresh greens and
rich transparent hues of foliage, the clear reflections
and bright ripple of water, can never, we think, be
fully rendered by the opaque plaster-looking dead-
ness of body colour. Nos. 16 and 199, " Views on the
Conway," two very clever, slight drawings, by Mr.
Branwhite, and distinguished by much feeling for
nature, might better have been painted in oils at
once, and thus at least have secured the vigour of
one medium when they lose the transparency of the
other.

Again, in two very striking pictures by Mr. C.
Smith, Nos. 61 end 27, the snow on the distant
summits of the Alps, though the execution is ex-
tremely clever, is less truly rendered by opaque
white than it might have been without this
treacherous aid.

It is a pleasing feature of the present exhibition
that there is a considerable display of talent by the
junior members of the society. Mr. Jackson's coast

475

scene, "Sunrise" (No. 50), is beautifully executed,
and is true to nature. Mr. Burgess's architec-
tural studies are admirably drawn ; but he is some-
times monotonous in colour, as, for instance, in No.
104, "Interior of Porch at Chartres," and his
reflected lights are often deficient, so that the
shadows are heavy and unvaried.
But to mention the many works which have given
us pleasure would far exceed our limits, and the
enumeration would be of no interest, as they are
already familiar to the public, which has given the
strongest practical proof of its approbation by pur-
chasing almost all of them.
It may, perhaps, seem invidious, where there is so
much to praise, to have sprinkled our paragraphs
with so many (though we trust not severe) censures.
We have taken the less pleasing part, because we
think it needful that from time to time a warning
voice should be raised against certain besetting
sins which must be carefully guarded against by our
water-colour painters if their exhibition is to main-
tain its present high ground.

We cannot conclude without recommending our
readers to visit also the New Water-colour Exhibition
in Pall mall. It will be a disappointment to them to
find no important picture by Mr. L. Haghe, though
they will find a very pretty small drawing by him,
"Le corps de garde " (No. :11s). But we can answer
for their finding a great deal that will very much
please and interest them. Mr. Bennett has enlarged
his class of subjects, and has varied his treatment in
many instances with great success. Some of the sun-
sets in the exhibition-room induce us to repeat our
warning that light and brilliancy cannot be attained
by heaping on the sky masses of colour. The light
which it is in the power of our artists to obtain, with
the limited materials at their disposition, is only rela •
tire. Why will they not study real sunsets, with a
Claude Lorraine glass as a photometer, to enable
them thoroughly to appreciate the relative brightness
of the landscape and the sky ?

STANFIELD'S PICTURE OF THE " VICTORY," with the
body of Nelson on board, towed into Gibraltar seven
days after the battle of Trafalgar, is now on view at
Messrs. Agnew's Gallery in Cockspur-street. The
work is one of Stantield's masterpieces, attracting the
eye by its admirable composition, and the mind by its
associations of gloom and glory. The battered hull
of the Victory tells its own tale of hard-won triumph ;
the heavy swell of the sea indicates the storm to
which it has been exposed ; while the clouded sky,
and the massive rock in the background, give a tone
of solemn grandeur to the scene. The picture is to
be engraved in line by Mr. John Cousen, and in this
shape will be valuable as a work of art, and precious
as a faithful representation of Nelson's ship.