The Express.
London, England, 1865-02-06 00:00:00

[Stamped, ld. Additional.)

fault for which, however, we should be indulgent
when we remember how often we find artists repea-
ing themselves in the tamest of oommenplace
pictures without a spark of feeling. Mr. Oakes in
some of his former works has shown rather remark-
able delicacy of appreciation for the more subtle
gradations of evening light.
Several other landscapes of lees pretension
mad be mentioned as creditable performances of the
artists, without, however, offering any salient points
either for admiration or criticism. Of these we
should name Mr. Frank Deloa's "Monte Pelle-
grino, Palermo" (96); Mr. J. Danby's " Dysart, east
coast of Scotland " (283) ; hr. Harry Johnson's
"Castle of Angers, on the Ls_ko Mswiion" (298,
a very pleasant sunset view ; Mr. Elijah Walton
" Aiguille Vert*, Chamounix" (299), a clever but
inadequate effort to paint the immense peaks of the
Alps ; Mr. G. Cole's "Timber-drag, evening" (349),
a very bright and pleasing little picture ; Mr. A. W.
Wilhams' " Castle of la&ia" (304) ; and Mr.
Frank Talfourd's " God's Acre" (289), which is
noticeable as the first contribution of this artist,
whose ability in portraiture has long been recognised
at the academy, in landscape ; therturs, how-
ever, being so high up, renders it sim v impossible
to give an opinion as to it* merits. here are very
few figure subjects is the exhibition which aim
at anything beyond the style of domestic genre.
Mr. Frank Wyburd oontrthutei a "very carefully
studied picture, called "Baby's Corner" (51), the
subject of which is a young mother undressing
her baby near an old-fashioned window, the
coloured glass in which is very elaborately made out
with other details. The light falling upon the figures
strikes ns as being unnatural in its cold opaque
colour, and this gives an appearance which is any-
thing but lifelike. Mr. W. B. Richmond, in a
picture of "Three Sisters" (118), seems disposed to
revive a style of art which was relinquished by Mr.
Millais in his maturer years. • The three sisters
can only be interesting to the dressmakers and the
hairdressers, with their braided silks and frizzed
hair, painted in the hardest reality, and with
colours that are altogether reckless of the harmo-
nies. The centre sister sits propped on each side
by a younger branch of the family, and the whole
composition has no sort of perceptible meaning,
for the faces have neither beauty nor expression.
Mr. Alexander Johnston's simpering prettinesses
are more tolerable than these, though our exhibi-
tions might well be spared the repetition of pictures
of this stamp.
Portraits seem to have been banished from the
exhibition ; but there is an exceedingly well painted
portrait study of a Moor, 174, " Suleiman," by
H. W. Phillips. In still life and flower pieces there
are not quite so many as usual ; but one superb pic-
ture represents all, and more than all, that can be
done in this line of art since George Lance and W.
Duffield are no more. This is} noble picture of a
swan, with a peacock lying with its splendid
feathers upon the pure white of the swan. The
beauty of dig picture, which was left unfinished by
the late Mr. Duffield, is much heightened by the
background of a wooded landscape and some
figures painted by Mr. John Gilbert.

MUSIC.