The Express.
London, England, 1860-03-19 00:00:00

EVENING, i 9, 1860.

LONDON, miArixt

ST. MARTIN'S-HALL SINGING SCHOOL.
Nurruaira SWIM.
Duusvon—llr. /MIN
xs n• Lot Ocsnatary Clam* of the Nismos.
111. tor ladles will meet this dB,. March 190“ A. 30.
No. 1.94 tar Gesilems, .111 meet TOIMarrOW. Me& 116, at IL
Per toe tie Come—Ladles 10a. Ad. ; giatlasis,
THOMAS ItiALDLAITD, Ser.

gewe.ldARTIN'S-HALL—HANDELS JUDAS
NACCILBAUS, WZDNINDAY, Hoch 11. Mt 6, under the
o Kr. JOHN MULLAH. PrinClW=V•olll6l6 : Wes
Nu e; Itertin, Mos Poole, ; Elm
Berns. W. Evans, Kr. Lewis Thomas. Tie EL, Ht. dd.;
steak In

Mand Ilfrs. GERMAN REED, TO-NIGHT,
;nd 'vizir 'VINING (except tiatarday), as WA, and
Thursday sed
an Saturday Attarnoome at Three, will give their
POPULAR ILLUSTRATIONS, "Oar Home CtrcuW and "Sir
Side Stadler." Introdaciag a varioty of acoustic and istlara
narrow; from REAL LIFE, at the ROYAL GAI..=Y a/
ILIA sTRAT/ON, le. Rageot-etrain Admission, IL, b.: intik
s. , secured at the Gallery, and at Cramer, &elm and Co.'a SOL
Raineatetreet.

MR.. ALBERT SMITH TO-NIGHT M Eig,ht,
wltb Ida CHINA REPAIRED mad WON'T BLANC HZ-
VISITED mem,. sad MIST NIGHT (bat Sediaselay), at 11
*Wnk a Tsaaday sad Salaplay Atwater at i o'clock
HWY D. (width ma be taker at Lbs boz-ollas, Apvtlan Hall,
11.117, Dom 11 be . ant, Ifa ; SWINT. la

THE NATIONAL ASSIMBLY ROOMS,
NNW=Wilhara.-21da IrMddiebbear. preenbeall, dia-
Obi abysm MOWN. boa* 411 Ils dicer&
Una emebed blab ibe peelelllldiatiee at IY smombell. b OliN
EMIT IMMO. The esisbeeld lank tail de dissiloa
el Mr. W. M. lieekee, Biwa a alotitly varied adoriba at Selma
eireled am(,may. Nero woe se Wigs* d:
S. Orbs Admissive

DALCBI° ACADEMY, 36, Alder/gate-street.
MY= QUADRILLE PARMA MOINDAY/1,
MISDATS, SATITZDAYS. Instructions in Dancing, Thorsdnys
mod Minya The Qrrtrr for Instruction commences March 30.
Phinalsmis. is. ; YdlK 4s. Nd . per mouth. Is. 64 one even-
tht?rivals ismons, is. ad. Mr. T. Youngs Hall, March 27.
la. M.

ARGYLL ROOMS, Windmill-street, Piccadilly.
—A Gread INWIZATIONIAL ()OXCART, commencing at
~-w•t Dowling WlO Volott. Ofedoolor. Yam lAmotte,
diet traralatalre to the Wspaor Napoteun. Principal Cornet A
Piston, 31. /kfitisearL AAmY.loa, la.

THE LONDON PAVILION, Tichborne-street,
—llion went to spend a pleasant evening, no
to the 112Mrird,ION, the dust rooms an London, sad
Um ben OONCICRT. Admission (by r•fr•Ounent ticket) MI
Bowers Mom PAM Oallarts, de.

/11HE FRENCH SCR —See the ATLAS
A. a TED DAY Illoiatiod), Oa Mk last Ilda
article is wonky at Ow mdstas esaskidtatiaa at ovary
imaa. The Atha peke r.e.= Moo, d &Masai/40a.
airlet, tamed, sad at all.

MR. BENTLEY'S NEW PUBLICATIONS
for MARCH.
How WE SPENT THE AUTUMN 07 laSe. By the Authors of
The Mindy "serest" Post Bro. with 'numerous Illustrations.
U.
THE LITE and LABOURS of Sir CHARLES BIH.L. By Dr.
AMC?, it= the Irma. Crowe Bro.

AN ARCTIC BOAT JOURNEY In the AI7TUMIC of 1854. By
ISAAC Batas, Surgeon of the Second Grinnell Expedition.
Beall aro. with a Map.

LIONOILIC: or, The LITTLE COUNTIM. By the Author d
..71te Myrtle and the Heather." Post sew
Lowden: Lard Beretlfey, New Barliagtopetmeot.

FINE ARTS.

EXIIIIIITIQN OF THE INSTITUTION OF FINE
AXTRi PORTLAND GALLERY, PROFINT-STREET.
The present exhibition at the Portland Gallery
(which opened to the public to-day) is, speaking generally,
one of the lee* interesting which it has been our duty to
examine. *ere is scarcely a single'work of linn-rate merit.
As for choice of subject, there are, with a.few notable ex-
ceptions, arthing but hackneyed landscape scenes, and
common-place, trivial, or puerile ilgum compositions. There
is a trading character about the hole exhibition, and the
younger esetributors seem to hare little ambition or reve-
repos for their art. We do not know if we have to thank
Hr. BMW is part for this, but certainly it is time that
some of the nobler themes of poetical, historical, and reli-
gious art were chosen ; for assuredly a great number of his
partisans have been schooled sufficiently long in the imita-
tion of lite& every-day facts.
The mediocrity of this eihibition is the more apparent
from theonethod I d hasan la re enbiu• to this gallery. The
Ileinkne"—ttitad' and
ia to say, theirkho:Le. saalalMileMlLietula
the eye. !he pbeet, moreover, are deolied by lottery.
isied
The visitor's ecarerpertlp Abend to satiedse every
lamtelt. end bee set tie spews, ea fra claw
after be lea wade Lash Suallier sahebs is lbe
"Pimp et ;bowie of lea all the other be
asset eisteelestly see he • mare vial, lint be
has eees leibelblei like sie agewominsaties te the bet *erica
The apparibt filmes el lite arronotamit iseowsterhalineed
11-a ere alm‘e 4=.a= a eefelaMiglq
away the Impreasiors that the exhibition is wares Ada it
is reality.

Among the nearly 600 paintings in the mind exhibition,
the only bare subjects with anything like high aim or
moral peewee, or elevation of any kind, or displayiug any
thought, careful preparation, or reading, are twi,,g4e
icstnres
by Mr. R. h. louder, of the Scottish Aoadeusy. r are
Blest ratiege al the sacred narrative, and are therefore hi
the bhjherh walk of art, and entitled to precedency if for
no other arm.
The subject of the first, ' Christ denied
by Peter" 19113), preeente perhaps an incident an highly
dramatis we may use such a term) am en artist could
possibly cheese. We allude to the look which, according to
St. Luke, der Saviour, after the denial, turned and gave
Peter—" hind the Lord termed and looked upon Peter."
(xxii., 61.) Although, however, Mr. Lauder has quoted
this paw., he has in the picture followed the more dr-
cumstentil narrative of St. John. The "beloved disciple"
is therefore represented as having, through the influence de-
rived from the fact of his being " known to the high priest,"
obtained admission for Peter into the palace of Cauphas
from the "damsel who kept the door," and to whom Peter
bed nevertheless denied an knowledge of our Lard. Yr.
Under hes very ingeniously carried out the narrative as it
were to its issue by representing St. John just returned,
kneeling and blaming the band of Christ, while Peter.
mitten sat look, with conscious guilt and the contrast of
his own thfulness, is burying his face in his bands.
The head our Saviour is relieved by the familiar SAW/3
expedient of placing it before a pillar, but nnfortanately
the face hes little of the ineffable and godlike pity which
we can iambs* would have been concentrated in it at such
a moment The great point of the picture is therefore.
missed. /below tome of colour, or, rather, chiereseeno, is
inipreeldwea but to this each of the expression of the faces
is Mheltioll4 led sufficient variety of effect is not obtained
by the ecedrest of the moonlight without and the artificial
light within the palace. The bloated figure of Caiaphus
gives a property repulsive idea of the Jewish high whet.
Db. Loader hs endeavoured rather ostentetiously to be
historically correct, particularly in the costumes, faeces,
military ensigns or 'tuna ref/dorm; of the Roman soldiers.
We doubt, however, whether there is not an ana-
chroniun, ce, more properly 'peaking, a mieapprehensios, In
placing a Raman cults, in the hands of the high-priest. The
Roman &tsarina, or priest, although tow of his "Maisie@
and not himself killed the victim, held one of these re-
gular, broad, straight-edged knives. But it is hardly probable,
although the Jews adopted many of the customs of their
conquerors, that the Jewish ritual permitted the adoption
of such a pagan symbol and insignia of the sacerdotal func-
tion. However, we leave the question with Jewish anti-
quaries.

The other picture by Mr. Lauder to which we would cell
particular attention is more satiefactory, though it only me-
taim the ands figure d our Saviour. It is gentled, " The
Breakine of Bread " (232), in illustration of the
" And it• bosh breed, add pee thanks, and brakege4
(Luke Int, If). The Wee is again appropHetely edema.
'lfseeseinabstee dowesese eye and the away already
rs=ess,over the brow le tereolibraly conveyed.- We think,
it is to be regretted that artists still adhere
to the itteillestmay week, end rather mean type ef head
traditlemilly emigned to the Redeemer. The teem.blame n of course purely imaginary, for not the
Last reliance ceo be pissed en the numerous legends re-
',Petting the actual bodily sppeanknoe of Christ. The
~lien portrait in the catacombs af Rome differs materially
front the Grecian ideal, and therefore, in common with the
earliest Byzantine mosaics, was possibly derived from some
traditionary type; but art in the first centuries of the Chris-
tina MS kaifloo much degenerated for any reliance to be
placed upon the preservation of resemblance, even if an
authentie portrait bad existed, or if the earliest tradition
was actualiy founded on fact.
There is also by 3i r. Lauder • picture intended to illus-
trate • peerage iu Hogg's " Queen's Wake " (No. 40), but
we are sorry to any it is • complete failure. The indefinite
execution sad broken colour, so suitable to the works just
reviewed, are here utterly out of place. Such a livid %Ji-
mmy, and such • brown mottled greenwood, were certainly
never In the poet's fancy. Two or three landscapes also, by
the mine artist., we cannot conscientiously praise.
Mr. T. F. Dicksee, who has become a confirmed pinafore
painter, has contributed two or thee very neatly and care-
fully painted pictures of child-life (Nos. 289, 357). He has
lz=zeukarly_hapyy catching the innocent smile of
Mr. Naisti gives, in illustration of Kingsley's
"Ode te the North East Wind" (No. 346), a rough fisher-
men at lie helm of his smack contending manfully in a
= sea spirt Um, bitter nor'-easter. The dim hoary
the sea end weather-wore timbers of the boat are
admirably rendered, and looking at the determined face of
the men, one is disposed to say :

•
" 'Tie the bard grey English weather
That breeds hard English men."
But this igure is not nearly KO striking or powerful is the
man "Angling for Bock Fish near the Lizard" (261). The
latter hes all the faithfulness, and more thee all the force,
ci the inset photagraph. There is a small picture by Mr.
Hey, entitled " Crochet" (147), which contains some
enesterly palatine. We may mention also with commenda-
tion, the promise in No. 256 by Mr. Barber, 337 by Sig.
Comeal, and a charming heed of • " Puritan Lad,' (Se), by
Mr. Beirrilli, Mr. Havllar ban certainly an eye for caries-
' tare, if not for liumour—aa witness his " Con-
troveny" (292) between a country blacksmith and
ploughman. Mrs. E. Murreazzilli not sustain her reputation
with No. 218. Them is a f • off in Mr. &eater's puerile
"Dancing Leeson" (56). Still satisfactory is Mr. A. H.
Weigall's "Madura" (50). We would remind Mr. Mario
that he is nothing if not comic—but if comic be is• good deal
Talking of humorous painting, we have seldom seen any-
thing more amusing than a most ingenious parody on one
of the screens of the pre-Raphaelite style from the caustic
pencil of Miss F. Claxton. This clever caricature is enti-
tled " The Choice ci Paris," au Idyll (178), and is coloured
m an illumination with all the incongruity of • 14th oss-
tury Mt, or specimen of glass-painting: A 'poesy (we
have no other word) looking young fellow a giving theapak
to • frightfully angular, lanky, red-haired, hectic-cheek-
and guggle-eyed mediaeval maiden; her unsuccessful compa.
titon be- on the one side the divine figure of the Virgin
in the BaOuel Sposalino of the Beers, end on the other •
natty, plump, modern English girl. In the background
three *tares are turned to the wall, and on their backs
are inscribed " Vandyke," " Sir J. Reynolds," and "Be-
-
phael," and beneath these a wiping crowd are admiring por-
traits of Millais, Reek* and Barnum. To the right, •
iTagYmediaeval blue stocking is seen eitez-effe nuking tea,
another frantically plays the piano. On the left of the
centre an artist is on his knees examining with a microscope
the toenails of • model—the model will be recognised as
the sitting iliere in Mr. T. M. Brown's picture
a( " Christ yenta( the Disciples' feet." To the right a
hidineuely contorted specimen of womanhood stands for
the principal ions in the " Broken Vows" of (Wilma.
Then- (Mew outstares, among others, of well-known
Spree he BMW ' Sir limatiants" and his two pictures of
lest yew dm " Bard Helen" of Windus, the sun reflected
in the hater by Collins, the " Stonebreaker" by Brett, and
two epistles a/ serenading and an artist painting a land-
maps with the aid of opera-glasses, while on the extreme
bonbon • Ewe (Lamles from a gallows as if illustrating the
rtint "id you give them rope enough they will
gewbehmmelves."
The hare artist family of the Williams.. (which includes
also the names of Messrs. Gilbert, Percy, and Boddievin),
which usually contribute so large a proportion of the land-
scapes in this exhibition, are this year represented in
scarcely half their usual strength. It is frequently objected
to this school that the productions hems a manufactured air
—that is to my, they seem to be the pstfoemancee of men
who haw* origbosny studied • par ka err elms of facts in
mines have established by their aaeradni imitation • de.
mind lag their apecislity ; and to sate* this demand they
have eenteated themselves by makhog in their owe studios
endless imitations and ada • of their psalm ertginal
stokes. without any recurrence to nature ; the
eamsgamos brag tlatidly_ in properties as their pi c. tuna pin in apeman ramy they lose in exact fidelity to
the Wien put prototype, Nature herself. There is •
great deal at ire* in this, but it must always be borne to
aid Hat gin English landecope painting is setwith-
=l pas* iriimed to these nil
for its present al•
and xvistmion.