The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-05-02 00:00:00

ROYAL ACADEMY.

This Exlsihilinn contains as luso, works as Mont of list
year, and d eplsya some tactile'st specimens of the rising
powers of the B h School. In portrait painting portico.
larly we were struck with the great improvement of one
Artists. The great fame ef the new President, Sir T. LAM.
REIICE, and the Princely di mind within the last year for his
works on the Continent, seems to have roused into competi.
lion our other eminent portrait paintr rs, mid produced otiose
works in this deportment of art of superior excellence to any
ever before produced in this c 1111 l 'try.
The present Exhibition constains 1,07? works, of which
452 are oil paintings, 428 ore 'etiolation-a awl drawings of
various hinds in water-colours, 223 are srebitectural draw-
top and designs, and 110 works in sculpture.
In the poetical deportment of art, Mr. Memo's success
bits this yew hers pre-eminent among the dcadensicisas.—
His picture is Veng f in search of Cupid surprises Diana al
her Bath. The subject is, tali. s from tine beautiful descrip-
limn in the Ith chapter, 34 book. of 8 . 's Futile Qiin.•
For compositiou, delicacy, drawing, and colouring, this pic-
ture has not bees surpassed by any other artist I. the British
School.

Mr. Ifrommito's Ventle Marines, is the UMW bemich of
paneling, sustains the draerveil repetatius of ihis elegant
Artist. Ii has his delicacy of touch mid serial lighturss,
with some exquisite tints of molionr.
Mr. STOTHARD has this year a continuation of his aeries
of designs from the needier/Oa of Boecace, in which be
displays ►is playful vivacity of sate, sad brilliast aud spark-
Hog colouring, with all the freshness of •alive.

Mr. WlLala has paiated a picture from that passage in
the novel of Wareefeu, in which Protocol is described as
readiag aloud the Setilement " in a slow totsiness-like tour."
The Artist has, with his usual skill, delineated the indi-
vidual characters which compose the group., and represented
the alternate fading and •wiikeiiiiig of their hopes, and the
" straining of their apprehensi 0000 s," to get at the drift of the
Testator's meaning through the " mist of lechaical lan-
guage," with the same furre and truth of which he never
loses sight in the portraiture of his grouping.
The principal landscapes are this year admirable. Mr.
TURN ERNI Vine of Rome from Me Vatican—Raphael ac-
companied Forsearina, prepares', Ale pictures for Me
decoration of Me Loggia, is au exquisite composition. The
perspective and colouring are beautiful, and the architectu-
ral ruins which burst apes the eye, give a sentiment and
grandeur to the subject which carrot fail to excite great
interest.

CALLCOTT maintains his high and welt-earned revelation.
lie exhibits a View of a dead calms on the Medway, milk
small craft dropping doors on Ms turn of the tide—Sheer-
mess is /he disguises. The delineation of aerial perspective
is admirable, the water exquisitely clear, and the represen-
tation of the small craft equal to any thing we have seen
by Ibis Artist. Thi■ picture contains some delicate and
lovely tints of colour, which produce floe erect.
Mr. Comps's River Sense, Ceding* GM hoping Fish,
is in this eminent Artist's best style. The prospect M that of
Nature, with the phenomena of whose appearances no A r
is better seqsainted.
Among the younger Artists who have this year displayed
powers of no common standard, we were struck with as in-
westing landscape, which is described thus in the eats-
lotus :—" Scene frown the palace of /Egisibus; from the
Electra of Sophocks. Orestes, reported to be killed, pre-
scuts his supposed ashes to his sister Electra, before he dis-
closes WiLers

This picture combines • display of many of the most dif.
*cult acquirements is the whole range of Art. It has land.
scrape in the adios.), sear, but the appearance decorated
•ud the effect elevated by the introduction of poetical inci-
dent, and a rich variety of architectural scenery, so happily
composed sad distributed as to give to each its peeper
effect. The arpeutine course of the river, and gentle elms.
lion of bills in the distance, present • pleasing variety to
the eye, after sarveylog the melsatectural rielosess, of the.
foreground, and the thiersiged and poetical groupies, whys*
are inimitably it...minced in that part of the pieta,. Per
haps there i■ too ...aim a tune ise the glow of colouring is
some parts of the picture ; but this was an otjection,
if we recollect right, made by wise to Tummies
brilliant picture of C'erikage, and may arise from the same
cause, namely, tailorilliaut effect of the Oriental cnaluene,
which cahoot be lowered without • violation of historic
troth.