The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1852-10-19 00:00:00

LIVERPOOL ACADEMY

-(FIFTH NOTICE.)

No. 105, " Portrait of Miss Denton," by Mr. John
Robertson. This gentleman has numerous specimens of
his talent in the collection, but the above portrait is cer-
tainly the best. As a painting it is very meritorious • the
colouring is excellent, and the graceful ease of the draw-
ing adminble. Miss Denton is a very young lady, who,
tired with play, has thrown herself on the ground. We
do not know which to praise most, the highly-finished
painting, or the perfectly natural position of the subject.

Mr. W. Huggins. a rising artist of our own town, has
seven pictures in the exhibition : we have already alluded
to one. The forte of this artist is evidently in animal
painting. His best picture in the exhibition is No. 106,
a portrait of John Deane Case, Esq., and his favourite
hunter. The animal is admirably painted, but its master
is not so well finished there is a crudeness about this and
a few other of Mr. Huggins' portraits which he will
do well to correct. His likenesses are excellent :we have
seen many, and the one just mentioned of Mr. Case is very
like the orijnal.
Mr. Copley Fielding has enriched our exhibition this
year with half-a-dozen of his gems ;—thev are all small
sketches, but exhibit the good taste of the artist. N 05.107
and 417 are sketches made on the Weald of Sussex. The
high finish and rich warm colouring of these small pictures
of Copley Fielding, remind us forcibly of some of Linnel's
bright little views, where nature always appears in the
most charming mellow tints.

111 and 112: "The Toilet," and " Perfectly Satisfied,"
two clever little sketches by Mr. Wm. Helmsley, exhibit-
ing considerable skill and much humour in the first : a
young rustic is engaged in front of a small looking-glass
propped up by a jug, he is engaged in polishing his exte-
rior with all the accessories of a clean country lad's toilet.
In the second picture the same youth is viewing himself
with much satisfaction, having donned his gaberdine and
brushed his hair in the most approved style. These pic-
tures have given great satisfaction to the crowds who
have daily visited the exhibition.

116. " The Garden of Eden," by J. P. Pettitt. No
one can look at this fine picture without feeling that the
artist has attentively studied the subject. Who has not
attempted to imaline the beauties of that wondrous place
where our first parents first drew the breath of life ?
Those who have done so will feel that Mr. Pettitt has
done full justice to their imaginings. We seem at once to
recognise the earthly paradise, and its fair river boundaries.
The style of painting is not unlike that of Muller, and
displays masterly skill in the execution.

117 and 267, yby Mr. H. M. Anthony. The first of
these is a forest scene, called " Beeches and Fern"—the
other is " The Village Bridal," exhibiting a village
church and church-yard, with the villagers awaiting the
exit of the marriage party. These two large pictures
evidence talent of no mean kind, notwithstanding the
pre-Raffaelitish affectation which disfigures the genius of
the artist. If our academy were obliged to award their
prize to a pre-Raffaelite picture, either of these were
better entitled to it than the picture of Millais.