EXHIBITION OF PICTURES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1095, 6 April 1911, Page 9

EXHIBITION OF PICTURES.

SOME NICE WORK FROM ITALY. Lovers of gcij pictures should not fail to call in at Messrs. W. H. Tumbull and Company's auction room durin;j the next few days. For the nonce it has been transtormed into yuite an attractive little picture show, with a number of very line oil anil water-colour paintings, which arc to bo sold by Messrs. Turnbull and Company on Wednesday next, on behalf of Mr. Fortes, of Melßourne. A big canvas of outstanding merit is a large watercolour, entitled "Maternity," by Publio de Tommasi, who is said to" be one of the finest water-colourists in Rome. Three of Tommasi's water-colours adorn the walls of the National Gallery in Sydney. "Maternity" is a ligure siVcject in half-tones —a young mother go.zing down into the face of her'child, who lies asleep on her lap. The ligure of the child is splendidly painted, and conveys with utter fidelity that air of entire relaxation that accompanies "baby sleep." The soft rotundityof the woman's ligure is one of the charms.of the picture, which has nice feeling, and is a masterpiece in f'oft semi-tones. Regarding the drawing now olfered, the artist writes as follows:—"I have painted 'Maternity' for an Exhibition, and really intended to send it to Be-r/in. It presents enormous difficulties to paint a figure life-size in watercolour, and, in this case, represents the work of over two years. 1 have tried to mingle sentiment with colour, and expect that there will be few water-colours so important as mine- in your Exhibition." Among the most numerously represented artists is Professor V. Loria, of Naples, also a noted water-colourist. His subjects are always bright and popular, consisting in the main of Capri from the .Naples, or the reverse. They are atmospherically bright—he gets the sun into his air—-and he paints boats, fishermen, and smooth water skilfully and cleanly. His colour exotic schemes leave nothing to be desired—they breathe of subtropical Italv. The drawing in "A Fishing Port" (Nanles) is excellent, and "A View of Nanles from the Sea' is very fine indeed. A. Trevisan's work is architectural rather than artistic, though from that standpoint they are distinctly clever. In some cases, notably those .dealing with the Rinlio, they are almost nhotographic in the minuteness of detail set forth, and are valuable on that account. One is struck with the dainty perfection of a quartet ot miniature water-colours bv A. Maria. They are, "Going to Market," "Evening Sunset," "The Donkey Rider," and "Granada Homes," each only a fewinches in measurement, but the beautv of drawing, the clean colouring, and delicacy of concention, are altogether t-harm-ing, and sho'uld attract the notice ot connoisseurs. Pietro Barucci, another of Rome's artists, has a gay bit of colour in his water-colour, "In the-Mar-ket," or love among the cabbages..- Ho is a fine colourist, and there is' breadth anil good drawing in his work. A nica thing that attracted the eye was IHo Water-Carrier," a girl of Campagna resting on the old stone stens beneath a well. There is a simple charm in the subject, and the naintiiig is good. In addition to these there is an oxtremely clever minting (attributed to G. Rousseau) which must command the attention of all interested in art. It is called "The Close of Day after a Cattle iete on the Banks of a French River." In the twilight is a darkling river, with a row of tall, statelv trees in the middle distance, and beneath, in the gloom of evening, is a herd of cattle cleverly indicated by mere dots of light. Attention is called to the bold relief effect, which is conveyed in the painting of the trees. Other artists represented are A. Gillini, Fred. Morean, Prof. •K. Ricciardi, G.-Cccco, S. M-'lvor, J. L. Stewart, Josenh Wilton, Fred. Elliott, Albert Proctor, Hal Waugh, and others.