THE ART GALLERY.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2544, 3 June 1882, Page 4

THE ART GALLERY.

Having already passed in review the oil paintings in the Art Gallery at the Exhibition, we will proceed to discuss the water colors, of which there is a very fine and rerresentativa collection. On the right hand on entering are to be found twelve pictures by Mr J. O. Bicbmond. One of these, “Mount Rolleston, from the Waimakariri,’ is a New Zealand scene, six are of views in England, two are Swiss lake scenes, one is an Algerian interior, one is of a sohloss in Bavaria, and the twelfth is an unfinished sketch of the lake and town of Luzern. All of these twelve pictures are admirably painted, and stamp Mr Richmond as iu the very front rank of New Zealand artists. Nothing, for instance, can bo much better than the treatment in “ Land’s End, Cornwall,” with ihe dull, dark sweep of upland, and the light breaking on to the sea below the cliff. Then, again, the little bit of the sohloss in Bavaria is charming, so sunny and crisp. “St. Michael’s Mount,” too, has often been painted and is a rather hackneyed subject, but Mr Richmond’s rendering is novel and fresh notwithstanding, the foreground and middle distance being specially noticeable. O. Oattermolo is fully represented in the collection, there being a number of his works, all in his well-known stylo. Of these “On the Track” represents four troopers of the time of the Commonwealth, pursuing a yet unseen fugitive. The “ Standard Bearer” is a powerful study of a single figure. “ The Attack on Baggage Waggons” is the largest and best of his works shown. “The Fight on the Bridge” is very spirited. In “ Royalists on the March” the perspective appears decidedly faulty. F. Davis has nine most effective sketches and finished pictures, and his works are certainly appreciated by the public, if we may judge by the rapidity with which they have been bought up. He appears equally at home in depicting running water, coast and woodland scenery. His “ On the Webborn, near Ashburton,” is a large sketch of a mountain stream, done in a bold and spirited style. His “ Southend Beach” is an example of how finely he can render scenes along the English coast, while “ Near Dyndhurst, Hampshire,” shows him among the greenery of the country. All Mr Davis’s pictures are painted with great freedom of touch and knowledge of effect. Bernard Evans is represented by “An Old Mill,”a rough and effective sketch,and ‘‘Deep in the Hills.” Of L. P. Wood’s three pictures, one is a little spotty in treatment, but “ Early Spring ” is capitally painted. ‘‘A Moorland, North Wales,” is by J. Johnson, and is powerful, but not pleasing. “ Snowden,” and “ On the Glaslyn," by the same artist, are not so striking. The ever-weloome W. Callow is represented by five pictures, all delicious nieces of coloring. Of these “The Temple of the Sybil ” is in a rather different style from the others, being somewhat Tnrnereeque in effect, and treated much like some of the watercolors of that artist. Of the three architectural pictures by Callow, the best is, perhaps, “The Town Hall, Bruges.” The balance of his five works is made up by a lake view of Como. The diversity of style exhibited in thess pictures, and their excellence, quite justify the artis.’s claim to be among the first of living wateroolor painters. “ Tintern Abbey ” is by E. Tucker, and is not a remarkable work. Q, Oampi is represented by “ Da Parassense,” the subject being a female lying on a couch and busily engaged in doing nothing. The treatment is clover, but the subject is unpleasing. J. Morgan has three slight sketches, and one more finished piece. The latter is entitled “Your Health, Sir!” and represents a page with a cup of wine in his or her hand. The former consist of a small scene in the Market Place of Algiers, one of a missionary in Africa holding forth to the natives, and an amusing little thing taken at the Brighton Review of 1881, showing the gallant defenders, while engaged in warlike operations, buying oranges from enterprising and fearless female hawkers. J. A. Fitzgerald’s single work is a clever picture, entitled “Fear.” It represents a small child in company with a large dog, entering in the dusk into a passage along which are arranged suits of armor. Behind one of the suits are hidden two boys, who are evidently taking a mischievous _ pleasure in making mysterious noises to frighten their young sister. The dog meanwhile “smells a rat,” for, though curious, ha takes the affair very calmly. J. Poele has five pictures of New Zealand, all in his well known stylo. Of these a view on the Hokitika river is about the best. B. Eroli’s “ Drummer" is a dashing clever sketch. His “Officer of the Pope's guard” is more carefully painted, and stamps the artist as an excellent performer. Among W. W. May’s four pictures the most noticeable are, “A Brigantine off Ostend,” and “ A Calm on the Scheldt,” a carefully painted piece. Mrs Rowan has twelve sets of Australian wild flowers. To persons who affect this description of painting these will be a great treat, as they are all most effective studies. P. de Katow is represented by some spirited little sketches of scenes in the Turko-Bussian war. They are entitled “ Turkish Peasants Flying into Constantinople,” “ Turks Repelling a Russian Attack at Gravatz»,”and “A Sortie, Plevna.” The gem of the water color collection is a large picture entitled “ Cockle Gatherers,” by J. H. Mole, This is wonderfully worked up, and its atmosphere is delightful, So fine is the treatment, that one might out out the figures and place them in lockets as miniatures. And yet the general effect is broad and effective. The same artist has “ At the Mumbles, 8. Wales,” a very carefully painted little sketch. His “ Gray Stoke Mill, Cumberland,” is a woodland scene, which hardly comes up to the excellence of hie other works. The throe pictures by G. Q. Kilburne shows that he is an adept in the rendering of light and shade. “ In the Shade” is a charming little thing of a girl sitting under a tree, the landscape being flecked by patches of strong sunlight. “A Highland Inn” and “The Heiress " show the same powers of depicting this peculiar description of effect. “ Rejected,” by J. Jelliooe, is a humorous picture of an elderly party who has shot his bolt and missed, and is retiring along a terrace to ruminate on the instability of mundane affairs. The pictures labelled “ Langham ” are done daring the periodical sittings of an artists’ club, when a subject is given and the members immediately transfer their impressions of it to paper. Among these sketches is “A Recollection of Edinboro’," by J Mossman. “A Wet Night,” and “The Return of the Boats,” by J. Tuck, are also Langham sketches, and are both very clever. The former treats with great success the effect of gaslight on a dark and rainy night. The late B. F. Skill is represented by three pictures. Two are figures of Brittany women capitally executed, the third repro' sents that well-sketched subject, the bridge at Sonning on the Thames. This latter is a delightful little painting. J. H. Houston has two small pieces, rich in coloring, one of them, showing a distant view of Snowdon, D. Law has no less than nine pictures in the collection. His large works are far more satisfactory than bis small ones. The latter he paints with great carelessness, and the want of character in the foliage is oooasionally lamentable. Indeed although much given to rendering trees at various distances, bo appears to be more at home in views of a different character, as his picture of “ Staithes, Yorkshire,” a scene on the coast, is the most satisfactory of all his exhibits, and shows that he has !a fine eye for color. His other large picture is entitled " Pevenoey Castle.” Although the general effect is good, yet his treatment of the trees in the middle distance is far from satisfactory. W. Lonsdale is illustrated by a capital little sketch, labelled “ A Terrace, Florence.” “ On the Tweed” is by J. Sinclair, and is bold and telling. A. Aurely’s “ A Cavalier” is certainly what is vulgarly known as “ a pot boiler,” for a more conventional and meaningless affair it would bo impossible to conceive, W. H. Haines is represented by “The Little Warbler,” the subject being a girl looking at a canary walking about a table. The coloring here is very rich. Birket Foster has _ a very small but highly finished painting of a girl feeding some pigs. As might _ be expected from thia artist the picture _ is admirably rendered, the coloring being delightfully pure and fresh. The high price, however, placed on such a small work, leaves, we are afraid, but small chance that it will remain in Canterbury. Hanging close by are two landscapes byD. Gray, both rather spotty, and wanting in breadth of 1 ght and shade. There are five pictures by J. O. Smith, none worthy of particular notice, although the subject of the one entitled “ A Fleet of Boats, Port Erin,” might, under other treatment, have been rendered interesting. J. Gully, the well known New Zealand artist, shows eight pictures. Among these is to he found a highly-finished work entitled “ Entrance to Milford Sound.” This is the most ambitious piece we have yet seen by this gentleman, and shows what ho can do when on his mettle. Of the others, “ Mount Eirn-

slaw ” m the best. The effect o£ the sun gilding the mountain height* in very striking; H, Lndgren’s single picture is a carefullypainted study of a girl’s head, presumably a gipiey. It is very rich in color and is well worthy of close inspection. L. Q-. Bomford has a nice unpretending sketch of a farm in Surrey. W. M. Hodgkins, of Dunedin, shows the best thing we have mot witn from his brush. It is called “ After Rain, a Sketch on Like Wanaka.” The scene is worked out with considerable feeling Orselli has two peasant figures done with great dash, but not over pleasing, A, Martinetti, like E. Eroli, belongs to what may be called the Roman sonool of water color painting, a school which has been in existence some seven or eight years. Dike the pictures of Eroli, those of Martinetti display a consummate knowledge of effect and a great mastery over technique. “ The Jester’s Speech ” is a wonderful study of color, and is dirt cheap at the price asked. “ The Pope’s Guard ” is a larger picture, and partakes of the same high excellence, Martinetti’s third picture, “ Making a Cigarette,” is dashed in with groat force, and is full of fire. J. _H. Brown’s “ Harvest in the Highlands ” is a line rendering of a dull day. O. N. Dodder has a picture entitled “ Tide Out.” His two smaller sketches, sea views, are of the thunder and lightning order, and are a strange contrast to two hung close to, by Shirley Hodgson, entitled “Shall I?” and “ Pishing on the Thames." These latter are of the most milk-and-waterj' character. W. D. Deitoh is represented by four admirably colored and very rich little morsels, bearing the titles of “ Isle of Torcello," “At Naples, near the Palace,” “Dunstaffnsge Castle ” and “ Poaitana. Naples." Robert Bonte’s single picture is called “ Paying the Beckoning.” This is one of the most pleasing in the Exhibition, though slightly cold in tone. It represents a bold cavalier drawing out from his capacious pocket payment for a atoup of wine just consumed. The face of the servant girl shows that a highly flavored compliment accompanies the coin. The scene is laid in a wine cellar. The painting of this picture is very clean and good. “ Bathing,” by Fontana, is a limpid piece of coloring, but why did not the artist represent a more perfect type of womanhood ? Rsbossi’s “ Good Pastor ” is painted in a pleasing and easy style,-and the general effect is very mellow. “ Doch Ness" is a carefully worked up and effective picture by O. N. Woolnoth. J. W. Curtis’s “Evening near Heidelberg, “Victoria,” is a very nice bit of coloring. “ The Mouse Hunt,” by Panretto, is a dashy and amusing little affair, but rather too sketchy for general acceptance. F. Dott Tnlly’s picture of “ St. Bride’s Bay ” is_ a fine piece of painting, and the subject is carefully worked out. The effect _of wind and of a rough sea breaking on a steep shore is admirable, “On the Coast ” is by J. W. Hall. The coloring is very clean and good, but the subject is too simple for much to be made out of it. A screen by Miss Wimperis, of Dunedin, is to be found in the centre of the gallery. On the four sides are depicted, painted on a black background, some boldly executed flowers, the whole effect being decidedly striking.

In concluding our remarks on the Art collection in the Exhibition, we must again congratulate Mr Fletcher for having succeeded in bringing together such a valuable and excellent collection of high class works. Never previously have the residents in Christchurch had such an opportunity for art study. The presence in our midst for several months of such a fine collection will of necessity have a marked effect in raising the standard of taste in Canterbury.