Exhibition At The Royal A...
The fifty-sixth exhibition at this establishment was opened to the public yesterday. It presents, as usual, a great mass of mediocrity and imbecility, out of which, howvever, the discriminating observer may easily select many admirable productions of genius and taste. In psrtraiture, Sir Thomas Lawrence maintains the a=scedeney: the powers of his trulv surprising pencil leave at an imme-asurable dis- tance behind all efforts of a similar nature. The grace, thc anirmia- tion, the life-endowed look of his heads, surpass anything of the kind we have ever beheld, while his brilliant effects, and occasional puri- ty of colour, give almost the force of nature to his most finished works. The portraits of " The children of C B. Calmnady Esq.," (99) is one of his happiest works. He has caught, with admirable fidelity, the animated glow of infantine beauty, and by the playfiul- ness of his pencil has given a degree of motion to their graceful forms, which mav in vain be looked for in the cold attempts of his les.% gifted fi;lrnwtravelleri in the path of fame. The luxu- rliant richness os the colour and effect in his " Portrait of Sir WVilliam Curtis" (291) surpasses any thing of the kind fie has ever produced. His " Portrait of the Earl of Clanwil. ham" (98) is a verv spirited figure, with a finc dapti of towe and admnirahle effect. 'AlMr. Howard has rent a very pleasing "Portrait of a Lady in the costume of l OO," (107), distinguished by the most graceful simplicity and suavitv of style, as'well as by a rosich pturer colour than we have been accustomed to see from his pencil, in works of this kind. Antong the other academicians, we are sotry to say there are few who deserve any particular praise for their efforts in portraitirc this year. Somie of them are eveti discreditable to the establishment. IlWe were pleased to see several efforts of historical, poetical, and familiarlife composition. Fuseli has one of his most powerful and nostimu2Legiative wvorks. Calleott las a most splendid waterpiece, a view of "1 Rochester from the river," (1;0), where the brilliance of the sky and transparency of the water pro- duce a most surprisingly natural effect. Constable and Collins have also distingui2shed themselves. We observed that the number of works of art is this year by no means so great as on former occa- Kion8, yet we understand that multitudes have been rejected. To judge from som?e of the specimens now hanging on the walls, we must suppose, in justice to the managing committee, that those which have been rejected were outrageously bad indeed: yet we could refer to some, and those in verv promninent situations, whose ineficiency could not be well exceedea. WVe fear there is some foul play in this. EXHIBITIO.N' AT TF$ PROYAL ACADEMY.