Page:Scottishartrevie01unse.djvu/69

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NOTES ON PAINTING
53


ments of these luminous masses in light and shade which float in the atmospliere driven gently or strongly according to the state of the wind." Then when Corot was painting out-of-doors he would rise and observe carefully what he wanted to represent, and re-seating himself before his canvas, would touch here and there to complete his picture. All the while he was humming and singing, ' Let us put that there, tra-la-la-tra-la: A little boy! ding- dong, ding-dong,' and as the brush called into being le petit garpn, at the same time he completed the air he was singing. Then again, to use the freely translated words of one of his literary friends, ' Oh, a little boy! he wants a cap, la-di-da-tra-la; the cap is there, voila! tra-la-la-tra-la,' and the cap too was flnislied by this time. And so Corot went on almost all the day, ever happy and bright and cheerful, his heart running over with joy and good-fellowship, a thoroughly good man, with a full fountain of love for all humanity. A man adored by all who knew him, a friend to the poor, an example to the ricli; one of the finest characters in private, and a splendid proof that a man may be an artist of the greatest power while he remains modest, lovable, and kind, and makes no exactions of superiority over his less gifted neiglibours. David Cuoal Thomson.

"*^* THREE PLATES are issued with this number of The Scottish Art Review. The repro- duction of RoMXEv's 'PoRTRArr OF Lady Derby' we are enabled to give by the kind permission of Sir Charles Tennant, Bart. To Mr. J. Forbes AVhite we are indebted for kindly allowing ns to reproduce an important work by Corot now in the Foreign Loan Collection at the Glasgow Inter- national Exhibition, the ' Pastorale Souvenir DTrALiE.' The etching of Corots 'Evening in Normandy,' by AVilliam Hole, is illustrative of a Review of the ' Memorial Catalogue of the Edin- burgh Loan Collection of French and Dutcii Pictures.' — Ed.

NOTES ON PAINTING.

Dumfries: Kirkcudbright Fine Art Association Ex- hibition. — The executive of this young Society is to be congratulated on the interesting collection of works of art lately opened in St. Mary's Hall, Dumfries. Minor exhibitions previously held at Kirkcudbright and Castle-Douglas received encouraging support. It is, therefore, likely that this really important gathering of pictures now placed within reach of the public in the south of Scotland, will be even more successful. The loan pictures are sufficient to indicate the enlightened counsels which have guided the executive. For the most part they are examples, small, indeed, but of high quality, of the great landscape painters of the early days of this century. Two lovely Constables, a superb Turner, a Richard Wilson, two Miillers, a Dawson, an Old Crome. There is a most dainty Gainsborough, and at least one fine Sir Geo. Harvey 'The Schule Skailin', ' while in the Water-Colour room are examples of David Cox, Girtin, Copley Fielding, and other masters in the art. To Dr. Porteous of Crofts and Mr. Dudgeon of Cargen the committee are indebted for the loan of the majority of these. Other pictures of note are Orchardson's tender 'Ballad,' a very original MacTaggart, and works by many of the younger men, such as Geo. Henry William Kennedy, Alex- ander Mann, A. Roche, A. K. Brown, Geo. Pirie, Tom M'Ewen, James Paterson, J. M. Nairn, E. A. Hornel, T. C. Morton, J. B. Docharty, R. M. G. Coventry, C. Steadman Hartrick, Mouncey, Martin Hardy, W. D. Mackay, and others. The Faeds, being local men, are fully represented. John Faed, Tom Faed, James Faed, and several Faeds of a younger generation, all contribute typical examples. The exhibition, which will remain open till the end of August, ought to be successful, if its success prove pro- portionate to its merits as a collection of works of art. Munich. — The International Exhibition of the Fine Arts is now complete with more than 3000 works, occupying eighty-eight rooms. This admirable collection will of course require and receive special reference, but now we shall confine ourselves to noticing its principal characteristics. The subjects show upon the whole a most decided leaning towards pesiiinisiii; crimes, acci- dents, illness, famine, poverty, decrepitude, contribute a large contingent: an Italian artist goes so far as to pierce with a large blood-stained poniard — a real one — the frame of his picture, which shows us the rigid form of the corpse of a murdered man covered with fresh-fallen snow! A Spanish picture represents the corpse of a traitor, whose gory head is comfortably placed between his own legs! And these amiable pictures are not the only ones of the kind. Even in the landscape, gloomy skies, agitated seas, storms, and rain, are in the majority. Humoroiis subjects are conspicuous by their scarcity, if not absence. Animal painters are few and far between. Portrait painting, on the other hand, is largely and admirably represented, and, by common consent, the English are in the fore. The Spanish section is the only one in which Historical painting is represented in that grand effective style which it comports. Battle painting is but scantily repre- sented, and here it is curious to notice that the great German victories have not inspired German artists to any very great efforts, though hundreds of them have fought in the ranks of the victorious army. On the other hand, a number of eminent French painters — to mention only Neuville and Detaille have produced battle-pieces of a high order.

As regards School and Style, the victory of the I/npressionists and 'pleinair ' painters over the old school is everywhere apparent. It is most markedly so in the noble collection of works by James M'Neil Whistler, which are so striking a feature of the Exhibition. The German artists who were the last to submit to the new fashion of aerial lighlsomeness of colour are now its most fervent partisans; not so the German public, who take up almost an antagonistic position against the more extreme disciples of the new creed and its prophet, F. Uhde.

Exhibition of Pastels at the Grosvenor. — The holding of an Exhibition of Pastels at the Grosvenor is a commendable step on the part of Sir Coutts Lindsay. The Exhibition, contribution to which is by invitation, will open on Saturday, October 20. The receiving days will be Monday and Tuesday, 1st and 2d October.