"The Royal Society of Painters in Water-Colours?" said young PAR.
"Nonsense! why all the water is frozen now, and so they can't paint!"
"Precisely," replied I; "and that's why it is a nice exhibition!"
This so startled Young PAR that he slipped and fell. I turned into
the Gallery in Pall Mall, and left him sitting on the cold hard flags
outside. Inside pleasant enough. BIRKET FOSTER's "_Island of Rum_"
very comforting--should like some hot. HERBERT MARSHALL--our own
City MARSHALL--has gone further afield, to "_Old Chelsea_." Should
now be called the Field MAR SHALL. MATTHEW HALE, in "_Gathering
Blackberries_," is a hail fellow well met! "_The Corso, Verona_," by
S.J. HODSON, shows that HODSON's choice is a good one. HENRY MOORE's
sea-pieces--the more the merrier, say I. "_Warkworth--Sunlit Shower_,"
by A.W. HUNT: a walk worth taking when the hunt is up. "_Holidays Past
and Future_," suggests wide subjects and open spaces. Why, then, is
it painted by SMALLFIELD? "_Wreck of the Halswell_," is a terrible
catastrophe. Can't be "All's Well." Possibly the painter, G.H.
ANDREWS, means "all swell"--that seems a great deal more likely.
ALBERT GOODWIN shows himself to be a good winner in the "_Ponte
Vecchio, Florence_." DU MAURIER delights us with some clever Society
sketches in pen and pencil. The veteran, Sir JOHN GILBERT, is as
young, as dashing, as vigorous as ever. H.G. GLINDONI has two pictures
full of humour and character. STACY MARKS' "_Cockatoo_" looks as if
it had just flown in from the Zoo. "_Au Sgarnach_," by C.B. PHILLIP.
Title difficult to understand. Landscape easy to comprehend. A close
study of Nature, admirably painted. A wholesome Phillippic against
namby-pamby prettiness. "_On the Thames_," by G.A. FRIPP, honestly
painted, and no frippery about it. Miss CLARA MONTALBA has a large
number of pictures of Venice--and Mr. RIDGE comes up and says he is
the Keeper. What Keeper? He whispers, he is the Keeper of the Cold
Out--What an oridginal remark!--and will I step into the Committee
Room? I do, and remain there, and continue to be
Yours par-adoxically, OLD PAR.
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