AT THE PLYMOUTH ATHENjEUM. 117 



dence abroad : he has decidedly adopted the modern 

 style of landscape painting, which aims at producing 

 effect by means of a much greater proportion of 

 light than was used by the early masters. Although 

 this method is by some considered as a new invention, 

 yet, strictly speaking, it is not so, since it was occa- 

 sionally adopted by Cuyp, Claude, Canaletti and 

 others ; Turner has been the most successful in it, and 

 sometimes carries it to an extreme, but being a man of 

 powerful genius his pictures have always redeeming 

 excellencies, not the least of which is, that he never 

 looses sight of nature. Like most other individuals 

 of high talent, Turner has had numerous followers, and 

 Mr. Havell is a successful one ; his pictures have merit, 

 but they certainly might have been much better had 

 the tone been less violent, and had the artist depended 

 more on simple nature and less on his own resources. 

 The Twickenham View is decidedly the best. 



Several landscapes by Mr. Johns have been sent by 

 their proprietors ; of these, we consider his last work. 

 No. 157, The Summer Shower, as superior in execution 

 to any prior effort of his pencil : the effective clearness 

 of the sky near the horizon is well contrasted by the 

 lowering cloud which is discharging its last drops over 

 the landscape. The picture breathes of a delightful 

 repose ; there is no straining after effect — no manner- 

 ism — no attempt at peculiarity of style — the whole 

 scene is full of correct and quiet nature. If we judged 

 of this picture's tone by the rules of the Art of art, we 

 should pronounce it to be too green, and seen as it is 

 in contrast with other works of a warmer character, 

 this appearance becomes more striking, but we appre- 

 hend that were it beheld in a room by itself its fidelity 

 would be better perceived; it may be further ob- 

 served that, the scene is subsequent to a shower, when 

 every hue in the landscape has been refreshed and 

 heightened by the genial influence of Heaven. 



No. 155, Mount Edgecumbe, Cawsand Bay, -^fc, 

 is by the same artist. This must have been an exceeding- 

 ly difficult picture to manage from the great elevation 

 of horizon which is chosen, filling the piece with sub- 



