82 
THE DUDLEY GALLERY. 
[Nature and Art, March 1» 1867. 
upon, tlie white bit of rock near the tree’s foot, 
against which the figure is placed. As the princi- 
pal weight of the drawing is in the tree and stones 
of the foreground to the left, it was requisite to 
give strength to the other side, only in a less 
degree, for which purpose the boat and depth of 
shadow on the rock were introduced, and they will 
be found to have given the balance sought. The 
foreground figure and the boat with figure serve to 
give a little animation to the scene as well as 
positive colour. 
Believing this class of drawing to be more 
instructive than any other under the term of pure 
landscape, I purpose to continue it, and in my 
next subject to pursue again the plan of treating 
the preparatory and the subsequent stages in 
separate papers. 
THE DUDLE 
F EW of us are in danger from admiring over 
much. It is easy, by wilfully taking a view 
unsympathetic with that in which a picture or other 
work of art has been conceived, to misprize even 
the greatest artists, whose habitual style of thought 
and power are well known. But this charming 
gallery is filled, for the most paid, with the works of 
new men who bring us new wares, and therefore 
demand from us a stricter attention — a more gene- 
rous construction — where we see in them “ good 
thought,” even if inadequately expressed. 
Besides, in art, the seeing makes the sight. Most 
good pictures are of infinite suggestiveness ; nor is 
the artist bound to have intended all the effects the 
exercise of his spiecial gift produces on other men. 
Eor the works of a true artist have this in common 
with the works of nature, that they are of universal 
speech and relevance, having besides a meaning and . 
language of their own, known only to the maker of 
them. Therefore, having recognized in any work 
the presence of that mysterious. mid divine intelli- 
gence which we call imagination, it is pleasant 
to give ourselves up to the impressions produced 
by it, reserving criticism of its faults and short- 
comings (if it should not reach to our ideas) for 
some other time; surely our dull climate affords 
many a grim day for such a purpose. Not that we 
deprecate criticism — especially technical criticism — 
between artist and artist. But now and again we 
think it well to be pleased by what is well done, 
and to leave what is ill done out of the question. 
This preface is to excuse beforehand a criticism 
which is to be almost all praise, and deprecate the 
just wrath of those righteous ones who would have 
offenders punished, whatever else befall. And first 
we will praise the pleasant room, not too large, and 
clearly lighted throughout. This exhibition has 
quickly earned popularity, with all men who have 
work to show, but have not yet attained a place in 
the secure niches of the established societies. And 
here, more than anywhere else, we may look for 
signs of the tendency of our school, since the 
gallery is chiefly filled by the works of young men, 
of whom many are still in pupilage to some great 
enthusiasm for the works or teaching of one or other 
of the masters of the art. And from the direction 
this admiration most generally takes, we augur of 
Y GALLERY. 
the future of the school. And we think we may 
congratulate ourselves (who are dependent for so 
much enjoyment upon, the rightness of this choice) 
that the pictures about us offer a striking proof 
that ai’t is making steady way in England. Every- 
where among them we find evidences of the right 
thing having been tried for : meretricious prettiness 
and facile sentiment are more rare than in many 
collections of greater renown. On entering the 
room, almost every one must be struck by the 
general harmony of colour resulting from so many 
well-toned pictures ; and, on examining them more 
closely, one sees at once that they are almost all 
founded upon some 'scheme of effect, oftentimes 
novel and beautiful, and always applied from nature. 
Here we will diverge for a moment to point out 
the influence for good the study of the art of the 
Chinese and especially of the Japanese (those 
masters of effect and colour) has had upon our 
school. This, we can imagine, may appear para- 
doxical to those who only see distortion and quaint- 
ness in the Avork of these ancient peoples ; hut Ave 
are sure of our ground in appealing to all serious 
students of art to bear testimony to the value of 
their teaching. 
And noAV let us see what we may find in the 
pictures, pandering about from one to another 
without any guiding plan of examination, and 
acknowledging once for all the merit of many Ave 
leave unmentioned. H ere, for instance, let us look 
at Mr. Poynter’s “Snake-Charmer” (No. 586). Mr. 
Poynter’s pictures are ahvays among the most in- 
teresting in any exhibition. There are few men in 
England who could have drawn and designed a 
picture like this with such certainty and intelli- 
gence. It is full of knowledge and original study. 
The snakes glide and flow round the dancing 
feet in real snake lines. The orange drapery is 
admirably planned and painted, and the round 
limbs of the girl are of exact truth. Then, Iloav 
good are all the details of the scene. Observe 
the pretty shape of the fuming incense-pot ; 
and again, the bright butterfly, a beautiful half- 
thought and a most skilful invention of colour. 
Mr. Poynter has another picture here (No. 313) of a 
great curve of coast, beset by a gusty flaw of wind and 
rain. This is is a Avonderfully true effect of rent 
