Grosvenor Gallery, second notice

The Grosvenor Gallery, second notice.

Rossetti, William M. "The Grosvenor Gallery." Academy (June 1, 1878): 494. Web. 21 Sept. 2011.

Rossetti continues his critical review of the gallery with landscapes, naming a Lawson work as one of the largest and the best in the exhibition. He states that few British landscapes in recent years could compare to Lawson's, except perhaps that of Anthony, whom Rossetti regrets to find is not exhibiting in this gallery.

Rossetti's descriptions of the foremost landscapes in the gallery, produced by Lawson, James McNeil Whistler and Armstrong are limited to illustrative description pertaining to the scene painted with little or no commentary on the painters' plans, methods, execution and effect.

He continues with the figure-pieces which he only introduced in previous notices, reinforcing the value of the gallery catalogue in helping the gallery-goer to understand the artists' intentions in each work. Blackburn is rated foremost, with Rossetti finding "rich oracular fumes of Sir Edward Burne-Jones" in his pictures.

Rossetti discusses Albert Moore's animal picture "Birds" even in the figure-pictures section, citing its high quality. Boughton and Sir Frederick Leighton get similar descriptive mention with illustrative remarks but little in the way of appraisal.

Rossetti discusses Doyle's water-color work in comparison to others and almost as an afterthought, he adds that "other good exhibitors include Sir John Everett Millais, Crane, Sir Edward John Poynter, Howard, Jopling and Simms.

An interesting observation accompanies Rossetti's mention of sculpture, citing only the work of Princess Louise, qualifying any critical appraisal with the limitation "the work of a lady and a princess is assessed from a point of view rather different from that which applies to a professional sculptor."

Two of Rossetti's Cheyne Walk associates receive praise: Alma-Tadema and James McNeil Whistler.

critical

Grosvenor, princess, landscapes, figures, sculpture

Pre-Raphaelite aesthetic standards

evaluative

Princess Louise, Sir John Everett Millais, Sir Edward John Poynter, Lawson, Anthony, James McNeil Whistler, Armstrong, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Moore