'The Wuchang Arts School has deen giving a three days' exhibition of paintings and drawings. This school has about 70 students, and their main stady is the imitation of Western art, in both water-colours and oils, The exhibition was ope ed by a representative of the Tuchun, whose likeness on an oil portrait appeared among the exhibits, Students from many of the other Wuchang schools were mitted by "complimentary tickets, and a good crowd patronized the show for three days.
As a foreigner, somewhat iiterested in art, I wis curious to go and ace this exhibition. One was not optimistic; yet there were hopes of something better than the worst. It was interesting to go, and to find whether fours or hopes would be realized, The very worst fears, however, were palpably materialized on the walls, Yet, the hopes were not altogether wanting. It would li become one to poke fun where tone was treated with every respect, or to callously condemn where criticism was frankly invited, But, to speak the trath without fear oF favour, it appears that the Chinese had better not attempt at present to copy Western art, but to stick to their own delightful composition.
Yellow and Green, On entering the first room, where the work of the teachers was on show, the first picture that caught one's eye was the well-known portrait of Napoleon, "The Last Phase." Somehow, the Napoleonic nose had become bent into a dis-Jewish naval orson, and that, ing look of disappointed ambition had become, transformed into sodden look of debauchery. Near to this was a canvas upon halt of which appeared the Venus of Mito, well enough reproduced so far ax form goes, but painted upon stark pink background, The other half of the same picture was occupied by a deep—unltramarine vase, in which were arranged flow-cers of vivid red, pink, and yellow.
Several pices of local landscape appeared done in water-colours and quite jue fortunately, all the colours were nid on too violently. The green rice-fidds were too verdant, the flowers were too blue and too pink, the skies were too heliotrope. Onk was reminded of the reply which arner made to the Indy who de-claved that she had never seen such tours in the xky as he put into ix sunsets. "Don't you wish you could, Madam?" was the artist's yeply. But in this ease, the lady might well have answered, "No, T certainly don't," Yet, in a corner, probably the least noticed of all the pictures in the room, was a water-colour of 1 Chinese beggar-woman, 'There wax hardly any colour, except the plain blue of the elvess.' Somehow, the painter had managed to put into the eyes a look of hopeless misery. If it were not accident, it were genius.
In another room, were hung the exhibits of the scholars. The best of these were water—colour scrolls, done in the dainty Chinese fashion They portrayed just leaves on twin-which the Chinese are second to none. Over the rest, it wore well to draw a veil, Canton telegrams to the Chinese press (via Peking), are to the effect Uhat his associates' have urged Dr. Sun Yat-sen to take a complete rest and to retire from pul tive Council, of which Gens. Chen Chiung-ming (who is still said to be Dr. Sun's bitterest enemy), Tan Yen-kai (former Governor of Hunan, who is chief secretary in Dr. Sun's Generalissimo's yamen, and the Commander of the Yunnanese troops in Kuangtung, Yang Hsi-min, will be the chief members. Gens. Hut Han-raing and Hsu Tsung-chih (Dr. Sun's lieutenants) oppose peace with Gen. Chen, and the latter has also ate peace with Dr. Sun's panty provided that Gens. Hu and' ave dismissed irom office forthwith,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.