Studio: international art (2.1894)

THE STUDIO

Ttit7 ao~c aatr. nx, at7t,c rvut glamour of the first impression cannot be recaptured.
HE ARTS AND CRAFTS EXHI- „ ■ ■ u ■ ^ <. • , i • • t
DITlri., ivir-Txr ASaln> 11 1S obvious that the primal exhibition of a

BI riON SOCIETY AT THE NEW , fJ> ■ , , , , c-

r at t TTPV s newly formed society, despite the drawback of lm-

, 1893. maturity, has, like an author for his first novel or his

Now that after an interval of two first play, an indefinite past behind it from which to
years the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society has pick and choose the best ideas of silent years, and
gathered together material for a fourth show, it can garner the choicest fruit of many seasons in
may be well before discussing the present display one harvest.

to turn to the preface to the catalogue of its first Probably the difficulty of finding an annual suc-
exhibition in 1888. Therein we find a protest cession of good things, led to the temporary sus-
against the modern industrial system which has pension of the exhibitions. These, so far as the
thrust the personal element further and further catalogues assist one's memory, relied for their
into the background until the pro-
duction of ornament instead of growing
out of organic necessities has become a
marketable affair controlled by the sales-
man and the advertiser, and at the
mercy of every passing fashion. To
proclaim that the true root and basis of
all art lies in the handicrafts, and to give
visible expression to such belief, were
the objects for which the Society was
started; coupled with a determination
to give full prominence to the indi-
viduality of each designer and craftsman
engaged in the production of its exhibits.
In place of attributing them vaguely to
the various firms, whether manufacturers
or vendors, as had hitherto been the
rule, a list of all persons engaged upon
any essential features of the works was to
be added to the catalogue description.
That in 1893 the Society abides by its
first programme the present catalogue
will suffice to prove. Through good
and evil report its members have stuck
to their guns, and are not to be cajoled
or threatened into abating the severity of
their programme ; the many rejections
this year indicate that they have a fixed
standard and judge accordingly.

Before considering the fourth show, it
is but a truism to say that as a whole
it must needs lack the allurement of
novelty which is always an important design for printed silk, by Walter crane.

attraction to the public, quite apart from executed by thomas wardle

any intrinsic merit. Even if the works

of each artist who made the first year a success chief attraction on a few prominent artists who
showed an immeasurable advance, the evanescent each contributed very many exhibits. Among these
II. No. 7.—October, 1893. 3