National Competition, South Kensington
night-lights. One sadly misses those long poetic
twilights with their delicate skies that are the delight
of artists in our own misty isles. But, after all, this
is base ingratitude to a climate like that of Egypt,
where one can go to work day after day confident
of finding the same effect at the same hour, and at
a time of year when outdoor sketching would be
an impossibility in England—Yours very truly,
Percy Buckman.
HE NATIONAL COMPETI-
TION SOUTH KENSINGTON,
1895.
The exhibition of works sent in by
the students of the schools at, and in connection
with, South Kensington, is in a sense the most
attractive display of the year to those interested in
the applied arts. For it is supposed to show the
trained efforts of the picked students of the coming
ct)
5
5
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c—'
co
RQDE-niM'7AIK&BE5ID£-UPDN A LOVIIYASSI
Id
Co
C_J
2:
04
modelled design for bronze door-knocker
by florence steele
generation, who are destined, many of them, to be-
come working designers occupying various positions
of more or less importance. If we could feel sure
that from the eight hundred and seventy-four ex-
amples selected from the many thousands sent up
the best had been invariably chosen, then indeed
might the exhibition be taken as an absolute test
of an educational progress in art. Yet it is only
natural in dealing with so large a number that
works not distinctly first-rate, although well entitled
to a high secondary position, should be occasionally
overlooked. But this year, at least, some examples
sent in were not quite equal to works published out-
side by the same students ; and despite the improve-
ment noticeable in several sections, one has still a
doubt if the old accusation that the system prefers
scholastic and academic commonplace to novel
idea and individual treatment, is quite without
ground even to-day, when considerable advance
has been made. The judges included some of our
illustration for "the fairie queene
by r. j. williams
reproduced from a photograph by harold baker, best and most progressive artists; but it may be
of Birmingham that those who came before them believed the school
42
night-lights. One sadly misses those long poetic
twilights with their delicate skies that are the delight
of artists in our own misty isles. But, after all, this
is base ingratitude to a climate like that of Egypt,
where one can go to work day after day confident
of finding the same effect at the same hour, and at
a time of year when outdoor sketching would be
an impossibility in England—Yours very truly,
Percy Buckman.
HE NATIONAL COMPETI-
TION SOUTH KENSINGTON,
1895.
The exhibition of works sent in by
the students of the schools at, and in connection
with, South Kensington, is in a sense the most
attractive display of the year to those interested in
the applied arts. For it is supposed to show the
trained efforts of the picked students of the coming
ct)
5
5
>
c—'
co
RQDE-niM'7AIK&BE5ID£-UPDN A LOVIIYASSI
Id
Co
C_J
2:
04
modelled design for bronze door-knocker
by florence steele
generation, who are destined, many of them, to be-
come working designers occupying various positions
of more or less importance. If we could feel sure
that from the eight hundred and seventy-four ex-
amples selected from the many thousands sent up
the best had been invariably chosen, then indeed
might the exhibition be taken as an absolute test
of an educational progress in art. Yet it is only
natural in dealing with so large a number that
works not distinctly first-rate, although well entitled
to a high secondary position, should be occasionally
overlooked. But this year, at least, some examples
sent in were not quite equal to works published out-
side by the same students ; and despite the improve-
ment noticeable in several sections, one has still a
doubt if the old accusation that the system prefers
scholastic and academic commonplace to novel
idea and individual treatment, is quite without
ground even to-day, when considerable advance
has been made. The judges included some of our
illustration for "the fairie queene
by r. j. williams
reproduced from a photograph by harold baker, best and most progressive artists; but it may be
of Birmingham that those who came before them believed the school
42