Studio: international art (31.1904)

Arts and Crafts at Dresden

emphasised, nothing jars or obtrudes itself; each it has been chosen as a pursuit by many people who
picture can be looked at, as a whole, without feeling have no real aesthetic understanding, and, at best,
that there is anything in it that would be better a very imperfect acquaintance with the technical
left out. Yet this scholarly and gentle art has its side of their work. They have set up false ideals,
full measure of dramatic effect when the occasion and have, to some extent, induced the public to
for it arises. It would be hard to find a more believe that there is greater virtue in trickery than
sympathetic record of a memorable scene than the in sterling and faithful achievement. Against this
In Memoriam, with the half-veiled sun gleaming lamentable misconception the influence of such an
upon the sea over which the body of a great artist as Mr. Day, with his unvarying respect for
Queen is being carried, between a double line of the qualities of his medium, should operate most
saluting battleships, to its last resting-place on advantageously. He takes his place by sheer merit
shore. at the head of his profession, and he claims the

Some measure of his success as a worker is attention of everyone who recognises what photo-
undoubtedly due to his rare command over the graphy might become if it were developed con-
mechanism of photography. With all his artistic sistently and along proper lines. He has assuredly
perception and accurate understanding of pictorial proved it to be an art in which there is ample scope
essentials, he would not express himself so per- for individuality, even if its necessary limitations are
suasively if he had not mastered the many technical strictly observed,
difficulties of his craft. In his working method

there is the same straightforwardness as in his A RTS AND CRAFTS AT
manner of regarding Nature, the same honest l\ DRESDEN. BY PROF. HANS
directness and absence of affectation. He never / \ W. SINGER,
has recourse to the executive conventions which ■*

have been adopted by so many present-day The "Werkstaetten fuer Handwerkskunst," which
photographers, and scrupulously avoids all the represents at Dresden what the "Arts and Crafts
varieties of what is popularly known as " faking." Association " represents at London or the " Vere-
The wonderful atmospheric quality of his pictures inigte Werkstaetten" at Munich, is only a couple of
comes from truth of tone, not from inaccurate years old ; but it has proved marvellously successful
focusing, and this truth of tone is obtained partly owing to the taste and business tact of its manager
by judgment in exposing the plate, but far more Mr. Carl Schmidt.

by the exceptional skill with which he develops Ten years ago Dresden did not exist as far as the
his negatives. Another
point to note in his prac-
tice is that he never puts
handwork into either his
negatives or his prints, and
that he never tries to
obtain results by such a
makeshift device as print-
ing in his landscape from
one negative and the sky
from another.

The value of such a
man's work in helping on the
progress of artistic photo-
graphy can hardly be over-
estimated. He is fighting
his hardest to promote
the best interests of an art
which has suffered, and
is still suffering, from the
lack of proper standards.
Because photography is, up
to a certain point, easy, dining-room designed by professor p. behrens

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