DOI Heft:
Nr. 144 (March 1905)
DOI Artikel:Leaves from the sketch-book of Donald Maxwell
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.20711#0129
LEAVES FROM THE SKETCH-
BOOK OF DONALD MAXWELL
WE give reproductions from the pen-
drawings of Mr. Donald Maxwell. In
1901 Mr. Maxwell explored the little-
known district of the Toggenburg in Eastern
Switzerland, and he returned by boat. This gave
him an opportunity of seeing scenes altogether off
the beaten track, and most of the drawings here
given were done on this cruise. The artist had his
boat built under his directions in the mountains,
and from the Vor-Alpen to Teddington Lock he
found no lack of variety in the subjects. He has
confined himself mostly to landscape and topo-
graphical work in pen and ink, during the last three
years ; but in a book which is the story of a cruise
from the Alps to the Thames some colour work of
his appears. Mr. Maxwell was never in love with
working in a studio, and all his best work has been
done out of doors ; he has travelled extensively, all
the time making drawings. He studied at South
Kensington about 1896, and at the Slade School in
1897, and he was for some time at the Clapham
Art Schools; he found school work as tedious as
confinement to any other indoor studio, and his
real experience has been gained by the work he
has done with his materials in the open upon his
travels.
In the trip in 1901 to the Toggenburg he found
the subjects which have most appealed to him.
His precise technique with the pen has been
accommodated to the actual requirements of re-
cording a traveller's impressions in a manner which
makes them topographically valuable and at the
same time artistically interesting. In this trip
he undoubtedly succeeded in doing this admir-
ably, and the drawing on page 115 gives a good
example of the range of treatment and the variety
of which his technique is capable, whilst the
drawing, Churfirsten, Toggenburg, shows the topo-
graphical accuracy at which in many of his
drawings he aims. The drawing of Teddington
Lock is simply and directly treated while decorative
ln its composition. In it he is dealing with a
familiar landscape, and we may judge by it with
what degree of truth he sketches places where we
have no opportunity of judging how far he has
accurately rendered the particular character of
the scene.
"magelsberg" from the pen-drawing
by donald maxwell
113
BOOK OF DONALD MAXWELL
WE give reproductions from the pen-
drawings of Mr. Donald Maxwell. In
1901 Mr. Maxwell explored the little-
known district of the Toggenburg in Eastern
Switzerland, and he returned by boat. This gave
him an opportunity of seeing scenes altogether off
the beaten track, and most of the drawings here
given were done on this cruise. The artist had his
boat built under his directions in the mountains,
and from the Vor-Alpen to Teddington Lock he
found no lack of variety in the subjects. He has
confined himself mostly to landscape and topo-
graphical work in pen and ink, during the last three
years ; but in a book which is the story of a cruise
from the Alps to the Thames some colour work of
his appears. Mr. Maxwell was never in love with
working in a studio, and all his best work has been
done out of doors ; he has travelled extensively, all
the time making drawings. He studied at South
Kensington about 1896, and at the Slade School in
1897, and he was for some time at the Clapham
Art Schools; he found school work as tedious as
confinement to any other indoor studio, and his
real experience has been gained by the work he
has done with his materials in the open upon his
travels.
In the trip in 1901 to the Toggenburg he found
the subjects which have most appealed to him.
His precise technique with the pen has been
accommodated to the actual requirements of re-
cording a traveller's impressions in a manner which
makes them topographically valuable and at the
same time artistically interesting. In this trip
he undoubtedly succeeded in doing this admir-
ably, and the drawing on page 115 gives a good
example of the range of treatment and the variety
of which his technique is capable, whilst the
drawing, Churfirsten, Toggenburg, shows the topo-
graphical accuracy at which in many of his
drawings he aims. The drawing of Teddington
Lock is simply and directly treated while decorative
ln its composition. In it he is dealing with a
familiar landscape, and we may judge by it with
what degree of truth he sketches places where we
have no opportunity of judging how far he has
accurately rendered the particular character of
the scene.
"magelsberg" from the pen-drawing
by donald maxwell
113