Studio: international art (71.1917)

Studio-Talk

war. The industry is under the supervision of shown in Gallery No. V. The young lady
Mr. Alexander Maclean, R.B.A., and the variety here portrayed was in early infancy the sub-
of articles produced comprises, besides complete ject of a lithographic study by Whistler—Little
suites, separate pieces destined for many Evelyne.
different purposes—bureaux, screens, cupboards,

commodes, settees, tables, bedroom chests, "1 *v UBLIN.—The annual exhibition of the
chairs and bedsteads, etc. The construction is 1 Royal Hibernian Academy was held

excellent, and if some of these articles have the m this year in the Metropolitan School

appearance of frailty the efficient workmanship —^ of Art, Dublin, and as almost all the
applied to them is sufficient to ensure for them works on view were by painters and sculptors
a long lease of life. As to the aesthetic merits of resident in Ireland the exhibition reflected more
this particular style of decorated furniture there closely than in former years purely local achieve-
may be, of course, various opinions, but that it ment. Amongst the landscape painters the
has many qualities to recommend it cannot be greatest, as well as the most distinctively Irish,
denied, prominent among them being the feeling is Mr. Nathaniel Hone, R.H.A., an artist of
of enlivenment which its presence produces, sombre power, who excels in the interpretation
Exception may be taken, perhaps, to some of of the spirit of desolate beauty that haunts the
the applications of painted decoration to furni- waste and lonely places of his native land. His
ture which is destined to be used frequently small canvas A Morning Dip showed him in
and not merely looked at. Just as the bottom a mood with which one is less familiar, and
of a soup-plate does not seem an altogether is delightfully fresh and true in tone. Mr.
suitable place for ornament, so the seat of a Hone's influence was to be traced in much of
chair with a posy of flowers painted on it does the work shown at this exhibition ; he may be
strike one as a case of misapplied ornamenta- said to be the father of the modern school of
tion. The industry as revived by Lady Kinloch Irish Landscape. Turning to the portraits, the
has made considerable headway, and has secured work of Mr. W. J. Leech, R.H.A., Mr. James
many influential patrons, including members Sleator, A.R.H.A., and Mr. John Keatinge was
of the Royal Family. specially interesting. Mr. Sleator has learned

f ' >! "j' - much from Mr. William Orpen. His decision

The painting called Sunshine, by Mr. George of touch and fine draughtsmanship he owes
Henry, A.R.A., which we reproduce opposite, in part to his master; his feeling for harmo-
exemplifies admirably the methods of that nious colour is wholly personal to himself. His
gifted artist, and especially that feeling for large portrait of Fred O'Donovan as Robert
light and har-
monious colour
with which he
is so richly
endowed. The
painting is in
reality an out-
door portrait,
and the subject
Mr. D. Croal
Thomson's
daughter Eve-
lyne (Mrs. Allan
Grant); as such
it appears in the
catalogue of the
present Royal
Academy Ex-
hibition, where

the' picture is "l'actrice" (Royal Hibernian Academy) by w. j. leech, r.h.a.

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