International studio (16.1902)

Studio- 'Falk


sprayed with conventional renderings of Scottish
wild flowers, with the arms of a great Scottish
noble in the centre of each. But here, as in those
of the lower series, Mr. Hole has been less success-
ful than in his figure subjects. Finally, the
elaborately carved capitals'of the columns on both
floors and the stone corbels for the brown roof
beams (the ceiling is decorated in two tones of
blue, and represents the mythology of the Northern
heavens) are gilded, and add greatly to the richness
of the ensemble.

It the scheme as a whole is dominated by intel-
lectual rather than by decorative and emotional
considerations, the latter have not been neglected,

claims of decorative beauty and repre-
sentative truth. While his designs tell
their stories well, and from air historical
standpoint are exceedingly intelligent in
conception, they also present a pleasant
arabesque of line filled in with flattish
and medium toned colour, subdued
greys, blues, greens and browns. But
colour is the least satisfactory element
in his decorations. He is much
stronger as a draughtsman, and his
panels, the two largest of which are
nearly 30 feet long by 12 feet high,
show great power of drawing, dealing
as they do with complex and very
varied material and much difficult fore-
shortening. Moreover his designs fill
their allotted spaces admirably, and this
is specially so with Bannockburn, which,
owing to the intrusion of a doorway into
the panel at the middle of its length,
presented peculiar difficulty. And, as
every scene is laid out of doors and in
daylight, there is a natural tendency to
unity of effect, which the artist has
heightened by pitching his tone through
out on one key, and by avoiding the
temptation to represent true values and
aerial perspective. In these respects
he may be reckoned a disciple of Puvis
de Chavannes.

Good Deeds of David I.; on the west The Battle
of Stirling Bridge, Bannockburn, The Minority of
James III., and The Marriage Procession of
James IV. and Margaret Tudor, each of them
marking an epoch in the earlier history of the country.
But while these names suggest the great range of
motive and material treated, they convey no idea
of the research and knowledge required to carry
them out adequately; for at least approximate
accuracy of detail and circumstance was essential in
such a place. And this, Mr. Hole has been at
great pains to secure. At the same time accuracy
is only one element in success, and from the artistic
side a very minor one. Mr. Hole, however,
maintains a rather happy compromise between the

These figure panels and two smaller
ones, emblematic of The Ballad and
The Pibroch, between the windows on
the north side, are surrounded by
borders of conventionalised leaves of
trees indigenous to Scotland, and the
spandrels of the upper arcades are
60

“THE LANDING OF ST MARGARET BY WILLIAM. HOLE,. R.S.A-
AT QUEENSFERRY”