International studio (19.1903)

THE STUDIO

11 /l R. FRANK BRANGWYN'S
j\/SLANDSCAPES AND STILL-
i T ILIFE. BY SELWYN IMAGE
THE Editor of THE STUDto has asked me to
write the article which is to accompany these repro-
ductions of Mr. Brangwyn's landscape and stiH-
life work, and very giadly
I have accepted the invita-
tion. Verygladly, letme
say, for two reasons : first
ofall, becauselgreatly
admire Mr. Brangwyn's
work; and, secondly, be-
cause for many years now
Mr. Brangwyn has been a
friend of mine.
To some readers, of
course, this latter may ap-
pear a reason not for
my writing, but for my
desisting. Afriendmust
beprejudiced, theywill
say; he willlookata
man's work through rose-
coloured spectacles; sup-
posing there are sides of
the work which are not
admirable, these he will
avoid or slide over. Even
if he is competent to write
at all, he is necessarily
handicapped when it is a
friendheissettowrite
about. Heiscertainboth
to be disingenuous, and
to be over-Iavish in his
appreciation.
The criticism is natural,
for there has been too
good ground for it; yet
assuredly it need not
stagger a man. If you
write about somebody
simply because he is your
friend, well, you had better
think twiceover it; if
XIX. No. 73.—MARCH, 1903.

you write about somebody because his performances
appeal to you, it certainly does seem a rehne-
ment of squeamishness to pull yourself up and
stop because you also happen to know and to like
the performer. A man must indeed be a nerveless
creature if, in such a case, he has not grit enough
to be reasouably honest and to keep his head.


"THE VALLEY OF THE TIBER" FROM THE OIL-SKETCH BY FRANK BRANGWYN