International studio (20.1903)

7/2<?

r^-^HE SPRING EXHIBITIONS.—
] THE ROYAL ACADEMY. BY
H A. L. BALDRY
THOUGH the present exhibition at Burlington
House does not include many pictures which
can honestly be called great, it is, on the
whole, a reasonably interesting show. There is in
it plenty of evidence of honest endeavour, and of
serious, if somewhat uninspired, effort. Quite a
number of the contributors have sent works which
prove that they have thoroughly mastered the
principles of craftsmanship, and that they know
how to manage the technical side of their art.
What is wanting is a touch of inspiration, of ex-
travagance even, which would wake the exhibition
from its condition of dull respectability. It is not
good that our painters should go on plodding year
by year in the same narrow
path, without caring to look
about for new fields in which
to exercise their capacities.
Their very skill will be a
source of trouble to them if
they get into the habit of
doing without fresh ideas, for
it will give them a fatal facility
in dealing with commonplaces,
and will lead them into that
easy accomplishment in certain
branches of practice which kills
the desire to strive for greater
things.
However, as the collection
presumably summarises the
present-day tendencies of our
school there is little use in
speculating as to what it might
be under different conditions.
It must suffice to accept what
is presented, with all faults and
deficiencies, and to feel a
measure of gratitude to the
Fates which have permitted so
much that is artistically com-
petent to be gathered in the
galleries, despite the distracting
influences now affecting the
art world. Such pictures as
Mr. J. W. Waterhouse's AcA?
72777/ AarrAjz/y,
and 37^73377^ 3'A (vo/iAi
.Z?(7.x, Mr. Orchardson's A/A.
&'A/<?77^ 777 /A? A/337/3'77 <?/* A/7*
42

QAA/a A<3y7377AA, and perhaps Sir E. J. Poynter's
n/*/A? T/W773 such landscapes
as Sir E. A. Waterlow's 7Gz7*^?iW7-3',% OyAA, Mr
David Murray's ZA? (?7*K^// IIWzAf7-.sA37g
Z^T*^, Mr. J. Aumonier's 2%7*c/i?7*.2M3'7*g C373737737773, Mr.
La Thangue's A/77H33730 .Z7-173/A73, Mr. East's A/777-33-
373^ 373 a A/ca&7zt7 and A3733^7*73, and Mr.
David Farquharson's 7T373 A7-,' and such portraits
as Professor von Herkomer's A37* ^7*7737373 I%&7-,
Mr. J. J. Shannon's AAA AWAc ZT3337*7'777rg-S'7733'/^,
Sir George Reid's Z777-Z AZ^zA/l/i^A^, Mr. C. W.
Furse's group Z/A AA737V3 ^7-77773 A/Ar, Mr. G.
Spencer Watson's ZXc A27*/ 77/" ZA/T-zA, the late
Walter Osborne's S37- ZAT&TA'/f ZA/AwT*, Zf C., and
J. S. Sargent's (?. AZCAT'yTZTzATrA, Ary., give the
Academy of 1903 some claim to be remembered.
They are really fine achievements which would
do credit to a far more remarkable show.


VICE-ADMIRAL SIR JOHN FISHER BV A. S. COPE, A.R.A.