International studio (22.1904)

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Henry's lot to execute, but in these, too, he
evinces his artistry. He feels that his younger
sitters of the fair sex, lacking the sterner character-
istics of the man, call for less severe treatment,
and he introduces, therefore, more richness and
a greater delicacy into the pictures he paints
of them. Highly typical of this side of his art
is a lovely presentment of A/Fr. fFi y. —
a charming sitter whose beauty evidently inspired
the painter to put forth his powers to the full.
His portraits of children—those delicious achieve-
ments—must also be considered if one is to
have any idea of the extent of Henry's artistic
accomplishment. For though Henry can, and
does, paint a man's portrait that is full of character,
or a sumptuous study of woman's [loveliness, the
present writer, for one, cannot help feeling that
it is in his portraits of children that he is
at his very best. All great artists have painted
children with love, with insight, and with delight;
and Henry's power in
this direction is one
more evidence of his
artistic kinship with the
greatest painters of all
time.
His children's portraits
show how accomplished
he is. How admirably
has the painter caught
the sparkling, roguish
glance of Af^w/
A!7?y her bonny smile,
her rebellious curls!
She stands poised on
dainty feet, clad all. in
rich red ; dress, stockings,
shoes, a mass of colour
daringly used, skilfully
broken, and beautifully
relieved by the white
sunbonnet and its strings.
One can call to mind in
the whole range of recent
art few more admirable
portraits of children than
this excellent realisation
of a happy and vi-
vacious girl. Another
admirably seen and beau-
tifully painted child's
portrait is that of Caw/a
A?az'7*y a little
less sparkling, may be "THE HEDGE CUTTER" BY GEORGE HENRY, R.S.A.
IO

than the first named, but displaying perhaps even
more insight into (and sympathy with) the wonder-
ing outlook on the world of a wee lassie of
four summers. As a piece of colour it is a
contrast to the AA/w/ being an exercise
in blue instead of an arrangement in red; as
a piece of painting it is just as deft, just as
accomplished; while the simplicity of the whole
work accentuates insensibily the impression of
childish beauty and that is conveyed to the
spectator by the wondering eyes, the quaintly
clasped hands, and the unstudied pose of the little
sitter. George Henry is indeed gifted in possessing
so unusual a power of perpetuating on canvas the
grace, the charm, and the tenderness of childhood.
He obviously has both an innate sympathy with
children and a true artistic delight in their beauty ;
and one cannot help seeing that in these portraits,
unhampered by any possible uncongeniality in his
sitter, he " lets himself go," producing results that