International studio (23.1904)

Reviews

“A FINNISH FORTUNE-TELLER”
preach the doctrine of impressionism, particularly
in England, became the dominant ambition of Mr.
Dewhurst’s life; and he has since spent years in
collecting everything that could bear upon the
subject, contiibuting many articles, founded on the
information acquired, to art serials, some of which
are incorporated in this volume. The remainder of
its contents represents the final and matured
result of what may be called an exceptionally
thorough impressionist education. Beginning with
an able description of the first evolution of the
impressionist idea, this most enthusiastic author
passes on to consider the men he calls the fore-
runners: Jongkind, Boudin, and Cezanne; who
are in their turn succeeded by Edouard Manet
and his immediate followers. Then come Pissarro,
Renoir, Sisley, Carribre, Pointelin, and Maufra;
the realist impressionists — Raffaelli, Degas, and
Toulouse-Lautrec. The concluding chapters deal
with a group of comparatively little-known women
painters; the younger men, Claus, Le Sidaner,
Besnard, and Didier - Pouget, who have only
recently become famous; the consideration of
whose work is succeeded by a eulogy of
Whistler, with whom it is somewhat of a
surprise to find associated Alexander Harrison
and Childe Hassam. A short appreciation
is also given of the one German, re-
cognised by Mr. Dewhurst—Max Liebermann—
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but the example of his
style forming the frontis-
piece is hardly represen-
tative of impressionism.
It will be seen, therefore,
that this new historian of
the much-discussed move-
ment has his own prejudies,
for some of those he
includes amongst the 'elite
are not admired by cer-
tain of his fellow critics.
Many names—notably
that of Segantini—are con-
spicuous by their absence,
and the New English Art
Club, as well as the modern
Belgian Impressionist
school, are entirely ignored.
Another feature of the book
that is open to criticism is
the misleading inclusion
amongst the illustrations of
works by Girtin, Boning-
ton, and Watts, who can
scarcely be included amongst the impressionists ;
and it would also have been a relief to find
some less hackneyed Whistlers than the three
over-reproduced portraits. In spite of these slight
drawbacks, however, the volume is a most useful one,
Its criticisms are thoroughly sound, and, although
one of the chief peculiarities of impressionism is its
obstinate resistance to translation, the reproductions
of pictures are admirable. The quotations from the
opinions of other experts, given in the form of an
appendix, are also most useful, if only to prove that
even now no final definition has yet been worked
out of what impressionism really is.
William Adams: an Old English Potter.
Edited by William Turner, F.S.S. (London :
Chapman & Hall.) 305. net.—The title of this
interesting and well illustrated volume is somewhat
misleading, for it deals not only with the chief person-
ality of the famous Adams family, the founder of the
Greengates factory, but also with his namesakes—
William Adams of Burslem and William Adams
of Greenfield. Begun some years ago by a relation
of the potters, the book was at first intended for
private circulation only, but the scope of the enter-
prise gradually widened as materials accumulated,
and in the end the services of Mr. William Turner,
F.S.S., author of “The Ceramics of Swansea and
Nantgarw,” were secured, with the result that a
standard work has been produced which will be