International studio (41.1910)

Alfred Philippe Roll

ceptions which could not have been better ex- studies of horses, so full of life and fire. These
pressed and translated upon canvas than by his paintings, as one can in some measure appreciate
wonderful brush. from the reproduction in colours that prefaces

Nevertheless, Roll has had no wish to fetter this article, and the study of a horse at full
himself to this road, however triumphant his gallop, on p. 255, surprise us by their intense
passage of it should prove; he is not of those who truth to life, their expressiveness and their motion,
can brook any limit being set to their achievements They are imbued with a passion that has in
or allow their actions to be circumscribed, and so it something of virtuosity, if not indeed of pro-
he never ceases to pursue his investigations into digiousness.

every branch of art, often surprising us by his This virtuosity is apparent also in his Normandy
temerity and at times astonishing us by his fearless- landscapes, which country was his first-love. The
ness. In this connection it is impossible not to dextrous combination of light and atmosphere
remember his numerous drawings and pastels, and renders these pretty and dainty country scenes
particularly his series of " Damnies" which are all irresistibly attractive, and give to those bits of
of extraordinary energy, vigour, and temperament. Sainte Marguerite a penetrating charm. In speak-
In the work of such an artist, in which the ing of works of this kind, let me not fail to mention
glory of the female form is magnified and which, also his delightful fourn'ees d'J^te and Jeicnesse en
rightly understood, is an
enthusiastic hymn to
eternal Beauty, one is
prepared to find that the
draughtsmanship is in
fact, as it were, the skele-
ton, the foundation of all,
and, probing deeper into
the work, we find that
therein lies that exact-
ness of line and careful-
ness of contours and the
absorbing desire to be
true to life, without
descending to vulgarity.

This steadfast aim is
ever present with M. Roll,
who never leaves anything
to chance, for with him
everything is subjected to
close observation, to close
scrutiny and study, and
when he passes from the
contemplative environ-
ment of his studio and
goes into the joyous sun-
light, his happiness at
finding himself in his true
element, in direct com-
mune with Nature en-
ables him to infuse into
his work a still more
emphatic accent of sin-
cerity. As an example of
this, let us consider par-
ticularly his beautiful, yet

1 " famille de pays an s (drawing in three chalks)

at the same time robust, by alfred fhilippe roll

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