International studio (44.1911)

The Salon of the A rtistes Franqais


“north sands, holy island

( The property of Mrs. Walter Jones)

BY EDWIN ALEXANDER

Mr. Alexander’s technique. It is an intrinsic part
of the extreme economy of means by which he
attains expression, and it is as far away from the
slightness which touches things too superficially as
the over-wrought work of a beginner is from the
deliberations of a Diirer. It is the essence of what
has appealed to him that he would extract,
although his intentions are not, perhaps, too
clearly defined to himself—the best intentions
never are, and we should be going beyond our
task in attempting to provide the artist with his
theories. It is much more pleasant to simply
record the impression his results leave upon his
admirers who visit the Old Water-Colour Society’s
Galleries. Individuality in art is represented, and
mastery within self-recognised and often self-
imposed limitations is shown to the little admiring
group of people that always mark the position of
his pictures in the rooms. T. Martin Wood.

The Senefelder Club has met with a remarkable
response to its attempt to spread an interest in artistic
lithography throughout England. Besides selections
of lithographs already sent to Bradford, Birmingham,
Worcester, and Leeds, the Club has organised an
important exhibition of past and present lithographic
art now being held in the City Art Gallery, Manches-
ter, and in the autumn a special collection of the
latest work of the Club will be seen, on the invitation
of the City of Liverpool, at the Walker Art Gallery.

HE SALON OF THE SOCIETE
DES ARTISTES FRANQAIS.
The Society of French Artists is one of the
oldest institutions in France, for it dates from the
reign of Louis XIV., and it has continued in existence
from that time down to the present year, despite
passing interruptions caused by war and revolutions.
Formerly this Salon was the only exhibition in
which one found examples of the work of con-
temporary masters of the art of painting, but un-
fortunately, like all very old institutions, the society
no longer keeps in touch with the most modern
tendencies and with the trend of present-day ideas.
The countless little exhibitions in the various
small galleries which are so numerous in the Baris
of to-day have made us rather critical of art shows,
and it gives one now no great pleasure to see in
the huge rooms at the Grand Palais the thousands
of pictures disposed row upon row. The visitor’s
first impression is generally, therefore, an unfavour-
able one on seeing so many mediocre or at any
rate second-rate paintings. But we must guard
against taking too general or too superficial a
view ; here, as elsewhere, we must take the
trouble to search out the good things, and
certainly for those who will put themselves to the
pains of doing so there will be a reward often in
the shape of a startling or interesting discovery.
The chief interest of the recent Salon lay, to my
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