International studio (48.1913)

Reviews and Notices

thing to report, in the case of an art so peculiarly
dependent upon its refinements as Brabazon’s, that
justice has been done in reproduction to some of
its most elusive qualities.
Epochs of Chinese and Japanese Art. By Ernest
F. Fenollosa. 2 vols. (London : W. Heine-
mann.) 365. net.—The lamented death of Ernest
Fenollosa occurred before the completion of a
work on which he had spent many years of studious
labour and research. He left but a rough draft
in lead pencil, in which some mistakes and many
omissions were naturally discovered. Shortly
before he died, when urged to correct and complete
his manuscript he would say, “ I cannot finish it
until another visit to Japan. . . . There are cor-
rections to be made, dates to be filled in, cer-
tain historical facts to be verified, and all these
can be done in Japan only.” To rectify errors
and make good omissions was a formidable
task for his widow to undertake; but after a
special visit to Japan, and three years’ work in
which she has had the assistance of Japanese
experts, she is at last able to give to the world
these two sumptuous and valuable volumes—
worthy monuments to her husband’s memory.
Materials for the adequate study of the painter’s
art in China and Japan have been most difficult to
obtain by students in the West. It is only during
the last few years, thanks to the illuminating articles
in that excellent Japanese periodical, the “ Kokka,”
and to the works of Anderson, Fenollosa, Binyon,
Morrison, Okakura, and one or two others, that the
true genius of the great artists of the Orient has
been made apparent. Not the least valuable of
these works are the two volumes now before us.
Their treatment of the subject is excellent and
commands at once the sympathy of those who
desire to fathom the testhetic motives of the artist
rather than the historical or the merely technical
side of art. Not that historical and technical
questions are ignored by the author, but they do not
form, as with so many writers, the main topics for
consideration. The poetical qualities of landscape
art as exemplified in the works of Kakei or of Sesshiu
are such as to place them very high in the estimation
of critics in the countries of their origin, and also of
all lovers of art who have taken the trouble to
acquaint themselves with their mysteries. The
magnificent decorative paintings of Koyetsu, of
Korin, of Sotatsu have a nobility of expression and
execution which cannot fail to inspire the artist, be
he Eastern or Western. Mr. Fenollosa treats of
them with a keen appreciation of their true value,
and all careful readers of his work will receive a
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stimulus to their conceptions of the higher forms
of the painter’s art that will prove an excellent
antidote to certain decadent tendencies now in
evidence which are an abnegation of all that is
most desirable in the craft.
Catalogue of the Etched Work of Frank Brangwyn.
(London : The Fine Art Society, Ltd.) Jt, 3J.
net.—Those who have followed closely the develop-
ment of Mr. Frank Brangwyn’s work in etching
cannot fail to have been impressed by two facts,
namely, the remarkably high standard of his
achievements and the extent of his output. When
we consider the quality, the number, and the
dimensions of the plates he has produced during
the last ten'years it is difficult to realise that this
means of artistic expression is not the only one
with which he has occupied himself. What he has
accomplished as a decorative artist and as a painter
of virile canvases has gained for him a unique
position amongst leading contemporary artists, yet
as an etcher he occupies an equally high place.
Every new plate by him is awaited with interest
and is eagerly sought after by an ever-increasing
public. To understand the reason of his success
we have only to examine this complete catalogue,
which will be heartily welcomed by the artist’s many
admirers, by collectors and by students. The
numerous illustrations (which include reproductions
of practically all his etchings that have appeared
since 1900) convey an excellent idea of the originals,
though naturally the larger plates suffer in the un-
avoidable reduction. It is interesting to trace in this
long series of plates, numbering exactly two hundred,
the sure and rapid development of Mr. Brangwyn
as an etcher. His early work bears the stamp of
his sturdy individualism, his dominating person-
ality, and, as we are told in the introduction to the
catalogue, “work so original and so vigorous
compelled attention, and before long what had
been begun by the artist purely as a relaxation for
himself and a pleasure to his friends was followed
up for an ever-growing public.” His more recent
plates, by their wonderful freedom of execution,
show him the complete master of his medium, and
display those splendid decorative qualities and that
originality of conception which characterise his work
in other mediums. The value of this admirable
catalogue is not confined to the illustrations. Each
plate is briefly described, and particulars of the
various states are given where necessary. The
volume is a worthy record of the work of a great
artist.
Architectural Drawing and Draughtsmen. By
Reginald Blomfield, A.R.A. (London : Cassell