International studio (60.1916/1917)

The Paintings of Pilade Bertieri


PORTRAIT OF MISS DE GREY BY PILADE BERTIERI

But if his method is elaborate its results do not
seem laborious. Tn such paintings, for instance,
as his Enfant a la Bonbonne, his Le Japonais a la
Guitare, and his delightfully vivacious portrait study
The Fur Toque, the first impression received is one
of spontaneity and unconventional freedom ; it is
only when they are examined detail by detail that
the strenuous effort which has been applied in the
making of them becomes perceptible. But if they
are studied, as they should be, with respect for the
artist’s intentions, it will be easily seen that finish—
in the right sense of the word—is their dominant
characteristic, and that there is not a touch in them
that has not been thought out beforehand and
applied with the most scrupulous care. This,
indeed, is the triumph of Mr. Bertieri’s practice,
that despite all its sustained labour and scholarly
research it is never pedantic and never wanting
in freshness—not often is the art of concealing
the mechanism of a craft better illustrated.

That the pursuit of completeness does not
narrow the scope of his performance is also
evident. The other pictures which are reproduced
prove the extent of his capacity quite as clearly as
those already mentioned, but besides they show
that he can adapt himself at once to the demands
made upon him by different types of subjects.
How little he is inclined to follow a sort of beaten
track in art can be judged from a comparison
of the brilliant character study The Fencing Master
with the monumental portrait of Canon Baffles-
Flint, or by setting the dainty fancy of the
portrait of Miss De Grey beside the vigorous
actuality of the admirable technical exercise Por-
trait en Noir; although in these four canvases
the stamp of his personality is not to be mistaken,
the contrast of manner sets them widely apart.
Each one, however, is logically worked out in the
way that suits best the particular motive chosen,
and each one is carried to just the degree of finish
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