International studio (81.1925)

mueRHACionAL

the glory of venice by frank brangwyn, r.a.

him, although it was not by intention. Things
have changed, and there is almost a Brangwyn
cult whose worshipers are convinced that he can
do no wrong; he is more widely known than any
other British painter; he has been written about
so often that one almost has the feeling, in taking
up the subject of his art, of approaching some old
master rather than a contemporary. This posi-
tion, so far as a painter is concerned, is a dangerous
one; human nature does not keep its balance upon
an eminence and the artist who is too accustomed
to the tributes and offerings of the crowd is in
danger of losing all vision save of his own great-
ness. That Brangwyn has kept his head, gone on

his way regardless of the homage that has come
to him so abundantly, is sufficient proof of his
sincerity. He has kept true to the self-imposed
standards of his youth, even though his ear must
have grown a little weary of adulation. The
qualities that first distinguished him have only
ripened, they have not deteriorated. The recent
paintings are as full of exuberant life, as rich in
power, as filled with enthusiasm for humanity as
anything he has done in the past. Proof of this
was offered a small audience in this country during
the past spring when a special group of his works
was brought over for exhibition at the Vose Gal-
leries in Boston, and there alone. This exhi-

three twenty

august 1925