Studio: international art (3.1894)

A Studio of Design

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feel inclined to send commissions again to a production of these should be evidence of the
designer who had once or twice put them to manufacturers recognising art for art's sake. One
this trouble. Again, by constantly working under must face the problem boldly, which is to supply
the limits imposed by his material, the young saleable designs of artistic merit."
designer comes to think in the language he is " Then you believe that, speaking generally, the
compelled to speak ; and almost without his own taste of the public is towards debased art ? "
knowledge curbs his ideas from
the first within the limits they
must ultimately assume."

" Could he not do this
alone ? "

" I do not say he could not.
But the effort would be weary-
ing, and there is something
more to be studied than merely
mechanical limitations. Fami-
liarity with designs for manu-
factured objects, extending
over many years, has led me
to feel instinctively that cer-
tain ideas would be unsaleable.
Yet their sale must needs be
(from the manufacturer's point
of view) the test of popularity
which makes the designer suc-
cessful. It is no use fighting
against ascertained facts."

" Then you would delibe-
rately plan designs with a view
to the taste of manufacturers
and the public, who are sup-
posed to exercise a bad influ-
ence in art ? "

" Most certainly not; but as
you cannot compel a manufac-
turer to produce things he
believes would be failures, it is
best to attempt to meet his
views, and all the time to do
the very best to make the
design as artistic as possible
within their limits. By this

gradual effort he can induce "the floral sea" designed by arthur silver

the public to advance cau-
tiously until they have compassed a great im- "No; I should not like to say that, but know-

provement almost without their own knowledge, ing how many patterns and ambitious schemes

There are manufacturers and manufacturers; have resulted in great loss to the producers, I

generally speaking, the majority want good art must recognise that, whatever his personal taste,

which will also show a profitable return, and a manufacturer cannot afford to go on produc-

they ought to have it. I do not think that the ing unsaleable goods. The problem we must

efforts of manufacturers, or the circumstances endeavour to solve, is to supply manufac-

under which they work, are sufficiently considered, turers with saleable popular designs that, even

I frequently sell designs which can never hope to in the lowest class, do not offend the canons

attain more than artistic success ; the cost of the of artistic propriety, and in some cases are (if

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