Studio: international art (5.1895)

Manchester School of Art

out of keeping with the surroundings of a Govern- syllabus to be deficient, and he proceeds to set

ment school; he would have been distinctly the down in order the various exercises which seem
right man in the wrong place, a progressive thinker, to him to be indispensable for the proper build-

an original worker, harnessed into ing up of an adequate system of Art

the shafts of convention, and com- education.

pelled to drag about a ponderous Mm These exercises are in his "Sug-

load of official mistakes. ||IFf|| gestions " arranged progressively and

One of his first acts when he put g^^^^^L, in a sequence of development from

himself at the disposal of the Man- t& tne most elementary beginnings to

Chester School committee was to highly advanced production, so that

formulate the more essential prin- they would alone constitute an

ciples of Art education, as he under- j^^^T" almost complete method of training

stands them, and to embody them ; "Vp in the more important essentials of

in a series of " Suggestions " for the ij^^^ the artist's Practice. They are in

benefit of the governing body and . V . '|fp Mr. Crane's programme tabulated

the students of the school. These #j||[jp / and defined in such a way that their

suggestions start with a declaration ^^Sml significance is never open to doubt,

that " the objects of the school are ^^^m§0 From the very first his aim is to

to give, by a system of carefully prove to the student the importance

considered and varied courses of pf f y of directness and certainty of hand,

tudy, with due regard to the bent 11 as well as to show him how neces-

and capacity of individuals, a p W i0f X sarY it is to make his knowledge as

thoroughly practical knowledge of m If , - j§ J far as possible constructive. There-

designing, drawing, painting, and |M ^'0^^§L fore the most rudimentary exercise

modelling; more especially in the f ^B0%i. ^ in tnis course is " Direct Freehand

various forms of their ornamental ^^^^^ Drawing, on the blackboard or paper,

application in association with archi- iP^^ with chalk, charcoal, and brush, of

tecture and technical conditions of ^^^^J % certain typical floral and ornamental

manufacture : so as to furnish not \ forms, the treatment of these forms

only a useful elementary training to ^^^^^^^^^X being not in fine outline but in solid

those without previous knowledge mass;" and the next in order is,

of Art, but also a helpful system of ' \_ "Direct Designing; or re-combina-

study sufficiently complete to be . J|^^&>^.\ tion of the forms, learned in the

valuable to both designers and ~z€^Z above exercise, in patterns." In

craftsmen as well as to those who " ■ 'l%Zj$fc other words, he would have the

desire to pursue design in its more young beginner train from the first

r °m , PEN-AND-INK DRAWING FROM /BO

strictly graphic and pictorial direc- THE CAST BY E s> PRYSE both hand and mind, learning how

tions." Having so recorded his to express elemental facts with a sure
opinion of the necessary aims of Art schools in touch, and proceeding with the knowledge so ac-
general, and of the Manchester School in par- quired to attempt original design which would be

ticular, he goes on to state in what ways he has neither mechanical nor unintelligent,

found the course of instruction set forth in its The third step is to give the student the definite

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CHALK DRAWING FROM LIFE BY ARTHUR JONES

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