DOI Heft:
No. 37 (April, 1896)
DOI Artikel:Wedmore, Frederick: The work of Alfred East
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.17296#0155
The Work of Alfred East
is to be found in Alfred East. Without losing the months in the Far East, and he returned from Japan
admitted formal beauty, and the beauty of pro- with quite the daintiest records of its colour that
portion, and even the austerity, and the grand con- any artist had yet made. At the Fine Art
structive qualities of the Art of the Past, it has Society an exhibition, we remember, was made of
seemed possible to him to endow his theme, or his these records. In oil, in water colour, there were
manner of Classicism, with personal expression, with sketches by the score, and the public naturally
an emotion altogether his own. He serves not took to them, for, being perfectly intelligible
strange new gods of Art, but, after all, and with (and to the meanest understanding) as well as
whatever modernness of method, the older deities; novel, they could be received at once by those
and, if I may quote a remark which he once made whom the subtlety and higher dignity of the pain-
to me, somewhat upon this matter, " In such ter's greater work was certain for a time to elude,
service," said Alfred East, " to use the Bible words, It was a happy and permissible episode—the
in such service is perfect freedom." The classicism Japanese period—but I am glad that it was only an
of his art—its research for elegance, its sense of episode, and that it brought the painter back, with
proportion — must be untrammelled. And the all the fresher feeling to the land an English land-
modernness of his art, and its new personality, scape painter is of necessity born to paint. I mean,
must be purged of the rebellious and revolutionary need I say, England. For, while, of a foreign
—must make no boast of the eccentric, or even of country a painter of quick sympathies may make a
the unusual. smart and elegant, or clever, if you will, and even
It was in 1889, when Mr. East had already made an impressive record, his performance must remain,
his mark—some seven years indeed after the exhi- after all, the vision of a straDger, for whom the land
bition of his first Academy picture, the Dewy has no associations, no traditions, no memories.
Morning, done at Barbizon, and an agreeable For painting that is superficial, for painting that is
exercise in various whites, the white of goats, the decorative, such remote land may afford a motive ;
white of apple-blossom—that the painter spent some but for the painting that comes from the heart,
KOAD IN ST. JOHN S WOOD FROM A SKETCH BY ALFRED EAST, R.I.
141
is to be found in Alfred East. Without losing the months in the Far East, and he returned from Japan
admitted formal beauty, and the beauty of pro- with quite the daintiest records of its colour that
portion, and even the austerity, and the grand con- any artist had yet made. At the Fine Art
structive qualities of the Art of the Past, it has Society an exhibition, we remember, was made of
seemed possible to him to endow his theme, or his these records. In oil, in water colour, there were
manner of Classicism, with personal expression, with sketches by the score, and the public naturally
an emotion altogether his own. He serves not took to them, for, being perfectly intelligible
strange new gods of Art, but, after all, and with (and to the meanest understanding) as well as
whatever modernness of method, the older deities; novel, they could be received at once by those
and, if I may quote a remark which he once made whom the subtlety and higher dignity of the pain-
to me, somewhat upon this matter, " In such ter's greater work was certain for a time to elude,
service," said Alfred East, " to use the Bible words, It was a happy and permissible episode—the
in such service is perfect freedom." The classicism Japanese period—but I am glad that it was only an
of his art—its research for elegance, its sense of episode, and that it brought the painter back, with
proportion — must be untrammelled. And the all the fresher feeling to the land an English land-
modernness of his art, and its new personality, scape painter is of necessity born to paint. I mean,
must be purged of the rebellious and revolutionary need I say, England. For, while, of a foreign
—must make no boast of the eccentric, or even of country a painter of quick sympathies may make a
the unusual. smart and elegant, or clever, if you will, and even
It was in 1889, when Mr. East had already made an impressive record, his performance must remain,
his mark—some seven years indeed after the exhi- after all, the vision of a straDger, for whom the land
bition of his first Academy picture, the Dewy has no associations, no traditions, no memories.
Morning, done at Barbizon, and an agreeable For painting that is superficial, for painting that is
exercise in various whites, the white of goats, the decorative, such remote land may afford a motive ;
white of apple-blossom—that the painter spent some but for the painting that comes from the heart,
KOAD IN ST. JOHN S WOOD FROM A SKETCH BY ALFRED EAST, R.I.
141