Studio: international art (9.1897)

The Work of C. J. Watson

sphere, and common life—transfigured, indeed, but poem, or a fine picture, says new things to each
not to the extent of becoming transcendental. new acquaintance. The little facts which struck

To prove that selection of the essential facts is as the observer's own individuality in the real scene,
positively accurate in its impression as the literal whether they impressed the poet or the painter to
imitation of everything, whether by the camera or the same extent or not, are, all the same, recalled
the old Dutch realists, one has but to look at the by his work, and the less definite this is, the more
delightful water-colour here reproduced in facsimile, suggestions it offers. If I were to write pages of
In an instant one recognises the particular corner of those personal or unrelated impressions of Paris
the pavement by the Madeleine, and the atmo- which this most dainty souvenir brings back, they
sphere, the sounds, the odours, the movement—all would merely exhaust one visitor's record; a thou-
that go to make up the curious individual fascina- sand people might write similar descriptions, and
tion of Paris in sunshine—come back unbidden yet each one might differ in almost every detail,
with a rush of pleasant memories. For a great But the topographical pleasure—which is not to be

despised—is a minor point, only
the fact that it can be achieved
by ways of art must needs be
reiterated, as many people think
only long catalogues of unselected
facts can supply accurate reports.
'We are all impressionists at heart,
and select unconsciously the facts
that appeal most forcibly; but,
' unluckily, the natural impres-

• ; sionist has too often overlaid his

Pjkj original attitude towards Nature,

— Jm ' and does not see for himself, but

IlLr 3v « ' i * \ i looks at all objects through the

spectacles of others. There is
what innocent folk would call
Ji? " a slight study " by Mr.Whistler,

j^K''*/ ^ -v a lithograph.known to the readers

T ' " of The Studio, which not a few

7 3 . -ft£^fj V'1j$?3 self-elected critics refused to ac-

- ' LJSir : cePt as a satisfactory transcript

Kffl ft£ k<;*"' VP. - p| | of a human beins; some even

■Si }?-! ^ ' ^r-r^ .•' V % \, went so far as to put their

"t, ■^l(wfr^" 'V 11 'J ^ -Al'^ki'i~" €-4'":-^^~—r opinions in anonymous letters.

%1 if* ^ *" * ? -W • j 1 J?*J'- .| Yet, seeing across a dinner-table

V.» ' ' ! j*,.-' * • ■'^ at some distance, the lady who

- ; v-/ '-j*^ :^.1 - * ? j;^|AjLv,.. - . is there depicted, with no cir-

' "n l\i ||| ' ^-^P^S^'' cumstance to connect her identity

i ^ _ ^ _ .JTi™" with that of the lithograph in

; p ^"5fe*^ question, another guest recog-

nised her instantly, as one would
recognise the popular beauty
hitherto familiar only by her
photograph in shop-windows.
For, in this case, as in others,
the real artist, not concerned
with portraiture for the moment,
was all the same so irresistibly
accurate in his method, that the
minor quality of personal like-

a corner of dordrecht '' from an etching by c. j. watson, r.e. ness, which any photograph can

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