Studio: international art (9.1897)

Studio- Talk

this Central Union will still be quite unknown to Edmond Sagot, publisher of engravings, dealer
the public, quite devoid of influence. in posters, lithographs, rare books—everything in
Its object—to judge by its high-sounding title— fact connected with modern art printing, has just
is to unite, to centralise, the decorative arts. As a Published Paris-Almanack (1897), with wood en-
matter of fact, it is quite unconcerned with any- gravinSs in black and in colours by A. Lepere.
thing of the sort. It neither unites nor centralises This artist holds a foremost place among our litho-
anything whatsoever, and its gallery is simply graPhers and wood engravers, and he works in
stuffed with a mass of incongruous rubbish, without both methods with an executive power and an
value, and absolutely without originality. No truly imaginative spirit of the first order. I hope shortly
new and original work of art has ever been seen t0 have an opportunity of dealing at greater length
therein, for they detest freshness and novelty, and with this artist' as he deserves. G. M.

are entirely bound up in superannuated academic
traditions. Surely this Union might have organised _

a continuous series of competitions to stimulate the 1 X RUSSELS.—The commission for the
energies of the young artist, the craftsman, the I J larSe Poster whlch is t0 enounce the
worker. There was ever so much to do, ever so ^ Brussels Universal Exhibition of 1897

much to attempt; but nothing has been done, 1 J has recently been §iven b>' the com-
nothing even attempted. . mittee of management to M. Privat-

- Livemont. For a long time past this artist's posters

Nevertheless it is a national question of the first have attracted the admiration of amateurs, by
importance, this long-expected and universally de- reason of their rare_at times even their excessive
sired renaissance of our decorative arts, and it would -elegance. His latest production of this kind
have been a fine thing for the Union to
undertake. As it is, the little that has
been done has been in no way inspired —
by this organisation, which at the present
time has no sort of prestige. Suggest
to the artists who are working indepen-
dently in decoration that they shall give
the Central Union the benefit of their
good will, their labours and their ideas,
and they will reply with a contemptuous
shrug of the shoulders ; for well they
know by experience that they have
nothing to expect in that direction.

This is a sad state of things, which
our artists must really think of remedy-
ing. And what is the remedy proposed ?
Simply to start a co-operative associa-
tion, a corporation, wherein they would
be their own masters, instead of having
to carry out the orders of this or that
functionary, and being obliged to sub-
mit to all the ridiculous official routine,
all the ignorant stupidity of institutions
such as this.

Isita, the poster by Georges de Feure,
which is reproduced here(page 211), gives
a good idea of this artist's manner, at once
subtle and powerful, and clever indraught-
manship. The colour is very curious,
and most dexterously disposed—blue,
saffron yellow, orange yellow and gold

forming a rich and powerful harmony. poster by privat-livemont