Studio: international art (11.1897)

Studio- Talk

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CARTOON FOR A MOSAIC FRIEZE BY FORAIN

Ceramic art in France is now in the throes of a
crisis such as to make one anxious as to how it will
emerge therefrom. The impulse given for some
years past by certain strong artistic personalities
has created a sort of renaissance in this too long
neglected art. Efforts of this kind are certainly
worthy of all praise ; the good example of Carriere,
for instance, whose work will remain as a monument
of what may be achieved by the energetic employ-
ment of precious gifts ; or, with certain reservations,
that of Delaherche, or Chaplet, of Bigot, or Dal-
payrat or Dammouse. These artists have succeeded
in maintaining the strict traditions of their art.
They have sought to revive in all its force that
which is the very soul of ceramic work, namely the
potter's art.

It is matter for regret that their example has not
been followed more keenly. There is a tendency
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now in the direction of carved pottery—if it may so
be described. The beauties of material and shape
are disregarded, and the only care displayed is for
the subject of the work, which sometimes takes the
form of busts and statues. And such busts, such
statues ! The firm of Muller are exhibiting arm-
chairs in pottery. They are simply tours de force,
hideous to the eye, and opposed to all the prin-
ciples of art. _

I am sorry to be unable to enter more into de
tail; however, I must notice the exhibit of M.
Guimard, as a signal example of bad taste, com-
bined with pretentious ignorance and eccentricity.

When dealing recently with the Salon du Champ
de Mars I said what I thought of M. Guimard's
furniture and decorative work displayed there, but
my remarks, strong as they were, were not strong
enough.

If one can succeed in picturing all that is most
incoherent, most incongruous, and most illogical,
it is possible to gain an approximate idea of what
M. Guimard pompously calls " The Modern
National Style." I should certainly have nothing
to say about the matter were it not that an attempt
has been made to foist all this upon us, as charac-
teristic of the French decorative art of to-day. But
considering the fuss that has been made over these
horrors, while so much work that is well worthy of
mention, of admiration even, has been ignored, I
cannot resist the temptation to express myself fully
on this subject. To put the matter plainly, this
work is thoroughly bad, and its author cannot be
too strongly condemned. One can only hope it
may not serve as an incentive to those who are
liable to be intoxicated by the noisy notoriety of
the moment, and care nothing as to how they
achieve it, or as to the demoralising effects they
produce.

Thus, by the action of a few unworthy artists,
this most interesting scheme, which might have had
the very best results, has miscarried. The jury,
instead of being very severe on all inferior work,
threw open wide its doors to admit the worst type
of commercialism ; and, while the few artists named
above seem like foreigners amid their strange sur-
roundings, mediocrity and bad taste display them-
selves triumphantly on all sides.

M. Eugene Verneau is publishing a series of
twelve coloured lithographs by Henry Riviere, of