DOI issue:
No. 55 (October, 1897)
DOI article:Frampton, George: The art of wood-carving, [1]
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.18390#0069
The Art of Wood-Carving
composition of the various subjects, and I very soon would be bold enough in our day to say thai from
made up my mind thata rather simple scroll, which the point of view of design Gibbons is an artist
1 saw hanging up in one corner of the room pos- to be admired. The gaping crowd of sightseers,
sessed these qualities in a far higher degree than as they are led round by the vergers, nudge each
any of the other exhibits. As I had expected, other as they gaze at his work, whisper in awe-
when I pointed this out to my coadjutors, I was stricken tones: "Isn't it wonderful?" and pass
greeted with a look of blank amazement. They had by to view with equal lack of true artistic
made up their collective minds that the prize should appreciation the genius of Stevens' Wellington
be allotted to a much more ambitious attempt which Monument, reserving their full meed of admira-
I had deliberately passed by unnoticed. I there- tion for the acoustic properties of the Whispering
fore made up my mind to see what a little argument Gallery. But the artist, marvelling at the skill of
would do. "If you will tell me your reasons," said the craftsman, shakes his head mournfully at the
I, " for your choice, I will tell you those which have artistic criminality of the rococo design. If that
led me to mine." They had no reasons except the design were only equal to the execution ; if its
mere statement that their chosen panel was "more suitability to its place, and its adaptability to its
difficult " than mine. " But in what does the diffi- material were on a par with its technical skill, then
culty consist ? " I asked, " they are both carvings; Grinling Gibbons would have been one of the
the wood is the same in both cases ; it is not a case greatest artists whom England has ever produced,
of difficulty, but of excellence." Still
the same look of blank amazement.
I then went into particulars, and
pointed out that while the curves of
my panel were vigorous and true, and
while the leaf of which it consisted
seemed to really grow and to be in-
formed with life, the lines of theirs
were weak, ineffective, and broken-
backed, and that its only claim to
their approbation lay in the fact that
it must have taken the executant a
much longer time to do, and perhaps
implied the possession of a more
thorough command of his chisels and
gouges. I had a hard task to per-
suade them, but at last they saw the
thing from my point of view, and
finally the prize was awarded to the
student who had shown a greater
sense of beauty, though a less
thorough technical knowledge. I
do not think I can be too stren-
uously insistent upon this point. We
have only to take the case of the
famous Grinling Gibbons. Perhaps
no man since chisel was first put to
wood has shown a more supreme
command of his material or his tools
than Gibbons. One looks at his
work as one sees it in our cathedrals
and some of the great country-houses
"I England to-day, and almost feels
as though no human agency could
baw produced the extraordinary
effects we see. And yet no one CAPITAL and corbel uy GEORGE FRAMPTON, A.R.A.
45
composition of the various subjects, and I very soon would be bold enough in our day to say thai from
made up my mind thata rather simple scroll, which the point of view of design Gibbons is an artist
1 saw hanging up in one corner of the room pos- to be admired. The gaping crowd of sightseers,
sessed these qualities in a far higher degree than as they are led round by the vergers, nudge each
any of the other exhibits. As I had expected, other as they gaze at his work, whisper in awe-
when I pointed this out to my coadjutors, I was stricken tones: "Isn't it wonderful?" and pass
greeted with a look of blank amazement. They had by to view with equal lack of true artistic
made up their collective minds that the prize should appreciation the genius of Stevens' Wellington
be allotted to a much more ambitious attempt which Monument, reserving their full meed of admira-
I had deliberately passed by unnoticed. I there- tion for the acoustic properties of the Whispering
fore made up my mind to see what a little argument Gallery. But the artist, marvelling at the skill of
would do. "If you will tell me your reasons," said the craftsman, shakes his head mournfully at the
I, " for your choice, I will tell you those which have artistic criminality of the rococo design. If that
led me to mine." They had no reasons except the design were only equal to the execution ; if its
mere statement that their chosen panel was "more suitability to its place, and its adaptability to its
difficult " than mine. " But in what does the diffi- material were on a par with its technical skill, then
culty consist ? " I asked, " they are both carvings; Grinling Gibbons would have been one of the
the wood is the same in both cases ; it is not a case greatest artists whom England has ever produced,
of difficulty, but of excellence." Still
the same look of blank amazement.
I then went into particulars, and
pointed out that while the curves of
my panel were vigorous and true, and
while the leaf of which it consisted
seemed to really grow and to be in-
formed with life, the lines of theirs
were weak, ineffective, and broken-
backed, and that its only claim to
their approbation lay in the fact that
it must have taken the executant a
much longer time to do, and perhaps
implied the possession of a more
thorough command of his chisels and
gouges. I had a hard task to per-
suade them, but at last they saw the
thing from my point of view, and
finally the prize was awarded to the
student who had shown a greater
sense of beauty, though a less
thorough technical knowledge. I
do not think I can be too stren-
uously insistent upon this point. We
have only to take the case of the
famous Grinling Gibbons. Perhaps
no man since chisel was first put to
wood has shown a more supreme
command of his material or his tools
than Gibbons. One looks at his
work as one sees it in our cathedrals
and some of the great country-houses
"I England to-day, and almost feels
as though no human agency could
baw produced the extraordinary
effects we see. And yet no one CAPITAL and corbel uy GEORGE FRAMPTON, A.R.A.
45