Studio: international art (12.1898)

Studio- Talk

set themselves to imitate
posters, as being the type
of picture mostly seen in
the open. Thence sprang
a series of crude, glaring
productions ; but now the
" old Flemish School" is
all the rage ; and the ar-
tists scarcely ever stir out
of the art galleries.

" Somebody," remarks
M. Solvay, one of the
ablest critics in Brussels,
dealing with this subject,
" somebody once pro-
posed that all the gal-
leries should be closed
for a few years, in order
to prevent our young
artists from seeking in-
spiration from any source
save that of Nature itself.
Now, here we have quite
a group of artists, who
have taken possession of
these galleries, and will I
not budge an inch. The
deplorable part of it all
is, that they are reviving
some of those old me-
thods of painting em-
ployed during a disastrous ——_———

art period by artists who poster by v. mignot

suffered severely in con-
sequence. They have

revived the use of the odious bitumen, the dense MM. Coulon, H. Meunier, and V. Mignot; sculp-
blacks which produce easy ' effects,' but burden tures by MM. Marin and Mascre; and finally the
and darken the palette to a deplorable degree, exhibits of two " guests," MM. J. Lambeaux and
Poor fellows ! One would think they were painting [. Stobbaerts.

with syrup in a cellar ! " F. K.

A happy exception must be made in the case of —>y ARIS.—MM. Pilon, Huet, and Rigotard
MM. R. Janssens and Verdussen, whose genuine 1 have just produced some new printed

and conscientious abilities are displayed in several velvets, suggested by the charming

interesting portraits, interiors, and landscapes ; fancy of that most original decorative

and the same may be said of M. G. M. Stevens, artist, Felix Aubert, whose name and

whose distinction and freshness of style are notice- abilities are well known to the readers of The

able in a remarkable little portrait executed after Studio. M. Aubert displays a really magnificent

the manner of Memling. richness of colouring in these productions. The

- Iris d'Eau and the Pervenches reveal once more

Mention should also be made of an expressive the designer's remarkable decorative skill. They

portrait by M. Servais-Detillieux ; a beautiful are chiefly remarkable for clearness of design,

landscape by M. Mathieu; some drawings by together with a truly personal manner of handling
198