Studio: international art (13.1898)

Studio-Talk

artist's birth-place, recently organised an exhibition by the public than was formerly the case ; it has
of his works, of which the local art collection simply become the fashion to " enthuse " over it.
contains a goodly number. About eighty of his -

most important pictures were brought together and Reference has already been made to Bocklin in

afforded ample opportunity for studying the evolu- these columns (see The Studio for March 1896).

tion of Bocklin's art. The Berlin Academy, of It is interesting to observe that the true meaning

which Bocklin is a member, also held a large of his works is not quite appreciated abroad,

exhibition, comprising nearly 100 pictures, with a whether it be in England, in France, or in Belgium,

few of his drawings and numerous reproductions and to find indeed that his right to the title of

of his works, which gave the public an opportunity artist is still denied by many competent critics,

of seeing with their own eyes what Bocklin really The fact is, Bocklin is frankly German, like most

is. There is something rather humorous in the of our modern painters. If we place him on the

idea of the staid old Berlin Academy displaying one side and Menzel on the other, we have the

the sprightly fantastic productions, the lovely two poles of German art. Our painters have even

colour-dreams of this altogether unacademic painter! shown a preference for ignoring the realistic side

However, the popular success of the exhibition was of their surroundings, and have elected to live in a

marvellous, crowds thronging to it at all hours of world of dreams, where the skies are bluer and

the day. Nevertheless, I do not believe Bocklin's eternal sunshine reigns, where a godlike freedom

genius is even now one whit better understood prevails, such as the ancients knew. In Arnold

Bocklin this school has
reached its zenith.

The artist's early work
gave but little evidence of
the powers latent within
him. But soon after he
arrived in Italy, and while
still young, a complete
change came over him, as
though the very soil had
filled him with a new life.
A charming little picture
of that period is in exist-
ence. A faun is lying on
his back among the high
grass, with a bird carolling
above him ; gaily laughing,
he tries to imitate its song,
snapping his fingers the
while. This picture is
instinct with the joyousness
born of the southern sun.
Again and again the painter
charms us with his Italian
landscapes. Thus, in the
Summer's Day, with the
river meandering through
the fields fringed with tall
poplars, a group of boys,
stripped for bathing, are
gambolling about, with the
full glow of the midsum-
mer sunlight pervading all

PORTRAIT OF HALL CAINE, ESQ. BY R. E. MORRISON arOUnd.

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