Studio: international art (19.1900)

Studio- Talk

museum, and would inspire
some of the readers of The
Studio with a desire to visit
it, and examine its contents
minutely.

Octave Maus.

STUDIO-TALK.

(From our own Corre-
spondents.)

LONDON.—It is the
custom of our
Government offi-
cials to struggle to
make reasons for not doing
things they obviously ought
to do. When the particular
thing they ought to do in-
volves the encouragement
of art, their struggles to
shelve the whole matter
become quite painful. As
an illustration of this, the
case of Albert Moore's
designs for the mosaic
panels in the Central Hall
of the Houses of Parlia-
ment is worth noting.
These designs were pre-
pared by him some time
in the sixties, and have
been in the possession of
the Board of Works ever
since. Two or three years
ago the suggestion was
made that the completion
of the panels was about
due, so the officials have
examined the drawings
and have decided they
would like a little more
detail in them. Seven
years ago Albert Moore
died.

perceive, for the first time, that artists seldom feel
During the winter English artists have been called upon to show a deep sympathy for the
put to a rude trial. They have been judged by a immense drama of actual life. Some, as though
new and severe public, a public whose mind had afraid of human realities, try to live fastidiously
been invigorated by the bracing stress and strain " in an isle of dreams " ; while many of those who
of a grave national crisis ; and none can say with do profess to be realists seem much too senti-
truth that their work as a whole has seemed any- mental, too boudoir-like and epicene, when their
thing but trivial in comparison with the stern realism is contrasted with that, say, of Fielding's
manliness of temper called forth by the war " Tom Jones." The truth is, they have for long
and its anxieties. Indeed, many people now been debilitated by their excessive fondness for
262

DESIGN FOR MOSAIC BY ALBERT MOORE