Studio: international art (20.1900)

The Art of 1900

progress and orderly development. In all the the self-constituted leaders of aesthetic opinion are
exhibitions proofs can be seen that the scope of to-day essential parts of the creed that the whole
art practice is widening to include new ways of community professes. The effect of this change is
presenting accepted beliefs and to take in types of apparent enough to everyone who compares the
original effort that have hitherto been looked upon work that fills the public galleries at the present
as little more than bare possibilities. The old moment with that which was a few years ago viewed
limitations have been swept away by a flood of as properly orthodox. The contrast is in many ways
fancies based upon an entirely fresh set of ideas, surprising.

and our "art has thrown off its former subservience For much of this destruction of obsolete fashions
to dogmas which held it back from fields of activity we have to thank the younger men. With the
where chances of splendid success were open to it. characteristic irreverence of youth they have
What were once condemned as rank heresies by treated as of no account traditions hoary with

antiquity; and instead of
being satisfied with beliefs
that were good enough for
their grandfathers, they
have formed independent
conclusions upon an en-
tirely fresh basis. Like the
young heir to an old estate,
they have rooted up de-
cayed plantations to open
out new vistas and to let
air and sunlight into dark
and musty corners. The
clearance has done good,
for it has not only left the
way open for the represen-
tatives of modern thought,
but it has stimulated many
of the veterans to abandon
their stagnant fancies and
to throw in their lot with
the band of progressives.

Indeed, in the art harvest
that has been gathered this
season, it would be hard to
say whose contribution has
been the more helpful.
The men of established
reputation have been by
no means content to rest
upon their laurels, and, as
they have so often done
before, to leave their juniors
to gain all the credit for
activity in advancement of
the higher aesthetics. The
honours now are fairly
shared, and the balance
between the artists who
have arrived and those who
are winning their way to
study for "the ways of man are passing strange" by byam shaw well-deserved prominence

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