DOI issue:
No. 88 (July, 1900)
DOI article:The Royal Academy and architecture: with notes on some designs at the present exhibition
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19785#0121
The Royal Academy and Architecture
design for a cottage thomas davison, architect
Large drawings of certain recent decorative work Other points might be mentioned here, other
by north - country architects, or of such foreign suggestions given, but in one brief article it is im-
efforts as Dr. Hoffman's designs for the Austrian possible to deal thoroughly with this subject. The
Courts at the Paris Exhibition, would be of more principal point of all, however, is simply this : the
educational value than acres of third-rate oil Royal Academy does not accord to architecture,
paintings of which so many
occupy valuable space on
the Academy walls.
We pass on now to
another point. Why is it
that the Royal Academy
does not exhibit, year by
year, some of the best work
done in its architectural
school ? If the students in
this school produce nothing
of sufficient merit (as might
be inferred), why should the
Academy spend large sums
of money in a vain effort
to teach architecture ? It
cannot be wise to award a
gold medal and a travelling
studentship of ^200 to any-
one whose work is deemed
unworthy of a place in the
architectural room. The
last gold medal was won by
Mr. Charles Hide, and we
hasten to add that it was
won very creditably. Yet
Mr. Hide's design is not to
be found at Burlington
House, so that an official
distinction seems to be in-
vidiously drawn between
him and the winners of the
gold medals in painting
and sculpture, whose prize-
works are exhibited. studio at "hill crkst " rvf t,„,
s1uu1u Al ckesi, rye philip tree, architect
99
design for a cottage thomas davison, architect
Large drawings of certain recent decorative work Other points might be mentioned here, other
by north - country architects, or of such foreign suggestions given, but in one brief article it is im-
efforts as Dr. Hoffman's designs for the Austrian possible to deal thoroughly with this subject. The
Courts at the Paris Exhibition, would be of more principal point of all, however, is simply this : the
educational value than acres of third-rate oil Royal Academy does not accord to architecture,
paintings of which so many
occupy valuable space on
the Academy walls.
We pass on now to
another point. Why is it
that the Royal Academy
does not exhibit, year by
year, some of the best work
done in its architectural
school ? If the students in
this school produce nothing
of sufficient merit (as might
be inferred), why should the
Academy spend large sums
of money in a vain effort
to teach architecture ? It
cannot be wise to award a
gold medal and a travelling
studentship of ^200 to any-
one whose work is deemed
unworthy of a place in the
architectural room. The
last gold medal was won by
Mr. Charles Hide, and we
hasten to add that it was
won very creditably. Yet
Mr. Hide's design is not to
be found at Burlington
House, so that an official
distinction seems to be in-
vidiously drawn between
him and the winners of the
gold medals in painting
and sculpture, whose prize-
works are exhibited. studio at "hill crkst " rvf t,„,
s1uu1u Al ckesi, rye philip tree, architect
99