Studio: international art (20.1900)

Studio- Talk

becoming more certain and
more complete. The most
recent exhibition of his
water-colour drawings, held
a few weeks ago at Messrs.
Dowdeswell's gallery,
showed him at his best as
a master of refinements of
colour and as a curiously
sensitive designer whose
love of delicate and dainty
detail is healthily free from
any touch of affectation or
laborious realism. His
instinct is that of the deco-
rator who knows how to
adapt Nature to pictorial
purposes without losing
her freshness and subtle
charm. To this instinct
must certainly be ascribed
the success of his manage-
ment of effects of deep
tone and rich colour in
the series of frescoes
which were the most
memorable of his con-
tributions to the exhibi-
tion. In these particular
works he made most plain
the strength of his indi-
viduality and the extent of
his control over technical
problems; and he proved

himself to be not only a part of the "return of the pilgrims" by nico w. jungmann

skilful and thoughtful
executant, but also a close

observer of subtleties of atmosphere and illumina- and understands best how to effectively gradate
tion. his tones. Mr. Muhrman avoids colour almost

- entirely, but designs his compositions with dignity

Mr. Henry Muhrman, Mr. Frank Mura, and and true sense of style; and Mr. Mura has a
Mr. Bertram Priestman, whose drawings and pic- certain rugged force of handling that is in its
tures have lately been exhibited at the Goupil particular way impressive and convincing. The
Gallery, take what may seem to some people to be examples by which the three artists were repre-
a somewhat gloomy view of nature. They have a sented in the exhibition were thoroughly in keeping ;
preference for low tones and for deep harmonies of and the collection as a whole had an atmosphere
subdued colour, and they look at open-air effects of consistent effort that was distinctly satisfying,
with a little too much preconception in favour of a -

kind of grim seriousness. But at the same time The International Advertisers' Exhibition, held
they show a real feeling for balance and agreement at the Crystal Palace, deserves to be noted as
of masses, and for suggestion of aerial qualities. perhaps the most exhaustive and representative
Of the three, Mr. Priestman is the least inclined to show of posters that has ever been organised in
give way to excess of darkness in his colour arrange- this country. Some two. thousand designs were
ment; he has the most freshness and tenderness, included in' the International section, and these
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