DOI Heft:
No. 107 (February, 1902)
DOI Artikel:The Royal Academy and its students' competitions
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19875#0043
Royal Academy Students
gives unusual emphasis to a belief of his that talents to feather themselves with the wings ot
cannot but act as a strong tonic on the wastrel genius.
hopes of ambitious incompetents : the belief, And let it not be thought that the President's
namely, that love for his work is the best equip- belief is to be studied only in his speech ■ it appears
ment for an artist—far better than brilliant qualities also, more or less conspicuously, in much of the
or what is called cleverness ; and thus, although work produced in the schools under his supervision;
original genius is a gift granted to but very few, it and for this reason, and no other, the recent corn-
is still within the power of all who have air artistic petitions invite and deserve franker criticisms than
temperament to arrive at excellence—even at those which are usually passed on the work of
eminence—by the determination to neglect nothing, students. But care must be taken to aim the
Shall we be told next that perseverance will turn a criticisms at the right target; not at the students
minor poet into a Milton ? If the President were of the Academy (who, one and all, do their very
to say that the determination to neglect nothing is best), but at a system of training which fails to get
always admirable, but that this excellent quality of in touch with the strong, adventurous qualities ot
character is of little avail in true art without genius, the British character, being far more favourable to
original ability—if he said this, then he would give the gentle and imitative talents of girls than it is
expression to a truth which might prevent dozens to male abilities. If British art students have a
of young art students from wasting their time right to err in any one way more than another
in a fool's paradise of vain hopes. All the plod- it is not in that way which leads to a boudoir-like
ding in the world will not help commonplace elegance or sweetness ; and yet, in the recent com-
THB MASQUE OF CUPID—SPENSERS FAERIE QUEENE BY OSMOND PITTMAN
gives unusual emphasis to a belief of his that talents to feather themselves with the wings ot
cannot but act as a strong tonic on the wastrel genius.
hopes of ambitious incompetents : the belief, And let it not be thought that the President's
namely, that love for his work is the best equip- belief is to be studied only in his speech ■ it appears
ment for an artist—far better than brilliant qualities also, more or less conspicuously, in much of the
or what is called cleverness ; and thus, although work produced in the schools under his supervision;
original genius is a gift granted to but very few, it and for this reason, and no other, the recent corn-
is still within the power of all who have air artistic petitions invite and deserve franker criticisms than
temperament to arrive at excellence—even at those which are usually passed on the work of
eminence—by the determination to neglect nothing, students. But care must be taken to aim the
Shall we be told next that perseverance will turn a criticisms at the right target; not at the students
minor poet into a Milton ? If the President were of the Academy (who, one and all, do their very
to say that the determination to neglect nothing is best), but at a system of training which fails to get
always admirable, but that this excellent quality of in touch with the strong, adventurous qualities ot
character is of little avail in true art without genius, the British character, being far more favourable to
original ability—if he said this, then he would give the gentle and imitative talents of girls than it is
expression to a truth which might prevent dozens to male abilities. If British art students have a
of young art students from wasting their time right to err in any one way more than another
in a fool's paradise of vain hopes. All the plod- it is not in that way which leads to a boudoir-like
ding in the world will not help commonplace elegance or sweetness ; and yet, in the recent com-
THB MASQUE OF CUPID—SPENSERS FAERIE QUEENE BY OSMOND PITTMAN