Studio: international art (25.1902)

A Country Cottage

orange the colour of which was intended to /aire of the complex modern house; and in tracing this
valoir the violet blacks, blues, and browns of back to its source it will be found that it originally
which the canvas was composed." comprised but one apartment—the hall or house

Whether we study the landscapes or portraits place, as it was called—and if its development from
Mr. Giron has produced, we feel that we are deal- this primary form is followed it will be found that
ing with the works of an artist intensely sensitive it consisted chiefly in the formation of special cells
alike to the ever-varied beauty of form and colour, for special purposes. In this gradual evolution
one who is also absolutely sincere, and whose under economic conditions, the hall—its occupa-
passionate desire is to make others see and feel tion gone—gradually dwindled down to the lobby
with him all that is characteristically beautiful in with the staircase in it, which is still dignified
his native land. He is one of a group of Swiss with the ancient title of hall in the smallest
artists who, we venture to think, are laying the modern villa. In recent house-planning, the hall
foundation of an essentially modern and national has again attained a somewhat spurious pro-
Swiss art. minence. In modern times the revolt against the

sordid ugliness of the Victorian house led those

ACOUNTRY COTTAGE. BY who aimed at recreating beauty in domestic sur-
M H BAILLIE SCOTT roundings to turn with an enthusiasm which was

almost passionate to the study of the older houses
In seeking for a basis for the plan of where the hall played such an important part. And
a small house it may be well to follow the evolution so, amidst other features and details of the past, the

hall became again a some-
what notable feature in the
plan, and was considered
almost an essential adjunct
to the "artistic house."

In the large house, where
economic conditions of
planning may give way to
the fancy of the individual,
this revival of the hall may
perhaps be justified, and a
sitting-room may well be
sacrificed for the sake of a
fine focus to the plan; but
in the smaller houses, where
every inch of space must
be made the most of, such
a hall was a somewhat ex-'
pensive luxury, though,
inasmuch as it is the mark
of the modern mind to be
incapable of conceiving
beauty except apart from
usefulness, the hall in this
connection helped to give
what is considered "artistic
character" to a house.
It was at least sufficiently
useless for that! Mean-
while, the more practical
person chose rather to
retain his staircase lobby,

' MONTAGNARDES SUISSES" BY C. GIRON inStead °f ^ hal1

(Photograph by F. Boissonnas. See article on C. Giron) to fashion for himself a

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