Studio: international art (30.1904)

Studio- Talk

withstanding its resistance, has fallen
away from the living present. The
prevailing indigo blue colour of these
compositions is eminently suited to the
quaint visions of architecture and land-
scape evoked in them.

The idea had come to the artist of
writing a story which they might illus-
trate, but this was never carried out.
The story, however, is not needed.
Made from time to time without any
practical and definite purpose, simply
from the imperious need of self-expres-
sion, they reveal to us one of the most
intimate qualities of the artist's nature
in untrammelled activity. R. M.

"melancholy landscapes, no. 2 by k. g. reuter

N

EW YORK.—Amongst the
younger men of the
American school of de-
corative artists the name of
however, comes out in a special way in certain of Robert van Voorst Sewell stands very high. Apart
Mr. Reuter's compositions little known to the from the real technical excellence of his work this
public and that have an intimate character all artist is possessed of sufficient originality to make
their own. That Mr. Reuter is a water-colourist even a less gifted man noticeable amongst his
of no mean power is attested by his numerous fellows. He paints quite as much with his head as
water-colours of Swiss landscape. But beneath the with his hands, and his thoughts come out on
conscientious interpreter of Nature there is in this canvas in a perfectly logical and convincing form,
artist a, dreamer of dreams, a seer of visions; and points in his favour which are not infrequently
he is often at his best when evoking those ideal wanting in much of the present-day painting.

landscapes of which he has caught a glimpse in -

moments of visionary glow. He has

lately completed a small portfolio of 1
compositions which exert upon the
imagination a magical charm similar to
that of some of Horton's drawings in
black-and-white in his " Book of
Images." In this portfolio, with its
admirable cover-design and ex libris,
Mr. Reuter has thrown on to paper
a series of dreams in colour, the naive,
quaint, imaginative character of which
lure us on from page to page as by a
sort of old-world spell. Here are
Oriental structures and mediaeval
castles washed by the labouring sea,
or rising unperturbed from the midst
or on the edge of solitary wastes;
here are lonely landscapes taking on
the hue of lowering skies, a glimpse
into a little world apart suggestive of
the dead past, of something which has
been long deserted and which, not- "melancholy landscapes," no. 3 bye. g. reuter

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