Studio: international art (31.1904)

Carlos Grethe

They are amongst the most delightful work that marine subjects there is scarcely one which has sup-
has been done in colour-printing. In nearly all of plied the motif for one of the paintings, and, again,
them one or two small fishing craft, the sea, and the hardly any of these studies of detail were afterwards
sky are about all to be seen. The boats are either copied or made use of directly in a picture. All the
issuing out of the harbour, or edging round a pier, or numerous studies that actually have preceded the
lying still in a dead calm. Magnificent evening painting of each picture had only the object of
and morning skies, with their glory reflected upon making me thoroughly acquainted with all the facts
the waves, are marvellously reproduced by the help and all the possible aspects of the subject. In
of three or four stones only. I have mentioned addition to sketching them, I have always sought
Claude above, and it occurs to me to recall the to impress these facts and aspects upon my
fact that he, too, is fond of picturing fine sunsets. memory without the assistance of pencil and
But there is a world-wide difference between these brush. I want to know clearly all items that
men. Claude is an idolator, and he wishes to could possibly influence the final shape into which
raise an altar to the subject of his worship, to my picture will crystallise. For this reason I have
Nature in her most splendid aspects. When made accurate studies of the rigging of ships, of
we see a Claude we say, " What a fine sunset that the construction of boats, going into the smallest
is!" When we see a Grethe we say, " How finely detail, and I try to keep this or that situation
he has reproduced that sunset!" That is the fresh in my memory by the help of an outline
greatest praise one can bestow upon Grethe's work, sketch : colour sketches are nothing more than
namely, that in everything one feels his presence. cues for certain light-effects. Thus all my studies
And in his case it is all the greater
praise because he does not manifest
his presence by literary or logical
communion with us, but exclusively
by an artistic one.

For the rest I would like to let the
artist talk for himself, and translate a
few passages out of an interesting
letter which I recently received from
him:—

"As a rule, my interest in some sort
of action or proceeding is the primary
cause of my painting a picture. In
order to paint it I must have seen this
action as it happens many times, and
this generally has taken place long
before my interest is raised to such a
pitch that I feel that I would like to
paint the action. Thus the representa-
tion of this action amounts to com-
bining, for the main part in an
unconscious manner, many experiences
of one and the same incident. But in
order to have unlimited freedom as to
what features of this incident should
be chosen and combined, my positive
knowledge of the different elements of
this action must be so accurate that I
can in my mind's eye live through the
whole action as if I were a participant
in it. It is from this point of view that
my studies and pictures should be re-
garded. "returning from the dockyards "

"Among all my studies of haven and from the painting by carlos grethe

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