DOI Heft:
No. 134 (May, 1904)
DOI Artikel:Studio-talk
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.19881#0362
Studio- Talk
beasts by Mr. J. M. Swan is to be seen at the
Galleries of the Fine Art Society. Mr. Swan has
no living rival as a painter of the larger beasts of
prey, and there is scarcely any of the artists of
other times who can be said to approach him on
his own ground. How great is his power of
draughtsmanship, his perception of colour, and
his appreciation of subtleties of animal character, is
made very evident in this exhibition. There is
nothing in it that is not extraordinarily expressive,
and there is much that is masterly in the highest
sense of the word. Not the least of the merits of
the show is its variety; although it deals with only
one class of subject, it is entirely free from monotony
and is delightfully spontaneous.
Mr. Mortimer Menpes has been showing lately
at the Leicester Galleries some water-colours of
Venice, which mark a new departure in his practice.
In this collection he attempted, with much success,
a broad and effective manner of handling in the
place of the precise and elaborately detailed finish
which has characterised most of the work that he
has exhibited before. The drawings were mostly
free and rapid sketches set down with much con-
fidence and stated with commendable frankness.
They are worth remembering on account of their
cleverness as suggestions of the charm of the
Venetian atmosphere and colour and as efficient
generalisations of complicated subjects.
Some decorations which Mr. Talbot Hughes
has just executed for the music-room of a house
at Esher deserve to be noted as characteristic
achievements by a clever artist. So few oppor-
tunities are offered to painters in this country
to attempt work of this order, that the success
which Mr. Hughes has scored is more than
usually interesting. He has avoided, happily,
the common tendency to make his design too
pictorial, but at the same time he has not chosen
too rigid a convention. The grace and expres-
siveness of his draughtsmanship, the delicacy of
his colour, and the elegance of his composition
are worthy of the highest praise. They prove that
he has studied correctly the principles which
govern the best type of decorative painting, and
that he understands what are the qualities at
which he should aim. With proper chances, an
artist as sincere as Mr. Hughes could be depended
PANEL IN GESSO AND MOTHER-O'-PEARL
342
BY FREDERICK MARRIOTT
beasts by Mr. J. M. Swan is to be seen at the
Galleries of the Fine Art Society. Mr. Swan has
no living rival as a painter of the larger beasts of
prey, and there is scarcely any of the artists of
other times who can be said to approach him on
his own ground. How great is his power of
draughtsmanship, his perception of colour, and
his appreciation of subtleties of animal character, is
made very evident in this exhibition. There is
nothing in it that is not extraordinarily expressive,
and there is much that is masterly in the highest
sense of the word. Not the least of the merits of
the show is its variety; although it deals with only
one class of subject, it is entirely free from monotony
and is delightfully spontaneous.
Mr. Mortimer Menpes has been showing lately
at the Leicester Galleries some water-colours of
Venice, which mark a new departure in his practice.
In this collection he attempted, with much success,
a broad and effective manner of handling in the
place of the precise and elaborately detailed finish
which has characterised most of the work that he
has exhibited before. The drawings were mostly
free and rapid sketches set down with much con-
fidence and stated with commendable frankness.
They are worth remembering on account of their
cleverness as suggestions of the charm of the
Venetian atmosphere and colour and as efficient
generalisations of complicated subjects.
Some decorations which Mr. Talbot Hughes
has just executed for the music-room of a house
at Esher deserve to be noted as characteristic
achievements by a clever artist. So few oppor-
tunities are offered to painters in this country
to attempt work of this order, that the success
which Mr. Hughes has scored is more than
usually interesting. He has avoided, happily,
the common tendency to make his design too
pictorial, but at the same time he has not chosen
too rigid a convention. The grace and expres-
siveness of his draughtsmanship, the delicacy of
his colour, and the elegance of his composition
are worthy of the highest praise. They prove that
he has studied correctly the principles which
govern the best type of decorative painting, and
that he understands what are the qualities at
which he should aim. With proper chances, an
artist as sincere as Mr. Hughes could be depended
PANEL IN GESSO AND MOTHER-O'-PEARL
342
BY FREDERICK MARRIOTT