Studio: international art (32.1904)

The Art of Thomas Collier

impression. And that is brought about by this in the sense that it was skilled, and for most people

delightful fact—that each drawing, and especially sufficiently characteristic, it yet had not, as it seems

each vivid, untouched sketch, is, in essence, what- to me, the complete individuality of the water

ever may be the tangible matter of it, a new con- colours—for the medium of water-colour was that

ception and a new performance. It records with which was made to express best, with a learned

absolute freshness, with the most skilled hand- facility, an unemphasised vigour, the scenes and

work, with the mental power to receive, select the effects that Collier cared for. I do net wish,

or reject such material as may have been in this short general estimate of Collier's art—which

offered, the impression which the place—the conveyed so vividly the life of that world that lay

whole scene, indeed—made upon the artist, on before him, and of infinite heavens, his truest world

that particular day, at that particular hour when it of all, where I think of him (as Corot would have

lay before him. History may " repeat itself," but done), with that great and not yet fully recognised

never Nature; and it was the happiness and privi- Frenchman, Eugene Boudin—I do not wish, I say,

lege of Collier not to repeat himself either. There to name particular pictures, particular performances

is thunder about—a touch of greyish violet in a sky —priceless possessions of Mr. Hollingsworth, or

that is rolling and low; or, the air has freshened, Mr. Fulleylove, or Mr. Orrock, for instance—and I

and over the heath it blows from the west, will say why.

carrying rain-charged clouds upon their ominous The sketches of the oil painter may be many,

voyage; or the day is keen and clear, or clear and but the pictures by which he will count are gener-

golden, on the chalk downs, and into the drawing ally few. They are bulky generally; they make

there is conveyed the sense of the serene, great much show in a gallery ; the world recognises them,

sky—a heaven and, if it deigns to know the artist at all, it knows

billowy-bosomed, overbowed him by them, and knows them individually. It is

With many benedictions— not so with the water-colour painter. He, too,

and the sense, too, of the great upland, fold be) ond makes—if he is ill-advised, he makes rather too

fold, the long and sauve and gentle curve of the often—large drawings. Sometimes they are beyond

chalk land. the scale fitted to water colour; sometimes only

The mass of Collier's work was done, as I have beyond the scale fitted to his particular talent, or

implied already, in water-colour. A little was done particular method — which is a different matter,

in oil—it was chiefly, I suppose, in his later time; But even when they are not that—and Collier's

and, though thoroughly successful as far as it went, were, as a rule, not that—when they are the

"a stormy day'
4

from the water-colour by thomas collier