DOI Artikel:
Wood, T. Martin: The lithographs of C. H. Shannon
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.20710#0047
C. H. Shannon's Lithographs
sometimes seem to contain a challenge as to whether musician would strike a note a second time to
we would have held his hand to accuracy at the hear again its pleasant sound.
expense of those hardly divined inner motives. A description of the lithograph entitled The Shell
In the drawing entitled The Three Sisters Gatherers is not to be embarked upon; more than
we cannot help sharing some of the delight that any other it claims to be approached in the spirit
must have gone into the drawing of the dark case in which it was conceived. Full of meaning and
against the white of the rest of the picture. From of beauty as it is, it has not so transparent and
his memory of an effect the artist has set this scene, tangible a perfection as some of his other works,
at once one of the most beautiful and one of the There is about it a certain mood of symbolism,
least attractive of his lithographs. There is some emotional rather than intellectual. Fortunately the
ugliness in its composition, yet in its massing of dark symbolism of some Pre-Raphaelism, bordering as
against grey and grey against white, and in the deli, it does at times upon the Sunday puzzle, does not
cacy of suggested detail, it goes beyond the other menace the charm of Mr. Shannon's art. Partly
drawings here illustrated. In the outlines and the its charm lies in its elusiveness—a quality which
folds of the sleeves of the bending figure one feels places it with those high arts understood by the few;
that the quality of the drawing goes about as far the few who, arriving at their knowledge after
as it can be taken—further, indeed, than it has a long journey, or born themselves with incomplete
been taken at any time in the particular modern genius, fall under the spell, having all else
quality of sensitiveness.
Albeit, the figure in itself
is not beautiful, and its r---------- ""
action is not one of grace.
It is easy to forestall the ||
criticism of anyone who
is quite matter-of-fact as
regards this drawing, as to
the improbability of the
positions of the figures and
of their environment: such
critics are welcome to their
trivial standpoint, perfectly
sound and justifiable so far
as it goes — which is a
very little way, not far
enough to reach any remote
conception of the unreal
spirit in which the artist so . • .-^-vSbS^V-.
often works with such a ...
show of realism. The (fMlF >, > ' <\"V
sympathetic quality of the ' 1% \
drawing of the nude before
the small round mirror is a
revelation of Mr. Shannon's i.....'•'•»—
... I -ig§m
art; m it one is made aware
of the appreciation of subtle
and moving form with
which he draws those
nudes of his with their
delicate and fragile beauty.
It is apparent how with his
chalk he has, as it were. -
caressed the drawing, re- ^ '
turning to go over the ........•—......----.....—............------
never rigid outline, as a no. 2. the stone bath series from the lithograph by c. h. shannon
3o
I;
sometimes seem to contain a challenge as to whether musician would strike a note a second time to
we would have held his hand to accuracy at the hear again its pleasant sound.
expense of those hardly divined inner motives. A description of the lithograph entitled The Shell
In the drawing entitled The Three Sisters Gatherers is not to be embarked upon; more than
we cannot help sharing some of the delight that any other it claims to be approached in the spirit
must have gone into the drawing of the dark case in which it was conceived. Full of meaning and
against the white of the rest of the picture. From of beauty as it is, it has not so transparent and
his memory of an effect the artist has set this scene, tangible a perfection as some of his other works,
at once one of the most beautiful and one of the There is about it a certain mood of symbolism,
least attractive of his lithographs. There is some emotional rather than intellectual. Fortunately the
ugliness in its composition, yet in its massing of dark symbolism of some Pre-Raphaelism, bordering as
against grey and grey against white, and in the deli, it does at times upon the Sunday puzzle, does not
cacy of suggested detail, it goes beyond the other menace the charm of Mr. Shannon's art. Partly
drawings here illustrated. In the outlines and the its charm lies in its elusiveness—a quality which
folds of the sleeves of the bending figure one feels places it with those high arts understood by the few;
that the quality of the drawing goes about as far the few who, arriving at their knowledge after
as it can be taken—further, indeed, than it has a long journey, or born themselves with incomplete
been taken at any time in the particular modern genius, fall under the spell, having all else
quality of sensitiveness.
Albeit, the figure in itself
is not beautiful, and its r---------- ""
action is not one of grace.
It is easy to forestall the ||
criticism of anyone who
is quite matter-of-fact as
regards this drawing, as to
the improbability of the
positions of the figures and
of their environment: such
critics are welcome to their
trivial standpoint, perfectly
sound and justifiable so far
as it goes — which is a
very little way, not far
enough to reach any remote
conception of the unreal
spirit in which the artist so . • .-^-vSbS^V-.
often works with such a ...
show of realism. The (fMlF >, > ' <\"V
sympathetic quality of the ' 1% \
drawing of the nude before
the small round mirror is a
revelation of Mr. Shannon's i.....'•'•»—
... I -ig§m
art; m it one is made aware
of the appreciation of subtle
and moving form with
which he draws those
nudes of his with their
delicate and fragile beauty.
It is apparent how with his
chalk he has, as it were. -
caressed the drawing, re- ^ '
turning to go over the ........•—......----.....—............------
never rigid outline, as a no. 2. the stone bath series from the lithograph by c. h. shannon
3o
I;