Studio: international art (34.1905)

W. Monk

under his needle sur-
renders its surface quality
for the sake of uniform
quality in the etched
line. The nearest ap-
proach we have to an
absolute realism is in
Road Repairing, and
yet there it is only the
lines drawn close together
in the engines that give
it this appearance. The
apparent realism here will
be found on examination
not, after all, to be one
of treatment, but one
only of value, the value
of the dark engines on
the white road being
rightly observed. The
observance of this is
probably the whole reason
for the etching, and yet
the interest of an incident
familiar to those who
live in the city enters
unconsciously into our
analysis of the subject.
We are almost un
consciously interested in
the human industry
which with such slight
drawing finds expres-
sion here. A building
■ \ ~ • covered with advertise-

ments may not strike

from an etching by w. monk everyone that passes

with its artistic effect ;
it will be an effect

had significance for him apart from the artistic, that will come home to the reader with added
This may or may not give added worth to a picture ; emphasis when passing some building decorated
it is a thing personal to the artist, and to ourselves, in this way, retaining the while in his memory
if we look for the human element in art. Mr. Monk Mr. Monk's etching called Advertisements. We
does not work in the frame of mind that would may be swept by some such effect day after day
enable him to approach Oxford as a beautiful and never know it; we may gaze at it, read it,
arrangement of buildings apart from the city's think of it, and never think of its beauty until we
associations. He has not that cold artistic analysis are shown it by art. Then every time we go by
which sometimes benefits a work of art by the fact again we renew in our minds a picture that gives
of the artist being open only to one impression— us pleasure; we translate it for ourselves into the
that of outward beauty apart from the association colours someone's art has lent it, into the lines his
of ideas. drawing has given to it. Mr. Monk's work through-

Whilst sensitive to associations, his art is very out is characterised by an unassuming and restrained
synthetic, and but little realism enters into the technique which avoids any appearance of shallow-
quality of his line. Everything that comes in facility. T. Martin Wood.

37