Studio: international art (35.1905)

The Lalique Exhibition

CUP IN ALABASTER, GLASS, AND BRONZE BY R. LALIQUE
(By permission of Messrs. T. Agnew & Sons)

This undesirable quality was absent,
every other case, and the whole

vulgarity,
however, in

atmosphere of the exhibition was of that exotic
and rare beauty which puts to flight any momen-
tary temptation to apply the word “vulgar” to
the smallest fraction of works which in every case
betray a sense of elegance and opulent refinement
that occasional mistakes in no way dissipated.

We are told in the introduction to the catalogue
of his exhibition that “ he succeeds in giving to an
art which, until he came, had been and remained
cold and stationary, that variety which is move-
ment, and that movement which is life,” The
praise does not seem to us too high. It is explained

that' he calls upon the enamel to lend
him the form and colour of the flower or
plant from which he borrows his inspira-
tion. We seem to scent here the mischief
of his art in the use of beautiful material
in, as we have said, a base imitation.
Such an imitation, though less intrinsically
valuable, is attained easily in cheap and
painted materials ; if it is a sham then
and not worth achieving, is it any less a
sham or more worth achieving when a
material out of which might spring any
perfect shape is pressed into the service of
such artificiality : when it lies awaiting the
touch of the artist’s fingers and receives
that touch to such unworthy ends. It is
important that we should clear ourselves
of any charge of attempting to disparage
the direction which M. Lalique’s genius
takes, that of beautifying articles of use
and of personal adornment: on the con-
trary we would have it so—it does indeed
- seem to us a thing to be very glad of, that
his gifts should go to this. Except that in
the case of certain forms his imitation
takes, such as in the counterfeit orchids
exhibited as hat-pins, we regret the time
and ingenuity spent on them—not so much
because we do not happen to admire such
things as works of ait or as objects of
adornment, but because each one we
looked at made us reflect on what that
amazing talent might have produced in
their place, and how much happier ex-
pression it might have found for itself
in some other way. If these orchid
pins are works of art — that is, if they
are things of intimate and personal
expression on the part of the artist—-
we regret them; if they are done for
the market and for the sake of business alone, we
regret them too. It does not seem to us that we
are treating this question too seriously; one cannot
be too serious over the criticism of questions of art,
especially of a rare and distinguished and, because
of its very richness, impulsive and improvident art,
such as M. Lalique’s. M. Lalique will forgive us this
expression of our feelings. His genius compels the
utmost respect in all its vagaries, but it is a pity
if the output of such genius supplements the milli-
ner’s designs with its exotic imitations, instead of
enriching the all-too-barren fields of imaginative
designs for personal adornment. We feel this all
the more when we remember the record of M.

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