Studio: international art (45.1909)

Art School Notes

DESIGN FOR A PANEL IN THE CELTIC STYLE

BY MARGARET CRAWFORD

(Belfast Municipal Technical Institute)

It is made possible for a class to sketch objects in
various museums from the lantern screen, where
in former days the simplest outline diagrams on the
blackboard had to suffice.

In connection with the illustrations given here-
with, some further notes on the design and handi-
crafts courses might be useful. The preliminary
design includes the study of simple principles and
designs exemplifying these, together with nature
study and general drawing. A feature of the school
for some years has been the study of ancient Irish
art. The beautiful exam-
ples of pre-Christian bronzes,
and of the Christian manu-
scripts, crosses, and shrines,
form the basis of exercises
in the filling of simple
spaces, such as those by
Francis H. Duncan, Edith
E. Wilson, and James Slator
(illustrated). This study
of the early native art, with
its wealth of beauty in form
and symbolism, not only
supplies the basis for an
extended study of historic
applied art, but it influences
some of the applied designs
produced later, such as the
plaque with zodiac signs
by Margaret Crawford, the

book-cover by John Campbell, and the em-
broidered cushion by Eleanor Kerr, in which the
forms are designed and supplemented to suit
modern needs.

The applied art course includes practice in the
student’s own special branch of design or a handi-
craft, or modelling, together with the study in
weekly lecture classes of the principles of design
and historic styles. Nature study is also continued
and general drawing as time will allow. For the
nature study live animals, birds, fishes, etc., are
used as well as plants. Naturally attention is
given to the designing of damask cloths and of the
white embroidery so exquisitely worked in the
country districts of the north of Ireland and mar-
keted in Belfast. The table-centre by Wm. Lilley,
illustrated, with a corner enlarged, gives some idea
of the “sprigging,” as it is called locally. Three
designs for damask cloths and two napkins are
illustrated. These are by Herbert R. Lilley, James
Hunniford, William J. Ferris and William Maitland,
and all show characteristic arrangements adapted
to the possibilities of the loom.

Some of the classes in handicrafts are still in the
initial stage, this branch of art-school work being
new to Ireland until recent years, but progress has
been made especially in enamelling and metalwork.
An enamelled panel with one of the Four Winds of
Erin, by Alice Brittain, is given on p. 326. In
lace-making Mary McDermott has made some
clever new adaptations of plant form to Irish crochet
work. Mary A. Chambers has taken the materials