Studio: international art (46.1909)

Mr. Henry Holiday's Decorative IVork

effect there may be in the design is obtained by
painting, not, as in mosaic, by the use of tesserae
of various tones of colour to suggest shading.

“ Opus sectile,” in fact, resembles mosaic only
in being a form of decoration for wall surfaces,
which is carried out by fastening pieces of vitreous
material to the wall with cement; in all other
respects it is treated like stained glass. As, how-
ever, the question of the degree to which the glass
may be obscured by colour—an important one in
window designing—does not arise in this opaque
work, the artist has in some directions greater
freedom of action, though, of course, he cannot

arrive at anything like the same sumptuousness of
colour which transparent glass will give him. The
advantage which this process has over mosaic is
that it admits of higher finish and more realism of
effect, consequently it can be turned to good
account for decorations which have to be viewed
fairly closely; mosaic is only satisfactory at a
distance sufficiently great to cause the abruptness
of the transitions from one set of tesserae to
another to become hardly perceptible.

As Mr. Holiday has ample practical experience
of the possibilities of both these modes of working,
he is able to speak with authority concerning the
manner in which they should be treated, separately
or in combination—for he has used a mixture of
mosaic and “ opus sectile ” on many occasions
with complete success. He advocates strongly
the advantages of the latter process over the former
for decorations on a small scale, though he admits
that it cannot be made to rival mosaic in splendour
of effect. But mosaic, he holds, is best applied in
large masses, and at a considerable distance from
the eye ; and necessarily, from the slow and elabo-
rate way in which it must be worked, it is far more
costly than “ opus sectile.” These practical con-
siderations cannot be overlooked by the decorative
artist, whose commissions are often contingent
upon the possibility of producing striking results
by a comparatively small outlay, so that an inven-
tion which reduces cost without diminishing artistic
opportunity well deserves attention.

Indeed, it can fairly be said of Mr. Holiday that
he is as ready now as at any time in his career to
test devices which promise results worthy of respect.
A strenuous worker he has always been, but his
strenuousness has not been misdirected by fanatical
preferences for that to which he has been long
accustomed. He has no prejudices against new
ideas simply because they are new, and he shirks
no labour which will give him some additions to
that stock of knowledge which he has been gather-
ing together throughout his life. Just as he
prepares for the carrying out of his large designs
by making an immense number of minute and
scholarly studies, so he fits himself to practise a
new artistic method by investigating closely all its
peculiar characteristics, and by finding out for him-
self what are its merits and defects. He is consis-
tent enough in this, tor to a man with his advanced
ass’hetic ideals, imperfect understanding of any of
the processes of his art would seem a sort of reflec-
tion upon his sincerity—it would imply that he took
but a careless view of his responsibilities, and such
an implication he would be the first to resent.

STUDY OF DRAPERY

BY HENRY HOLIDAY