Studio: international art (53.1911)

The Royal Academy Exhibition, ign

imitative skill of the most
complete kind are all offered
in full measure, and if these
were all the qualities neces-
sary to give perfection to an
exhibition the millennium
might be regarded as already
with us—despite the one bad
picture.

But, unfortunately, some-
thing more than mechanical
perfection is required to make
a show either important or
interesting. A picture can
be very well painted and yet
be a deadly dull thing, and
an exhibition can be full of
well-painted pictures and yet
bore the visitor unutterably.
If in a gathering of works of
art there is an absence ot
"tulips and bowl" by william Nicholson ideas, a want of intelligent

(By special permission.—See preceding article) understanding of the real

purpose of artistic effort, that
gathering will be futile and

THE ROYAL ACADEMY EXHI- unsatisfactory even if it abounds with examples of
BITION 191 I clever workmanship. It will cause regret rather

than pleasure, regret that so much excellent training
We seem to be approaching the time and so much practical skill should have been wasted
when such a thing as a really bad painter will be and that such a vast amount of conscientious
absolutely unknown. The multiplication of art labour should have been expended to no worthy
schools and the systematising of methods of pictorial purpose.

practice have so raised the standard of technical This suggestion also comes from the Academy
accomplishment that painting nowadays is a very exhibition. It does abound with examples of
different matter from what it was a few years ago. practical skill, and it does induce a feeling of regret
Executive cleverness has become quite common, that this skill should have been employed so
the skilful management of materials is the rule unprofitably and with so little sense of artistic
rather than the exception, and the ingenious responsibility. The show, in fact, is wearying
application of devices of craftsmanship, which was because almost every one who has contributed to it
once the mark of the specially gifted artist, is now has taken the greatest possible pains to be entirely
a sort of trick that every student learns. The ineffective. The fashion of the moment dictates
ability to paint is no longer the hard-won possession avoidance of subject as the duty of every artist;
of the few, it is an inevitable acquisition from the literary picture, that is the picture which in-
which hardly any one is able to escape. eludes some idea beyond the merely capable laying

This, at all events, is the suggestion conveyed on of paint, is anathematised as evidence of a falling
by the present exhibition of the Royal Academy, away from the right faith, and therefore search for
The collection of pictures there is really wonderful subject is forbidden to the painter who is on the
in its revelation of the mechanical capacity possessed lookout for pictorial material. But as he must
by the rank and file of our present-day artists; it have some sort of motive for his pictures, some
is so level, so precise in its maintenance of a certain sort of foundation for his brush gymnastics, he is
standard of proficiency, that the presence of one told to choose something from his immediate sur-
downright bad canvas—though that, it must be roundings—the more obvious it is the more suit-
admitted, is not by a British artist—comes almost able it is considered to be—and to paint it exactly
as a relief. Good drawing, clever brushwork, as he sees it. He must be audaciously common-
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