Studio: international art (58.1913)

Mr. Walter Wests Landscapes

are, I have no doubt, carefully and accurately Some idea of the brilliant and direct painting which

observed. They show how alert the artist is to Mr. West has done under these conditions is given

notice and record every detail of nature's wayward by the excellent colour-reproduction in this number

moods. But in this case I venture to think the of his view of The Monastery Gate. How well the

artist's scientific interest in a novel atmospheric dark green of the cypress comes against the range

effect has somewhat overshadowed the more purely of snow-capped mountains, how the white walls of

artistic interest of his work. At least the result of the terrace garden gleam in the sunlight against

these shadows strikes me as rather more curious the tender blues of the lake, and with what evident

than beautiful. enjoyment has the artist followed the manifold

But the artist who would record the splen- subtleties of tint in the shadows of the walls and

dours of the dawn must rely mainly upon his the roadway! The black-and-white reproductions

memory, for the effects change with too much of On the Ardoch and Windswept Olives, Como,

rapidity to permit of anything more than the most only faintly suggest the brilliant colours of the

hurried note-taking. An artist like Mr. West, who originals. In the Italian scene the grass glows

spends most of the year working from models in with all the fervour and freshness of the spring-

the studio, would naturally find pleasure and time, and the wind-tossed clouds of the olives'

instruction in painting out of doors, as distinguished foliage flash like steel against the background of

from mere sketching and note-taking. The attempt the shadowed mountain-side. The presence of

to match the actual colours of the sunlight on the peat turns the cool depths of the Ardoch's waters

fresh grass, on the weather-beaten walls, the limpid into rich tints of ruddy-brown, these warm masses

surface of the water, the shimmering skies and of shadow forming a vivid contrast with the golden

distant mountains, would strengthen and refresh a lights on the crude green of the foliage and on the

jaded figure-painter's sense of colour, lighten his gleaming white stones which fret the surface of the

palette, and enrich the contrasts of his colour swiftly-rushing stream.

schemes. For such work the two or three hours The reward for such loving and disinterested

before and after noon are the most favourable. study of natural colouring and lighting is seen in

" WINDSWEPT OLIVES, COMO " (OIL)

BY J. WALTER WEST, R.W.S.

I83