DOI Heft:
No. 279 (June 1916)
DOI Artikel:Studio-talk
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21262#0083
Studio- Talk
construction, as the term is generally understood,
played but a small part in his scheme of things,
but then he was only feeling his way towards that
fuller expression which he has now attained and
which in his later work has been manifested in
many notable instances. He has convincingly
demonstrated the value of form and the expres-
siveness of line.
Most fully, perhaps, has he revealed his ideas in
that wonderful series of Italian landscapes that of
late have engrossed so much of his time. It was
no easy task to attempt to present Venice or Rome
in any new aspect. Generation after generation of
painters has studied in Venice and tried to say
something about it till one might well conclude
that there was nothing new to be said. Yet those
who have seen Mr. Mackie's paintings of Venice
by night must have realised that here was the
expression of an original mind, of one who sees
beneath the surface of things and has the ability to
impress others so that his conception remains in
their mind as something vital and living. Archi-
tecturally it was the old Venice one saw, the city
of splendid palaces, and yet on these historic
piazzas the life is that of to-day. But to-day as in
the long past yesterdays there is the same mystery
and beauty in the night, and in the realisation of
this basic unity of past and present Mr. Mackie
found his justification.
Because of the large part that colour plays as a
component part of his composition Mr. Mackie's
work is not very effectively translated in mono-
chrome, but the reproduction of The Nut Gatherers,
which appears in this issue, conveys very clearly
his general scheme of work. It is a Roman land-
scape, and from the blue of the distant lake to the
warm hues of the foreground there is a rich and
varied progression of colour harmonies built, as all
symphonic poems must be, on sound constructional
lines, but so filling the eye with the sense of
sumptuous beauty that the means by which this is
attained do not count. The craftsmanship is there
but it is the artistry that one sees. The impression
is vivid, harmonious, complete. The painting was
exhibited at the recent annual show of the Society
of Scottish Artists. A. E.
construction, as the term is generally understood,
played but a small part in his scheme of things,
but then he was only feeling his way towards that
fuller expression which he has now attained and
which in his later work has been manifested in
many notable instances. He has convincingly
demonstrated the value of form and the expres-
siveness of line.
Most fully, perhaps, has he revealed his ideas in
that wonderful series of Italian landscapes that of
late have engrossed so much of his time. It was
no easy task to attempt to present Venice or Rome
in any new aspect. Generation after generation of
painters has studied in Venice and tried to say
something about it till one might well conclude
that there was nothing new to be said. Yet those
who have seen Mr. Mackie's paintings of Venice
by night must have realised that here was the
expression of an original mind, of one who sees
beneath the surface of things and has the ability to
impress others so that his conception remains in
their mind as something vital and living. Archi-
tecturally it was the old Venice one saw, the city
of splendid palaces, and yet on these historic
piazzas the life is that of to-day. But to-day as in
the long past yesterdays there is the same mystery
and beauty in the night, and in the realisation of
this basic unity of past and present Mr. Mackie
found his justification.
Because of the large part that colour plays as a
component part of his composition Mr. Mackie's
work is not very effectively translated in mono-
chrome, but the reproduction of The Nut Gatherers,
which appears in this issue, conveys very clearly
his general scheme of work. It is a Roman land-
scape, and from the blue of the distant lake to the
warm hues of the foreground there is a rich and
varied progression of colour harmonies built, as all
symphonic poems must be, on sound constructional
lines, but so filling the eye with the sense of
sumptuous beauty that the means by which this is
attained do not count. The craftsmanship is there
but it is the artistry that one sees. The impression
is vivid, harmonious, complete. The painting was
exhibited at the recent annual show of the Society
of Scottish Artists. A. E.