DOI Heft:
No. 292 (July 1917)
DOI Artikel:Eddington, A.: The ninty-first exhibition of the Royal Scottish Academy
DOI Seite / Zitierlink: https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.21263#0070
The Royal Scottish Academy
THE NINETY-FIRST EXHIBITION
OF THE ROYAL SCOTTISH
ACADEMY.
IT might quite reasonably have been ex-
pected that the current exhibition of the
Royal Scottish Academy—the third held
under war conditions—would have so re-
flected the troubles of the times as to be lacking
in variety of interest because of its not being so
representative of present-day art as its pre-
decessors. Whether a supreme effort has been
made by the Council to meet the difficulties, or
whether the result is due to a voluntary impulse
on the part of the artists to do well by the
national institution, or whether there has been
a combination of the two—the result is a collec-
tion highly creditable to Scottish art. The
loan work is less in quantity, but one does not
feel this a deprivation, for however valuable
this side of the Academy's work may be in
respect of its educative effect, it has not been
without its drawbacks, such as an over-repre-
sentation of foreign pictures, often of very
unequal value, to the exclusion or indifferent
placing of the work of younger artists. It must
be admitted, too, that some of this work was
tending to influence the more experimental
among the younger men to wander a little
astray and resort to mere imitation instead of
thinking out problems for themselves.
The outstanding pictures among the invited
work this year are Mr. Brangwyn's Poulterer's
Shop, M. Lucien Simon's Les Carrioles, Mr.
Orpen's portrait of Mr. James Law, Mr.
Sargent's full-length portrait of Mrs. George
Swinton, M. Dagnan Bouveret's Music, a com-
paratively early but thoroughly characteristic
work ; Mr. Clausen's Filling Sacks ; Mr. James
Quin's Portrait of Miss Brough, and Mrs. Laura
Knight's brilliant Spring and Burning Weeds
landscapes. Some of these—the first three at
all events—are familiar to readers of The Studio
by reproduction, if not otherwise.
As to the Scottish work some of it reaches
a standard that has not in recent years been
excelled. The President, Sir James Guthrie,
has never been seen to greater advantage than
in his portrait of the late Mrs. Thomas Steven,
so gracious, sensitive, and refined, so delicately
strong. He also contributes an excellent por-
trait of Flight-Commander Lord Doune, and
a novel portrait study is that of little Betty
Findlay, in Velasquez costume, chiefly remark-
able for its brilliancy of colour in the accessories.
Mr. Lavery exhibits a portrait of Mr. Winston
"autumn" oil painting by j. lawton wingate, r.s.a.
54
THE NINETY-FIRST EXHIBITION
OF THE ROYAL SCOTTISH
ACADEMY.
IT might quite reasonably have been ex-
pected that the current exhibition of the
Royal Scottish Academy—the third held
under war conditions—would have so re-
flected the troubles of the times as to be lacking
in variety of interest because of its not being so
representative of present-day art as its pre-
decessors. Whether a supreme effort has been
made by the Council to meet the difficulties, or
whether the result is due to a voluntary impulse
on the part of the artists to do well by the
national institution, or whether there has been
a combination of the two—the result is a collec-
tion highly creditable to Scottish art. The
loan work is less in quantity, but one does not
feel this a deprivation, for however valuable
this side of the Academy's work may be in
respect of its educative effect, it has not been
without its drawbacks, such as an over-repre-
sentation of foreign pictures, often of very
unequal value, to the exclusion or indifferent
placing of the work of younger artists. It must
be admitted, too, that some of this work was
tending to influence the more experimental
among the younger men to wander a little
astray and resort to mere imitation instead of
thinking out problems for themselves.
The outstanding pictures among the invited
work this year are Mr. Brangwyn's Poulterer's
Shop, M. Lucien Simon's Les Carrioles, Mr.
Orpen's portrait of Mr. James Law, Mr.
Sargent's full-length portrait of Mrs. George
Swinton, M. Dagnan Bouveret's Music, a com-
paratively early but thoroughly characteristic
work ; Mr. Clausen's Filling Sacks ; Mr. James
Quin's Portrait of Miss Brough, and Mrs. Laura
Knight's brilliant Spring and Burning Weeds
landscapes. Some of these—the first three at
all events—are familiar to readers of The Studio
by reproduction, if not otherwise.
As to the Scottish work some of it reaches
a standard that has not in recent years been
excelled. The President, Sir James Guthrie,
has never been seen to greater advantage than
in his portrait of the late Mrs. Thomas Steven,
so gracious, sensitive, and refined, so delicately
strong. He also contributes an excellent por-
trait of Flight-Commander Lord Doune, and
a novel portrait study is that of little Betty
Findlay, in Velasquez costume, chiefly remark-
able for its brilliancy of colour in the accessories.
Mr. Lavery exhibits a portrait of Mr. Winston
"autumn" oil painting by j. lawton wingate, r.s.a.
54