Studio: international art (75.1918)

On the Painting of Interiors

colour is harmonized and the tones adjusted false perspective, untrue colour, unexplained

vitally affects the pictorial result. form, and the absence of a suggestion of space,

But, particularly, it is to the qualities of and if these are the defects of the picture, it

illumination in an interior that the artist must has no value as a representation of an interior,

attend, for they influence throughout the effect That is why all the artists who rank as great

of his work. Indoor lighting, which is neces- painters of indoor subjects can be said to have

sarily concentrated and subdued, which has, possessed an exceptionally acute perception of

too, none of the breadth and clearness of the tone subtleties ; and it is, no doubt, because they

open air, modifies both form and colour, some- were endowed with this perception that they

times by accentuation, at others by obscuration inclined instinctively to this class of motive,

or reflection. It picks out certain things and The interior gave them opportunities which

hides othen and introduces an element of they appreciated and attracted them by the

elusiveness into the general effect. For this interesting nature of the technical chances

reason it needs the closest possible observation which it offered to them, and they knew exactly

and the most careful analysis—only by studious how to make the most of every possibility,

attention can the difficulties it presents be Success as great as theirs is within the reach

overcome and the rightly balanced scheme of of the painters to-day who follow the same

tone be secured. The smallest possible margin direction, but it must be attained by the

of error is all that can be allowed to the painter means which the masters employed, and must

of interiors, and if he goes beyond it his work be sought^for with all their assiduous attention

must inevitably miss its aim. Bad tone means to^details of practice. A. L. Baldry.