Studio: international art (78.1919)

STUDIO-TALK

"THE RED ROSE ”
BY R. J. SWAN

The two paintings by Mr. R. J. Swan
here reproduced figured among this artist's
contributions to recent Royal Academy
exhibitions. Mr. Swan is an old student
of the Academy Schools, where he dis-
tinguished himself by winning the Land-
seer Scholarship and the British Institu-
tion Scholarship for painting. His work
has also been seen at the exhibitions of the
International Society and the National Por-
trait Society. In such subj ects as those illus-
trated he achieves results which are eminently
attractive from a decorative point of view.

Draughtsmanship is put to a severe test
when employed in an outline drawing such
as that of Miss Vere Chatteris here repro-
duced. In this, by means of the fluent,
sinuous line, the representation of form is
realized in a way that recalls the calligraphic
methods of the artists of the Far East, a
The concentration of particular indus-
tries and professions in certain localities is
a familiar phenomenon in the history of
great cities, and in the case of art it is well
exemplified in the vicinity of Bond Street,
which may be said to be the “ hub ” of the
art world in this country. It used to be
considered that to open a gallery more than
half a mile from the Piccadilly end of Bond
76

Street meant certain failure, but this tradi-
tional monopoly of the region round about
Burlington House has been successfully
defied in recent years. Still, when we get
more than a mile away the number of
galleries where exhibitions are held be-
comes very small. Messrs. Derry and
Toms, at Kensington, whose posters pro-
claim a far higher standard of taste than is
usually met with in business houses of the
same type, have done much in the last
three or four years to foster an interest in
art among their clientele by holding exhi-
bitions at frequent intervals, and espe-
cially to be commended is the encourage-
ment they are always ready to give to
young artists who have something new to
say and know how to express themselves
intelligibly. At Hampstead, too, some-
thing is being done in the same direction.
The Hampstead Art Gallery, in the
Finchley Road, which was inaugurated
in October with an exhibition of pictures
by Mr. Alfred Wolmark, has been started
to provide a rallying-point for artists, and
especially the many living in the locality.
Considering how meagre are the facili-
ties of this kind provided in the suburbs,
such efforts as these are to be welcomed.