Studio: international art (79.1920)

MR. AUGUSTUS JOHN AS PORTRAIT PAINTER

“A CANADIAN SOLDIER”
BY AUGUSTUS E. JOHN

art of expression; it records not only
what the painter sees with his eyes but
what he takes in with his other senses.
The success of a portrait painter depends,
finally, on his including what psychologists
would call his total reaction to the subject
before him ; and, in the long run, this
depends upon his mastery of his craft. In
proportion as he is a good draughtsman
and painter his hand will respond auto-
matically to the combined gleanings of all
his faculties. 0 0 0 0

That is where, it seems to me, Mr. John
scores over most contemporary portrait
painters. He is more consistently a painter;
a man trained to expression with his brush.

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That he happens to be an acute observer
and a man of remarkable sensibility would
be little to the purpose if his hand were
not so perfectly responsive to what he sees
and feels. 00000
To turn to the portraits in detail is to
be aware of a dozen felicities not only of
drawing and painting, but of interpreta-
tion—if the word must be used. Almost
necessarily one reads into portraits of
eminent men what one has heard about
them. Mr. Hughes, for example, is gene-
rally described as a ** live wire." The
report by Mr. John certainly tallies, but it
tallies in a way that does not suggest hear-
say. The nervous vibration of the man