A NOTE ON SOME IMAGINARY him to the land, and Keats, Shelley, and
LANDSCAPES BY CLIFFORD J. Omar Khayyam have all been influences
BEESE. BY CHARLES MARRIOTT, upon his imagination. He owes his com-
mand of mountain scenery partly to the
THE tests of imaginary landscape are fact that he has done a considerable
that it shall look not invented but dis- amount of walking in North Wales. a
covered, and that you can move about in These facts are enough to relate Mr.
it with perfect confidence. A glance at Beese to the body of English imaginative
the accompanying illustrations is enough landscape artists, to which he undoubtedly
to show that the work of Mr. Clifford belongs. He is less a product of art
Beese generally passes these tests. A few schools than of direct contact with nature
personal details may be useful as throwing under the inspiration of literature, and
light on the conditions in which this work therefore true to tradition. The names of
is produced. The artist is of early middle- Richard Wilson, Samuel Palmer and
age, of Somersetshire descent, living at Edward Calvert are enough to remind us
Staines, where he divides his time between that the tradition is peculiarly English,
the cultivation of flowers and fruit and One has only to recall their works and
practising his craft. His only regular to remember the writings of Edgar Allan
artistic training was received at the Batter- Poe, Thomas De Quincey, and Francis
sea Polytechnic, and his professional Thompson, to recognise a curious simi-
occupation is that of a manufacturers' larity in the suggested landscapes of them
designer. Thoreau's " Walden " first sent all. Not only that, but those of us. who
mi
THE LAND THAT WAS DESOLATE "
WATER-COLOUR BY C. J. BEESE
225
LANDSCAPES BY CLIFFORD J. Omar Khayyam have all been influences
BEESE. BY CHARLES MARRIOTT, upon his imagination. He owes his com-
mand of mountain scenery partly to the
THE tests of imaginary landscape are fact that he has done a considerable
that it shall look not invented but dis- amount of walking in North Wales. a
covered, and that you can move about in These facts are enough to relate Mr.
it with perfect confidence. A glance at Beese to the body of English imaginative
the accompanying illustrations is enough landscape artists, to which he undoubtedly
to show that the work of Mr. Clifford belongs. He is less a product of art
Beese generally passes these tests. A few schools than of direct contact with nature
personal details may be useful as throwing under the inspiration of literature, and
light on the conditions in which this work therefore true to tradition. The names of
is produced. The artist is of early middle- Richard Wilson, Samuel Palmer and
age, of Somersetshire descent, living at Edward Calvert are enough to remind us
Staines, where he divides his time between that the tradition is peculiarly English,
the cultivation of flowers and fruit and One has only to recall their works and
practising his craft. His only regular to remember the writings of Edgar Allan
artistic training was received at the Batter- Poe, Thomas De Quincey, and Francis
sea Polytechnic, and his professional Thompson, to recognise a curious simi-
occupation is that of a manufacturers' larity in the suggested landscapes of them
designer. Thoreau's " Walden " first sent all. Not only that, but those of us. who
mi
THE LAND THAT WAS DESOLATE "
WATER-COLOUR BY C. J. BEESE
225