Studio: international art (85.1923)

STUDIO-TALK

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PORTRAIT STUDY. BY

E. H. HOLGATE

(Royal Canadian Academy)

MONTREAL.—The last exhibition of
the Royal Canadian Academy, held
at the close of 1922, was a good one, with
many satisfactory pictures, but with too
few signs of any new enthusiasm. Canadian
art is certainly in no danger of rushing to
wild extremes, nor is it perturbed by rash
experiments. And this is a great pity.
But public opinion in America generally
is very conservative ; the mildest of ex-
centricities is regarded as criminal, and
unfortunately there is no little body of
sympathisers to encourage the experi-
menter by friendly or encouraging advice.
It is not difficult to realise why our young
painters in Canada adventure so little.
The atmosphere of adventure is lacking.
238

In the recent exhibition Mr. Maurice
Cullen maintained his position as the best
all-round painter in Canada. His scenes
of water, woods and snow give an imagina-
tive rendering of the Canadian wilds, and
they are well painted. The Toronto
School, which was well represented, is,
as one likes to think, influencing art in
Canada in the direction of clean colour.
The leaders are certainly the most living
artists in Canada, A. Y. Jackson, Arthur
Lismer, Albert Robinson and J. E. H.
MacDonald. This group is sincerely
trying to render the peculiar qualities of
the Canadian woods and barrens, scenery
not to be reached by the soft atmospheric
effects of the older painters. Mr. Jackson's