Art
Willi October all the galleries are beginning to stir from their lute summer drowsiness, and, in spite of the depression in which pictures no less than other things are involved, the Autumn season promises to be really interesting. This week sees the opening of the new Wertheim Gallery in Burlington Gardens with a mixed show of English and French artists—the mixture properly inclining to the English side— an exhibition of Soviet Art at the Bloomsbury Gallery, Paintings by Frances Hodgkins at the St. George's Gallery, the John Nash and Nevinson shows at the Goupil and the Leicester Galleries respectively, and the private view of the London Group on Saturday at the New Burlington Galleries. It would be difficult to imagine any two painters whose work is more dissimilar in temperament than Mr. John Nash and Mr. C. 11. W. Nevinson. Mr. Nevinson has beside; the artist's point of view the flair for news of the born journalist. Ile would in the days before photography was invented for press purposes have been the ideal news illustrator. He Picks out automatically -what is essentially dramatic and he keeps the attention of the observpr all .the tine. He is, to2,
one of the few painters who, if the adjective is allowable, are always " topical." In other words, he is perhaps the best psychological interpreter of certain phases of twentieth century life. Ile enjoys the racket and bang of modem life and modern cities, and when he chooses the subjects to which he is most sympathetic he is most successful. What is so interesting about these recent paintings is that Mr. Nevinson has been using modern cinema technique in terms of paint. He has adopted the angle of the cinematograph photognipher —and in Pleurs du Mal and in his psychological self-portrait. With nothing to lose, not even chains, the cinematograph trick of superimposed photographs - with conspicuously satisfying results. The best pictures—From a Paris 'Plum., Winter Afternoon, Manhattan, From New Jersey, the three Paris street scenes and the fine view of Fleet Street looking towards St. Paul's—show how clever Mr. Nevinson is and how accomplished a painter he is when he is on his own ground.
The exhibition of Mr. John Nash's water-colours and oil paintings at the Goupil Gallery is very welcome. Like his brother, Mr. Paul Nash, he treats landscape directly--from the point of view of a child or a country-bred person. In fact, he sees landscape as landscape, unclouded by literary or human associations. He feels, however, is wanner affection towards the English countryside than his brother does, with the result that one finds a certain quiet tenderness in his work that is not apparent in a Paul Nash landscape.
• The improvement of his recent works can be easily judged by comparing them with the three or four paintings of earlier periods that are included in the exhibition. His range of colour is much more varied, he has lost a certain primness, and, above all, he:IC(411S to have left behind all flint'' tightuess" which made his earlier work so mannered. The Stour, Wormingford, Essex Landscape and Little llorksley and Ashby Pond deserve particular attention, as do the charming flower pieces, Jug of Flowers and Autumn Flowers. The water- colour drawings are what one expects from Mr. John Nash, especially the nine exquisite botanical studies, for Mr. Nash, when he chooses flowers for his subjects, enjoys the great initial advantage of knowing a great deal about them, and that is more than can be said of a great many people !
DAVID FINCHAM.
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