14 NOVEMBER 1947, Page 24

Shorter Notices

Paintings by Felix Kelly ; Paintings and Drawings by GregOrio Prieto. (Falcon Press. 10s. 6d. each.)

AT the present moment neither of the artists represented in these admirably produced books has any very evident claim to a place In the first rank. It might seem at first sight that, apart from their interest to their friends, their publication provic.es information on painting in general of rather less substance and importance than we are accustomed to expect in book form. This view would, however, underestimate the experimental importance of these books. If volumes of this kind on such painters as Mr. Kelly and Senor Prieto prove economically practicable the way would seem to be open for the appearance of the current work of some score of artists annually in thiVorm. This way round the bottlenecks of private patronage and the hollow glories of commercial exhibition would both propagate the painting of the day and perpetuate it. Amateur and historian alike will agree that such a consummation is very desirable indeed. One of the questionable birds which we eye so doubtfully will very probably turn out to be a swan. Meanwhile the experiment would be even better if each book contained a lithograph by the artist.