FINE ARTS.
THE SCHOOL OF DESIGN.
THE -Scbool of Design, which is destined to become the parent stock of similar schools in other parts of the country, especially in the MOH- factoring districts, is now commenced, in the old rooms of the Royal Academy, at Somerset House,—a fitting location, seeing that the spirit of the Academy is likely to animate the School of Design.
The prospectus states that it is established " for the purpose of teach- big design, including light and shade, colour, modelling, perspective, ; that masters, under the general superintendence of Mr. PAP.
WORTH, will be employed to afford instruction in tiles., various branches; that a collection of drawings and casts will be provided ; and that lectures will be given, to which the students will have free schnission."
This looks very fair on the surface; but the result of our inquiries as to the precise nature and extent of the course of study goes to show that this is not a School of Design, but a School of Ornamental Drawing ; and that its effect will be not to educate inventors, not to produce originators of new forms and new styles of decoration, but copyists of the antique—mere ornamental draughtsmen. That much good will be done thus far by sound teaching and the study of the best models, cannot be doubted ; but we fear that the objects of the insti- tution will not be fulfilled—that the inventive talent of our artisans will not be fully developed—for want of a sufficiently extended course of study. In a word, this school is planned so as to be kept below the Royal Academy: the efficient education of mechanics has been regarded only so far as it does not interfere with the Academy The end and aim of the establishment of a national School of De- sign, was to improve the forms and ornaments of our manufactures, Iss instructing our artisans in the principles of decorative art, as well as teaching them to thaw the best examples. A knowledge of the ele- ments of beauty in form and proportion, as well as of the laws of per- spective, light and shade, colour, and relief—a knowledge of the pro- perties and laws that govern the various animate and inanimate objects in nature, the adaptation of which is essential to the purposes of orna- ment—is as absolutely requisite as the theory and practice of delinea- tion. For example : in the production of arabesques—the most beau- tiful and fanciful style of ornament, and in the chasings of gold and silver plate, the figures of men and animals are constantly introduced, as well as fruits, flowers, and foliage. To qualify the artisan to design and model properly an arabesque scroll, and to chase a group of figures on a piece of plate, a knowledge of the anatomy of the human and brute form is essential : how else can the figure be represented in proper action ? how else is its beauty of proportion to be preserved ? In the exquisite cap; iccie of the German artists, where animals and men are combined with fantastic devices of flowers, what gives to them the grace and elegance which so ravish the eye, but the lively represen- tation of each object so as to evolve its inherent beauty, and make seeming incongruities harmonize in one homogeneous whole ? Could the artist or artisan design—nay more, could he even copy correctly and with congenial spirit—such an arabesque as this, without being ac- quainted with the anatomy of the figure ? In the new School of De- sign, the pupils are to draw flowers from nature ; living specimens of plants are to be provided for them to study their beauties of form, colour, and light and shade : they are to be taught the anatomy of the vegetable, but not of the animal creation. Their study is limited to the representation of inanimate forms. And why ? Because it will interfere with the Academy ; who are afraid that the mechanics should become artists. This is a system for limiting the genius of artisans, not for developing it. "And what need to teach them more?" we hear some one ask. "We do not want tigers couchant on hearth-rugs, nor the Elgin frieze galloping round a pie-dish." Surely not; and that we may be spared such monstrosities, we desire to have the pattern designer so educated that he may be able to invent appropriate and elegant decorations, in- stead of adopting such as are ludicrously unfit. The essence of ornamental design consists in seizing upon the ele- ments of beauty in the form and colour of natural objects, and adapting them to decorative purposes. The Greeks did not copy the honey- -suckle literally, but modified it so as to suit architectural decoration,
preserving its essential beauty of form. Their mouldings, scrolls, centres, and capitals, were designed on the same principle. Why have we never succeeded in inventing similar modifications of foliage and towers, but because those who design ornaments have not studied nature with this view, and have not been imbued with a feeling of the beauty of those convolutions of lines and just proportions which con- stitute elegance ? It is only by the study of that combination of per- fection in fitness and grace—the living human form—that the sense of the artisan can be refined so as to perceive the elements of beauty in the inferior animals and in plants. It was this that made the Greek artists what they were : the study of the human figure was the source of their inspiration. To come to modern times: we see RAFIA ELLE designing arabesques, MrcitstEs ANGELO ornamental bas-reliefs, LEONARDO DA VINCI and others decorations for vases and salvers, Joust of Bologna and BENVENUTO CELLINI modelling and chasing in silver and gold, BOLBEIN making patterns for jewellers' work ; and in the present day, FLAXMAN, STOTHARD, BAILEY, and others, have been employed in designing and modelling for silversmiths. Articles in the precious metals may pay for the employment of such talent; though, unless the chaser also be an artist, he cannot imitate the model before him : but what is to become of the improvement of our cottons and chintzes, our carpets and paper-hangings, tea-urns and coffee-pots, jugs and tea-cups, if the artisans who fashion them are not properly edu- cated ? In designing patterns, the artist employed must be well acquainted with the manufacture in order to adapt his invention to practical put. poses. Comm I.D, whose taste as an ornamental designer is well known by his scrolls and decorative devices for book-covers and titles, could not r Alder his skill available to calico-printing without devoting himself to this branch of manufacture. What is wanted is, not to qualify artists to be artisans, but to give the superior class of artisans—the designers fashioners, and pattern-draweis —that knowledge which forms the taste and brings out the feeling of the artist, to enable them to produce articles elegant in form and decoration. The difference between an ornamental design by CORBOULD and one by an ordinary pattern-drawer, is visible at once ; and what constitutes the difference, but that one is the work of an artist and the other of a mechanic who is not an artist ? The artist has studied the human figure, and learnt to trace in- stinctively beautiful combinations of lines and forms ; the other's fancy is narrowed in its exercise, and his hand contracted by a habit of me- chanically varying old materials. The mechanic reproduces, the artist invents. It may be said that invention cannot be taught—that it is a quality of genius which is not to be created : true, but what is required of a School of Design is to educate the mind, the eye, and the hand, so that the fancy may find free scope, and genius, where it exists, be developed and provided with the means and appliance for its exer- cise. To compare great things with small, would RAFFAELLE have been the great designer he was, bad he not been thorough master of his art? STOTHARD might have been the English RAFFAELLE bad he possessed a knowledge of the anatomy of the figure ; but for want of the mechanical power of drawing, his genius was cramped ; and while we admire his feeling for the graceful and beautiful in form and colour, we are compelled to find excuses for his glaring imperfections in his deficient education.
This equally applies to the case of the artisan as an originator : to limit him in the acquisition of knowledge of the conformation of man and animals, lest be should become an artist, is as absurd as to prevent him from studying plants and flowers lest he should turn flower-painter. Because the Academy system of instruction for artists is notoriously defective, the genius of our artisans is to be crippled. If the efforts of our manufacturers are only to keep pace with the progress of our artists, the taste of English-manufactured goods will be as far behind that of the French as ever. Why do the French so far excel us, but because their decorators are artists ?
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