THE ARTS.
GERALD MOIRA. By Harold Watkins. (E. W. Dickens. 21s. net.) Mr. Watkins startles us at his outset with the pronounce- merit that " there is no effect without a cause—indeed, without
many causes." We cannot believe that the cause of Mr. Watkins's prose is Professor Moira's painting, but what can it be ? Professor Moira, we are told, was asked, " What do you consider to be the first essential in mural decoration ? " The answer came pat, " Fitness." Mr. Watkins expatiates. " The quality of fitness, which to so many is immeasurably elusive, is always present in Moira's work, and his choice of illustration of the but of the Trocadero from the classic tales of the ancient Court of King Arthur and his Round Table goes far to show how thoroughly the sense of fitness rules throughout his work." Mr. Watkins does not remark on the " fitness " of " scenes depicting the forging of the sword of Siegfried, the Valhalla and the Rhine Maidens " to Messrs. Lyons and Co.'s Throgmorton Street Restaurant. Professor Moira is not helped by this book. His work is not devoid of comparative good qualities.
Previous page
