A New History of Art
Ihe THE appearance of the first volume of the Pelican History of issued by Penguin Books and edited by the Slade Professor of Art at Cambridge, is a landmark in the history of art-publisf "The first comprehensive history of art and architecture in English language," it aims at providing, in forty-eight volumc history of the fine arts from prehistoric times up to the present The series, as the editor acknowledges in a note on the prospet has as its models the eighteen-volume Histoire de l'Art of Mi (now outdated and for the most part of low quality) and the th volume Handbuch der Kunstwissenschaft of Burger and Brinckm In practice Burger and Brinckmann have influenced the new st more strongly than Michel, for not only did Professor Pevsner, editor, contribute an interesting volume to the Handbuch, but s of the German titles have left a stamp upon their English success The publishers of such a series must inevitably be in something quandary, since the main sales of their volumes will be in the cou of their origin. Hence the gross over-emphasis, throughout Handbuch, on art in Germany, and hence the announcement seven out of the forty-eight new volumes are to deal with British
Specialised students will welcome the inclusion of volumes English mediaeval sculpture and on English sculpture from sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, but in a general history Ertl mediaeval sculpture should surely be treated as one aspect of a Ei pean style, while English sculpture from the sixteenth to the eightei centuries does not, on grounds of quality, deserve more than a tt part of the space allotted to it in these books. Presumably in the be that more readers are interested in the recent than in the distant five volumes will deal with art since 1780. Another disconcer feature of the scheme is the apparently illogical division of the subj matter. A volume on Romanesque architecture will apparently incl Italian Romanesque, whereas a volume on Gothic architecture omit Italy. And does Italian painting and sculpture in the fiftet century not deserve more space than English painting and sculp during the nineteenth? On the other hand, the list of authors is, the most part, a reassuring one, and the series may justify itself if tl emerge from it eight or ten volumes of first-rate interest. Among tl will certainly be reckoned its inaugural volume, Professor W0 house's history of British painting.
The literature of English painting is poorer than that of major European school. Volumes on individual artists have o lated between the poles of Ward and Roberts' Romney, a slipshod expensive catalogue born of the vogue for English painting. America, and Whitley's Gainsborough, a carefully documer record of events compiled with scarcely the least reference to st A number of general books on British painting were hastily stitc together for the British Exhibition of 1934, but until now no adeqt general history of English painting has been available. Profe! Waterhouse's volume would be welcome if only because it meets want. In practice, however, it does considerably more, for writer is among the most distinguished living students of his sub j and the book incorporates a vast amount of original research. the case of a number of artists, Eworth and Dobson among th what Professor Waterhouse has to tell us differs radically from accounts given in earlier books, and his picture of painting under Tudors and Stuarts is as a whole a novel and in some respect revolutionary one. Throughout, the facts are marshalled %
great ability. One of the advantages of Professor Waterhouse over previ writers in this field is that he has a specialist's knowledge of Co
Art, Fine iv& the s, daY, tits, citel irt? ann. fie the otne ore. of ntrY the that at I, oil the u ro' nth nth elief ass t ect tide will ntll ture foe here here tee'
anY cil: and ted
Ylej hot, ate sof this the
10
the the s yid) 005 ntl' mental art. He can set the portraits of Guillim Scrots in the context of the full-length portrait as it developed in the early sixteenth century in Germany and North Italy; he can relate the chronology of. Mytens to that of Mierevelt; and he can discuss the influence, during the 1730s and 1740s, of Gravelot. For a writer who assesses British painting in its European setting, the problem of relative values necessarily presents itself. A welcome aspect of the book is its total lack of chauvinism. So reluctant, indeed, is Professor Water- house to overpraise that his comments are sometimes more cen- sorious than the facts justify.
The book begins abruptly with the passing of the Act of Supremacy in 1531, and closes, equally abruptly, with a reference to the discontinuance of the pastel portrait after the death of Gardner. One result of its unwavering concentration upon fact is that too little room is left for the general ideas which should form part of such a history. Thus in the chapter on Reynolds a passing reference is made to the existence of the Discourses, but no account is given of their substance or of the theoretical background of Reynolds' portraiture. It may also be objected that the emphasis in the present book is sometimes unwarrantably personal. For better or worse, Professor Waterhouse regards a history of painting in England as a history of painting in oil. As a result, the best native painter in the sixteenth century, Hilliard, receives less than half the space allotted to Guillim Scrots, and the best native painter in the seven- teenth century, Samuel Cooper, is treated at one-eighth the length of the obscure Michael Wright. Flatman appears as a name only, and the two Lenses, the two Plimers, Smart, Jeremiah Meyer and many other far from inconsiderable artists are not mentioned at all. Water-colourists fare even worse. John Robert Cozens, by any count one of the great English landscape painters of the eighteenth century, is dismissed in three or four sentences, and Rowlandson in a couple of paragraphs. Room has been found among the (very disappointing) plates for oil paintings by nonentities like Hodges and John Runciman, but not one single water-colour is reproduced.
When all is said, however, Professor Waterhouse's volume is a distinguished achievement, and will remain the standard history of British painting for many years to come.
JOHN POPE-HENNESSY.
Previous page
