ART
THE experienced frequenter of picture galleries does not start at number one in his catalogue and proceed to examine each succeeding picture until he is too exhausted to obtain any general impression of the gallery, but has a way of pre- serving his energy by assimilating, first of all, the general tendencies of the Exhibition as a whole, after which he isolates, for special attention, those works that represent most characteristically these tendencies, and then looks out for -the exceptions which make an appeal to his -personal taste. Although the method of the • experienced may mean more leg energy, it leads to a greater amount of actual enjoy- ment acquired by a mininuun amount of nervous strain. • It is. by this method that the art critic, in the course of his duties, manages to retain-his enthusiasm, his interest, and— his temper and balance. What impresses one most in the exhibitions of the New English is the predominance of pictures which show an appreciation of pigment for its own sake rather than as a means of producing a mere insipid- copy of the subject. Yet- another quality which is equally striking is the use the painters make of colour in order to express light. In both of these tendencies the New English painters- tend to advance along the line of- development started by the French impressionists. Although a number of the works still exhibit-the same lack of design rind un1ty that is associated with this ratherranalytical movement the majority of the painters do recognize the fundamental iinportance of design and con- stnietion in painting. In my estimation the works of Miss M. Fisher Prout typify most adequately what I would term the general- tendencies of this - exhibition, although any paintings -of Miss Beatrice Bland's could also be chosen as good examples. In the work of Mr. Wilson Steer, one of the fathers of the club, wilrbe found the embryonic germ from which these later developments have blossomed. Amongst the works which exhibit some particular deviation from the main stream of development, I found most interest in Nos. 141 by Mr. W. Rothenstein, 179 by Sir C. J. Holmes, 182 by Mr. E. L. Robertson, 209 by Mr. E. Hereford, 282 by the late Mr. Francis Unwin, 98 by Mr. V. E. G. Prentice, and 102 by Mr. Tom Nash.
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