THE NEW VISION IN THE GERMAN ARTS. By H. G.
Scheffauer. (Ernest Bonn, Ltd. 12s. 6d. net.) Mr. Scheffauer has collected seventeen articles describing contemporary art-movements in Germany. It is unfortunate that his florid and hysterical style frequently makes it difficult to discern where mere embroidery and enthusiasm end and fact begins : he is always a propagandist and never a critic. What is of importance is that he gives details of the actual staging of Toiler's and Kaiser's plays in Berlin, of the scenery, costumes and make-up. His information about Leopold Jessner's productions of Othello and of Richard III. in the National Theatre, Berlin, is even fuller, and while his descrip- tion is rather startling, it was plainly no lack of respect and love for Shakespeare which gave birth to those unacadem- ical visions of his plays, but a necessity to discover new powerful resources in technique. Mr. Scheffauer quotes, in his article on cinematography, " the function of the German film is to give the American film that which it does not possess —and that is soul " and indicates how this is being done. It is a pity no illustrations are included. The author is par- ticularly uncritical of Otto Braun, to whom he devotes a long chapter, but his eulogy of Erich Mendiesohn, whose woodcuts for projected factories are reproduced, seems justi- fied, for the designs show a real appreciation of architectural form. Modern German poetry appears to be almost more awful than any foreigner could imagine.
Previous page
