Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-06-01
Progress Of Art in England.

HE fortieth annual meeting Of the Art
onloh OF London was held recently in
!" 1lils' Rooms, and from the report read
on tnat occasion it appears that art. and
especially industrial art, is making won
derlul progress in England The report
says:
Since the establishment of art schools
IN THIS country, under the control of the
Science and Art Department of the Privy
Council, the progress in the education of
the people IN this direction has been re-
markable, and in the last report Of the
Council 1t is stated that in the night
classes the number of students amounted
10 2l,eol, and in the elementary schools
29O, 40 children were instructed. The
total number of persons taught drawing
painting, or modelling amounted, in 1874.
10 $40, 3o2. An evidence of the capacity
OF our English art student to launch into
new modes of production may be cited in
what has been called Lambeth Faience
A most interesting collection of original
works IN pottery, designed by the Direct
ors and students of the Lambeth School
OF Art, has been for some time on view at
Messrs. Howell & James's Gallery, in Re
gent street. The idea of educating the
students in designing pottery arose with
Messrs. Doulton, of Lambeth. who. admir-
ing the industry and talent OF the pupils
under the able tuition of Mr.. Sparkes,
gave them free permission to visit their
pottery and watch the work from the time
1t left the wheel till its final removal from
the kilns. The pupils eagerly awaited
themselves of this permission, and they
protited so thoroughly by the opportunity
that they now in their own kilns bake
Che productions of their own hands as
skillfully as practiced workmen, and have
produced some vases, plaques, jugs and
ornaments that would not have disgraced
the best days of Derby or Chelsea. At
this carefully managed school, in an OBJ
scure part of London, there has, indeed,
suddenly sprung up new and important
branch of art that will soon enable us to
claim rank among the inventors of
pottery and prevent the constant recur-
renee to the trite types of Henry H. and
Palsy. The French, who look on the
English workman as slow in receiving
new ideas, would be astonished to see
how quickly young, inexperienced girls
and rough workmen have learned the
difficult and tedious processes OF pottery.
A symptom of the improved state of art in
England may be discovered in the fact
that last year for the first time the ROYAL
Academy considered the works produced
by its students in competition for medals
and other rewards to be of such degree of
merit as to deserve public exhibition.
These were, consequently, on view in the
galleries of the academy, and many were
of undoubted excellence. The Council,
always anxious to give encouragement to
rising talent, thought the statuette by Mr..
w. I'll. Thorncroft Of g A warrior beating
from the battlefield wounded youth, " to
which the gold medal was awarded, so
good that they have entered into negoti-
alton with the author for its purchase, and
q reduced copy in bronze is being pre-
pared, and will be included in the list of
prizes of a future year.