The sun., 1919-08-31

fed approval, and while ADMITTING thu,
the outlook is Indeed black for Rriti.h
sculpture, take hope in the reroero
brance that. apart from the artists ma
works 1 have already mentioned. oil
our modern sculpture is not irredean-
ABLY bad / do not admire the eouas-
tr1an statue OF the Duke of Cambr3dea
IN whitehall, but i forgive the souln-
tor, Capt Adrian Jones. for nj,
eyesore, because his Quadrlga on IN.
arch at Constitution Hill really is a
nne. inspiriting work, that cheers ma
up every time pass 1t by.
II Is true that Londons sculntur.
cannot compare with that of Pari.
out Ii the Champs Elysees ana
Luxembourg Gardens have n gre,
zeal more to offer us than all the Ion-
don parks put together, vet vii,
maintain that G.. +. Watts's "PhvsicaI
Energy'-yes. and Sir George Frann.
toms Peter Pan"-in Kensine,n,
Gardens are monuments of which wo
have no reason to be ashamed. for a,
the least they attain as high a level ~
1t
most continental cities.
George Adolphus Storey. r
whose death has so quickly followed
that of his former president. yr,tes a
London critic, was two years oId,,
than Sir E. j. Poynter having been
porn In 1884. Sir Edward was born
at Paris in 1886. Poynter, however
was greatly his senior as an Acaderf'
clan, having been elected in 1875
whereas Storey, though long an asso.
c1ate, was not elected r. A. I'll 1914
How posterity will regard these two
artists it would be hazardous IN nro-
nounce at the present time. but /. 10
nevertheless significant to notice that
storey. though life was always soma
thlng OF a struggle for him. had ar.
tlstlc successes in his later life which
were denied in recent years 10 his col.
league.
len years ago Mr.. Storey created
quite a sensation by exhibiting at the
Royal Academy MY Mothers Por.
trait" a work he had painted IN ia,
but had never previously shown Tho
splendid integrity of the painting and
the dignity OF the treatment made
tnis portrait the picture OF the year"
at that academy, and criticism was
singularly unanimous in praisiny m.
work and welcoming its purchase for
the National Gallery of British Art
Enough in the course of his long Ifa
he occupied almost every high offloa
which 1t is possible for an artist IN
hold, it would be idle to protest tba,
Sir e. j. Poynter gave general salts
.actlon as an administrator. As head
ior many years of the Royal College Of
Art, ne helped to lay the foundations
OF that official system OF art teaching
which nowadays is regarded as both
unsatisfactory and unsound,
His dictatorship OF the National
Eahery from 1894 to 1905 was a con-
slant target for criticism, and during
ms administration there was consider
able dissatisfaction not only as re-
sarded certain purchases-notorious
some doubtful Peruginos-but still
more as regards the general policy
then adopted of securing minor Ital-
ian works and neglecting oppor,uni-
Ties TO strengthen the representation
OF other schools, notably the French.
AS painter he followed in the foot
steps of Leighton. giving our Ivear
after year pictures of classical times,
among which "A Visit to .Esculapius"
Is one of the best known and most
popular. 1t may be doubted, however,
whether Sir Edward ever painted a
greater picture than his Roman SOL
der. Faithful Unto Death" which il
now in the Manchester CITY Art Gal.
lery' His choice of subjects was rarely
so happy as in this instance and not
the least puzzling element in the
psychology of Sir Fl. j. Poynter was
the whim that kept so serious minded
a man continually employed in the
painting of pictures with the most
trivial subjects