to get their contents conveyed to us through the medium of our own language; for we feel that, in a work of art, thought and language, idea and form, so interpenetrate each other, the impression produced is a result of substance and expression so subtly interblended, that we have only an imperfect reflection of the great epic or tragic poem, or the ode or elegy, until we can know and experience for ourselves all the flow and rhythm of its verse, all the delicate point and precision of its expression, all the majestic pomp or the tender music of the language. As there are wines which, it is said, can only be drunk in the country where the vine grows, so the flavour and aroma of the best works of art is too delicate to bear importation into the speech of other lands and times; to appreciate them truly, we must breathe the very air and steep ourselves in the spirit of their own age and country, and receive them in the very form in which they were produced, fresh and fragrant, on the soil to which they are indigenous.
(To be continued.)
ART AT THE GLASGOW INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION.
I.—PAINTING.
THE Art Section of the Glasgow International Exhibition will take an important place among the Exhibitions of recent times, for it contains not only what is perhaps the best collection of Sculpture that has yet been shown in this country, but also a widely inclusive and representative collection of the works of British and Continental painters.
After the exceptionally fine character of at least one room in Edinburgh two years ago, and the interesting grouping of works in Manchester last year, there has naturally been some curiosity as to what the issue of the endeavour at Glasgow would be, for it was felt that there was a something in each of those Exhibitions which it would be difficult to rival in interest. Yet the Glasgow collection is quite distinctive in its own way, equalling, if not excelling Manchester and Edinburgh in interest, and superior to either in facilities for the enjoyment and study of modern art in a large and catholic spirit.
Before further considering the quality of the Exhibition, however, it may be well to review shortly the general scheme which has been adopted in arranging it. The galleries, ten in number, are commodious, well-lighted, and convenient in plan; and, but for an excess of light, easily obviated, they are well-nigh perfect for their purpose. The use of muslin screens under the glass roof, to temper the light, is a laudable step in the right direction.
The treatment of the Sculpture is a feature of the Exhibition showing a marked improvement on the somewhat apathetic attitude that has hitherto been adopted towards the art in Scotland. Instead of being distributed throughout the rooms primarily intended for pictures, it is arranged by itself in a gallery planned for the purpose. It is also gratifying to observe that the same wise spirit of advance is shown by the introduction of decorative panels in this and in two adjoining rooms, indicating an effort to encourage a form of art that has been too long disregarded in this country. At the ends of the Sculpture Gallery there are two moderate-sized rooms, one filled with architectural drawings, and the other with photographs. The remaining seven galleries are devoted to pictures—British and Foreign—on loan and for sale. While it is satisfactory to note such an excellent departure in the matter of Sculpture, it is unfortunate that a backward step has been taken in the treatment which has been given to the fine collection of Works in Black and White. It is incomprehensible why this collection, containing some of the best works of art in the whole Exhibition, should have been excluded altogether from the Fine Art Galleries, and placed in a passage where these works can hardly be seen, and certainly cannot be studied, while one of the rooms is occupied with the results of the different processes of photography. It is quite desirable that these results, so varied in their interesting developments, should be exhibited in a suitable place; but the fact that they ought to be properly shown does not justify the preposterous exclusion from the Fine Art Collection of the works in Black and White, a form of art expression which has been freely adopted by the great masters in all time, as a means of embodying some of their happiest inspirations.
As has already been mentioned, the pictures are divided into two sections—Loan and Sale. In view of the great difficulties of getting up a good sale collection, it might well be doubted whether the attempt should have been made in an undertaking of the kind. The results certainly do not indicate that the Fine Arts Committee have been wisely
