Page:Scottishartrevie01unse.djvu/230

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192
THE SCOTTISH ART REVIEW


of his profession, the good of which he had always at heart. In its younger members he took the liveliest interest, and was never appealed to in vain to give them the benefit of his views not only on matters artistic, but also on those constructional and practical. His best lectures were, of course, liis practice, and that always echoed truthfully and thoroughly his view.s, and happily for us we can still be in- fluenced by them. His greatest power was as a monumental archi- tect, that is to say, a designer of public buildings or institu- tions, and some of his plans within recent years have been tho- rough masterpieces of skill.

In his capacity as ai'chitect of the Inter- national Exiiibition Buildings, Glasgow, he has come more promi- nently before the pub- lic than on .any former occasion. The tho- rough manner in which this immense under- taking was conducted to a successful comple- tion in a comparative- ly short time will long- be remembered. Into this work lie threw all liis energy, and by de- signing all the outside buildings in the same style as the main building, succeeded in producing a complete whole, quite unique in itself, and the beauty of which has contributed largely to make the Exhibition the great success which it has proved. The unceasing energy, both mental and physical, necessary to the successful accomplishment of this great task, hastened on, in a great measure, his untimely decease.

Mr. Sellars' fame will, liowever, not rest on this temporary building, successful as it is in itself, but on the numerous permanent buildings with which his name is associated, and which do so much to beautify and adorn his native city. While yet EXECUTED DESIGN FOR HERALD OPFICE, GLASGOW young he twice successfully competed for the Stuart Memorial Fountain against the most noted of the West of Spotland architects, his second design being the fountain as it now stands in the Kelvingrove Park, where it will remain as a memorial of the early age at which Mr. Sellars developed the power which up to the time of his death proved so prolific. At this time also he was taken into partnership with Mr. Campbell Douglas. Of the numerous works which he has executed, the New Club in West George Street is probably the finest, and when one considers that lie was not trained in an archi- tectural school, or at the time of its execu- tion had the advan- tages of foi'eign travel, one cannot but be sur- prised that it is so alive with the spirit which actuated the great masters of the Renaissance, and that its detail is so refined and masterly. The largest work with which liis name is associated is the St. Andrew's Halls, a severely classical build- ing, in which the pro- portions and details are excellently studied, and the drawings of which were mostly made by his own hand. As showing the uni- versality of Mr. Sellars' ability, I may mention in conjunctionwith the above works representative of Renaissance and classical architecture, some of his Gothic churches, such as Beliiaven United Presbyterian Cliurch and Hillhead

Established Church, in two different phases of Gothic art, but both equally excellent in mass and detail. Mr. Sellars was among the foremost of the architects of the day who have done so much to Jielp on, in Scotland, the revival of architecture as a fine art, and there will be great difficulty in finding any one so able to carry on the good -influence which lie so materially assisted.