THE ART OF THE LATE ARTHUR MELVILLE, R.W.S, A.R.S.A.

There have been artists distinguished from the fact that their genius was unique, and their point of view extraordinary ; and others pre-eminent because they solved with the ease of genius the general problems of their art. Whereas the art of the former is often limited, one-sided, strange,
and for the few, that of the latter comes in as the crest of a wave of contemporary endeavour ; in it the essential human thing is expressed easily and with grace, where others have failed. It is the latter kind that leads in art, and Melville’s genius was of this order. He had the generosity of a leader in sharing all he knew. In the course of his practice he learnt much that would have taken the experience of succeeding painters to arrive at. His

name must always loom

largely in the history of water-colour art, in its
varied progress from the tinted drawings of its early masters, with their colour in simple notes as from a psal
tery, to the full orchestration in modern art. A return over the old ground is some
times attempted, but art cannot go back. It can affect its old devices, but only as an interesting affectation.
Whilst Melville never committed the blunder of imitating in water-colours the effect of oils, he applied to water-colours the freedom of vision which oil
painting permits ; whilst fully accepting the limita
tions of water-colours he did not admit that it was a limited art.
There aie purists who maintain that when water
colour drawing became water-colour painting it lost the character of the medium. A close analysis
of the properties of water-colour shows that Melville’s methods exploit its every characteristic. One of the supreme qualities of his art is that it is the natural outcome by evolution of the water-colour painting of Girtin ; there is nothing in it which contravenes the small voice which the purist always obeys. To this is due the beauty of quality, as painters use that term, which is so notable a feature in his work, and which has also proved a fascinating trap to less gifted imitators. Sensuous, but almost in an astral way, is the emotion in the fingers, and the desire of the eyes out of which beautiful quality is born. It is the symbol of all great art. It has as many varieties as there are great artists, but the artist cannot share it with his students or imitators ; he cannot pass it on. One
“THE SALUTE: THE YELLOW SAIL”
BY ARTHUR MELVILLE