ART
Mark Gertler. At the Ben Uri Society Gallery.—Lucien Freud, Julian Trevelyan and Felix 'Kelly. At the Lefevre Gallery.
I AM in no doubt as to the future of British painting, and I believe that England will be the centre of whatever post-war renaissance may flower in painting, since France would appear to be handing on the torch to a new and younger champion after her triumphant cen- tury. I am, however, troubled in this optimism by one weakness to which the British artist seems peculiarly susceptible. Mark Gertler is a case in point, Millais also was an example, and Augustus John, in spite of his gifts and great vitality, has not escaped. English paihters often tend to precocity, and the alchemy whereby a promis- ing young unicorn is transformed into a lion is a terrible destroyer of talent.
Gertler was endowed with fine precocious gifts. His early work showed great " painterliness " and strength of drawing, his vision was real and individual, yet his great promise, alas, did not bear full fruit. Why it did not is too complex to be exactly perceived, except in that his success came perhaps too early and he was too conscious of the necessity of living up to his promise and becoming a great master. It is a tragic history ; for Gertler was a painter first and foremost and should have left the rest to posterity. The Ben Uri Society in Portman Street is holding a full retrospective exhibition of his work, and I advise anyone who can to seek out this gallery, for there displayed in four rooms is a very complete study of Gertler's development.
That the continental seems better equipped to withstand the temptations of early success will, I hope, stand Lucien Freud in good stead. He is gifted, he is sensitive, his drawings (of nature "morte " to the extent of putrefaction) are of considerable intensity and subtlety. The human figure defeats him because he does nol observe it as he does his dead birds, but merely lets his pleasant line wander trickily around the form, without relevance to construction. I would like to hang ." Baby Raj bit " (No. 9) or " Oilbound Puffin " (No. zo) on my wall, but I would not excuse a student the drawing of " Lorna " (No. 19). For all the tricks, Freud has a sense of balance, he places the objects within a picture beautifully, and his oils, of which " Still Life with Chelsea Buns " is the most successful, have something of the craftsmanship of the precise, smooth tradition of Cranach.
Trevelyan is full of joie de vivre which is delightful. I particularly like " The Poacher " (No. 39) and " Fungi " (No. 36), but he tends to overcrowd his canvases, and it seems to me he paints too fast. Both he and Freud go in for " a naive vision," which I suspect. Felix Kelly paints romantic little pictures of country houses in wet weather with a little gentle surrealism for relaxation. He does it very well indeed, rather in the manner of the late Rex Whistler. He paints excellently, with charm, taste and gouache. MIcwiEL AYRTON.
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