Abstract
WHAT will this year's Academy teach us about the scenery of the world ?” was the question uppermost in my mind as I entered Burlington House. It was with particular satisfaction that I noted several instructive studies of the scenery of cities. The sky-line of the city is bolder than any which Nature can produce, but in the strong light of day the scene is generally confusing in its multiplicity of form, and in colour often drab and dull. But Mr. C. R. W. Nevinson's two studies of London in twilight illustrate the advantages of civic scenery without its drawbacks. “Hail and Fairwell” (730) gives us a last view of the round arches of Waterloo Bridge with the harmonious curves of the dome of St. Paul's in the background, with the grey of twilight changed to a deep and tender shade of blue by the amber glow of the street lighting. In his second study, “Battersea Twilight” (727), the sky-line beyond a foreground of the Embankment and river is dominated not by a Cathedral but an industrial building, the Battersea Power House with its two great chimneys. There is a story that Whistler replied to a friend who complained of the prominence of factory chimneys, “Call them campaniles”. It is to be hoped that in a future exhibition Mr. Nevinson's study may be followed by one taken from a nearer stand-point where the details of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott's design can be seen, particularly the fluting of the chimneys which so greatly enhances the columnar effect. This is the artistic touch that campaniles share but which the older factory chimneys lack. It is a hopeful sign of the times that the architect of Liverpool Cathedral has been entrusted with the design of this great industrial building. If the practice becomes general of obtaining the best architectural advice for factory building, the social benefit will be great, for if these huge erections were made beautiful the community would realise better the romance of industrial achievement.
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CORNISH, V. Scenic Geography at the Royal Academy. Nature 137, 768–769 (1936). https://doi.org/10.1038/137768a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/137768a0