The Architectural Review February 1935 [antikvár]

at B y H e r b e r t R e a I APOLOGIZE immediately for intro-ducÎDg a new word into my title, but its relevance will, I hope, become apparent as we proceed. When, some time ago, the Royal Academy announced that in collaboration with the Koyal Society of Arts it was to hold an exhibition of modern industrial art, it seemed possible that the chasm which gapes between that Institution and any contemporary reahties was at long last to be bridged ; not directly, but in such a way that the solemn face of officialdom might be saved. In other words, modern design, so long excluded from the majestic portals that open on Piccadilly, was to be let in through the kitchen and the boiler-house. As time went on, and the restrictions to be imposed on exhibitors became known, one grew more doubtful. Now we know that the idea was too good to be true, and that in fact the Exhibition opened by the Prince of Wales on January 4 will do far more harm than good unless it is ruthlessly criticized. It is possible that one should begin by exonerating the Royal Academy itself ; their part in the scheme being mainly a gesture of hospitality, we must praise them for their good will. At the same time, it would be very pertinent to observe, that if they had been more fully acquainted with the progress of design 45 in the fine arts, more fully alive to the spirit of the age, they would not have been so helpless in the hands of those commercial interests which are actually responsible for this distressing display of ineptitude. In a preliminary circular issued by the organizers of the Exhibition, the objectives in view were stated to be : To impress upon the public the importance of good desigD in articles of everyday use ; To show, not only to our own people, but also to other nations, that British manufacturers, in co-operation with British artists, are capable, of poducingj in all branches of industry, articles wluch combine artistic form with utility and sound workmanship; To encourage British artists to give to industry the benefit of their talent and training, 80 that the objccts with which we are surrounded in our daily lives may have an appearance wliich is not only attractive, but is based on genuinely artistic principles. Nol one of these objectives has been 1. A bell ill black suede, wUh a xohiic buckle, designed biß Beatrice Daivson. The cnlf Ihunib bag in bij the Anglo-Fretick Bag Company. 2. A black !suMe bag and bell designed by Beatrice Dawson. The other bag and flower are by Bemberon. attained. That this is not merely a personal opinion, but rather a judgment deduced from the necessary principles, is what I shall now attempt to show. Two terms are involved in the problem—ari and industry. The first requisite for a successful demonstration of their actual and possible relationships is a definition of the meaning of these two terms. There is not the slightest evidence in the Exhibition that the organizers started with any such clear conception. Art is notoriously difficult to define, but as a