A LUXURY

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 11, 13 July 1931, Page 16

A LUXURY

THE ARTS TO-DAY

CHANGING WORLD

"The present dearth of commissions means ruin to' many artists, whose resources aro quickly exhausted and who arc unable to meet their rent or afford the barest necessities of' existence." Tho Princo of Wales made this remark in a speech at tho dinner held in London of the Artists' General Benevolent Institution, says" the "Daily Telegraph." "In this country," he added, "the majority of those who appreciate and own good pictures have long since been forced by death duties and taxation to sell rather than to buy. How many famous painters, whose works j arc now regarded as tho world's masterpieces, have died in poverty?" he asked. "How many'havo been forced .during their .lifetime, like' Ver.meor, to part with pictures just to meet the insistent demands of tho local butcher or baker—pictures which to-day have probably crossed the Atlantic for a sum with which the artist could have bought the Whole town of Rotterdam, with' Delft and, Haarlem' thrown in ?' '• (Laughter.) : . , "At all. times, top, the artists' fortunes are subject to fluctuations of taste.1 Imagine the feelings of Sartprius,' for example, if he had seen his picture :of the Old Berkely Huntsman knocked down by Mr. Hannen for £5000, and imagine our grandfathers' surprise at the ridiculous, in fact, the insulting sums.for which mid-Victorian favourite^— and very ,good work some of it, too—can nowadays be acquired. SWIFT CHANaES. "Indeed, changes are so swift in the life of those who i are ' painting now that, who knows, a man. on being shown a picture might tell the painter that the green sea—which : actually was a green field—was not so bad, but that he thought the cow—-which really was -a' ship —was not so good. (Laugh-' ter.) ' ' '■' "I confess I am not sure I have told that story right," added the Prince, "but you must forgive me'because I have been making quite a^ew'speeches lately, ' and, ■. unfortunately, I cannot paint at all." (Laughter.) "We cannot close bur eyes to the fact that, in the present world-wide stringency, artistic work coines^ under the heading of a luxury. There* may be still in;the United States a few —a very few —wealthy patrons of the' arts who have not had to rule luxuries out of their budgets; but, they concentrate as a rule on the old masters, and rarely support the contemporary artist who is struggling to -earn his daily bread." ■ Later in the evening Mr. E. Guy Dawber,. the treasurer, announced that! donations amounting to £6077 had been received. Included in this sum was an anonymous gift of £1000, and a sum of £850 collected by the Arts Club. -.--■■