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1 86 ENGLISH POST-IMPRESSIONISTS
goes out of his way to be ugly is being as
inartistic and silly as the man who makes his
angels simper. That is what is the matter
with Hamilton's portrait in the big room to
take an instance at random. Hamilton has
plenty of talent, and this picture is well
enough, pleasant in colour and tastefully
planned ; but his talent would be seen to
greater advantage
borrowed and inappropriate plumes. The
simplifications and distortion of the head
if it did not strut in
perform, so far as I can see, no aesthetic
function whatever ; they are not essential to
the design, and are at odds with the general
rhythm of the picture. Had the painter
scribbled across his canvas, " To hell with
it everything," seems to me he would have
done what he wanted to do, and done it
better.
What gives even minor Frenchmen an
advantage over the English is artistic courage.
They will be themselves at all costs, even
at the risk of pleasing old ladies from the
country, or passing unnoticed. Asselin goes
farther than Nevinson with less
ability. Yet
Nevinson bears the Briton's burden more
because he
lightly than his fellows ; probably
is cleverer than most of them. He is clever
enough to pick up some one else's style with
fatal ease ;
is he not clever enough to diagnose