The role of the Royal Academy in English art 1918-1930. COWDELL, Theophilus P. Available from Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive (SHURA) at: http://shura.shu.ac.uk/20673/ This document is the author deposited version. You are advised to consult the publisher's version if you wish to cite from it. Published version COWDELL, Theophilus P. (1980). The role of the Royal Academy in English art 1918-1930. Doctoral, Sheffield Hallam University (United Kingdom).. Copyright and re-use policy See http://shura.shu.ac.uk/information.html Sheffield Hallam University Research Archive http://shura.shu.ac.uk onemeia u-ny roiyiecnmc 100185400 4 Mill CC rJ o x n n Author Class Title Sheffield Hallam University Learning and IT Services Adsetts Centre City Campus Sheffield S1 1WB NOT FOR LOAN Return to Learning Centre of issue Fines are charged at 50p per hour Sheffield Haller* University Learning snd »T Services Adsetts Centre City Csmous Sheffield SI 1WB ^ AUG 2008 S I2 J T 1 REFERENCE ProQuest Number: 10702010 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10702010 Published by ProQuest LLC(2017). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 THE ROLE OF THE ROYAL ACADEMY ID ENGLISH ART 1916-1930 THEOPHILUS PAUL COPPELL Ph.D. Volume I 1 V ' v i i.j .ounayii jl UU1.K ui out; xiu,y<aj. jlucilu eni.y in Dnfjriisn -nrx xy IQ —xy Abstract The Royal Academy*s promotion of the ’Arts of Design’, the edu­ cation of its students and its annual exhibitions have been subject to many forms of criticism. Despite the absorption of many older avant-garde figures into its membership the Academy maintained a conservative reputation* During and after the Great War the Academy and its members were involved in many forms of activities which gave indirect support to the war effort and commemorated the nation’s achievements. The Academy introduced a policy of inter-national ex­ hibitions and was regarded abroad as an important representative of British art. The Royal Fine Arts Commission was largely the result of the Royal Academy’s initiative: and. the Academy contributed to the general post-war interest in mural painting,and the decorative'arts. The Royal Academy Schools, having recovered from the war, adop­ ted a more liberal policy of education during the keepership of Charles Sims between: 1920 and 1926. The scheme for a Royal Academy State School of Art was never adopted, , but Sims made a number of changes within the Academy Schools which gave-more freedom to the individual student. During Sir Frank Dicksee’s presidency, however, the Schools were criticised from within the institution and after 1926 returned to a more traditional art-training, in competition with the Royal College of Art and the Slade School. The extent of the Royal Academy’s artistic conservatism is assessed by an analysis of the Diploma Works deposited by Academicians and the Chantrey Bequest purchases made during the period. The Burlington House Summer Exhibitions were also deemed conservative despite attempts at introducing a more liberal exhibition policy between 1920 and 1927. The dominating realism of Royal Academy work during the 1920s may be seen as a twentieth century development of academic practice. 2 Volume I Page The Character, History and Functions of the Royal Academy 1918-30 5 The Royal Academy Schools 38 The Royal Academy Schools, TheSlade andthe Royal College of Art 6l ’Academic’ Art and Theory 73 The Chantrey Bequest 84 Royal Academy Elections and Diploma Works 130 Royal Academy Exhibitions 173 Criticism of the Institution 213 Assessment and Conclusions The Role of the Royal Academy 220 Appendices: A Chantrey Bequest Purchases - 231 B; Analysis of prices paid.for Chantrey Bequest purchases 236 C Artists and Architects of the Royal Academy 239 D Royal Academy members ’specially employed as war artists’ 1914-1918 243 E Royal Academy Diploma Works 244 F Autumn and Winter Exhibitions 246 G Honorary Members of the Royal Academy 247 R A note upon the probationary student system employed by the Royal Academy 248 I Royal Academy Deaths, Elections and Retirements 249 J Members of the Council of the Royal Academy 1918-1930 252 JC Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions* Eumbera of works and attendances 254 L Royal Academy Schools Competition subjects 255 M Quotations used on title pages of Summer Exhibition catalogues 259 IT 1918 State School of Art syllabus 260 0 . Royal Academy elections: ages of successful candidates 270 Bibliography 272 Volume II List of Illustrations 2 Illustrations 6 3 Acknowl edgement s I would like to express my gratitude for the encouragement, help and advice given me by many individuals and institutions. I would especially like to thank Alan Bowness, Director of the Tate Gallery, Killbank, Mr S .C .Hutchison and Kiss C.A.Parker of the Royal Academy of Arts, Dr J.T.Brighton and Kr J.Kirby of the Faculty of Art and.Design, Sheffield City Polytechnic. Kr Alan Sims, Mr John Fry-Boume, Mrs Margaret Noble and Mr William. Reeves have been most helpful in providing their recollections of the period described in this thesis. I would also like to thank the staff ox the following libraries; The Courtauld Institute of Art Library, The National Art Library of the Victox*ia and Albert Museum, The D.M.S.Watson Library of University College London, The Royal College of Art Library and the Sheffield City Polytechnic Faculty of Art and Design Library. I am also indebted to Mr and Mrs Lowther Robinson of South wick, Sussex and to Mr H.Cowdell for his time and assistance in the pres­ entation of this thesis. 4 The Character, History and functions of the Royal Academy 1918-1930 In 1937 Mary Chamot stated categorically"*" that the Boyal Acad­ emy exhibitions were not representative of contemporary painting, and that the institution’s primary functions were those of providing a free art school, carrying on the social business of organizing ex­ hibitions and dinners, and finding artists to execute presentation portraits. The author’s own ’understanding of the real state of the arts' led her to sanction the Royal Academy's existence by virtue of the fact that '. there is a traditional technique of painting; it is as well that- this tradition should be kept alive, and it is appro- piate.that it,should be kept alive in the Academy.’■ Yet she was convinced that ’Academic success does no good artisti­ cally’ and wished to see the ’pure’ artist 'free' to do his work, A more detailed analysis of this and other forms of criticism will be found below (p 213) but Mary Chamot' s stress upon the official, nat- 4 ure of the institution deserves comment, - , As originally defined in the Royal Academy’s Instrument of 2 Foundation the institution was intended to 'promote the Arts, of Resign’, to provide Instruction for students ’under the direction of the ablest artists’ and to hold annual.exhibitions of 'Paintings, Sculpture and designs, which shall be open to all Artists- of distinguished merit.’ . Under the provision made in Clause xxii for the introduction of alt­ erations and additions the laws of the Royal Academy have been , modi­ fied on many occasions since 1768, but their main principles have , been retained. By the early twentieth century, notwithstanding a constant flow of criticism, the Royal Academy continued to provide a focus on contemporary British art. Sir Walter Lamb described the annual exhibition as a ’challenge to public opinion and criticism . a healthy ex­ ercise that distinguishes the Academy from other educational institutions whose authority and activities are generally taken on trust by the laymen' • Commencing in I87O with an exhibition of Old Masteigand works by 1 Mary Chamot M o d e m Painting in England London, 1937* Chapter VII, The Royal Academy and Some Traditional Painters’, pp 80-93* 2 Signed by George IIT'at St James's, December 10, 1768 .' 3 Sir Walter R.M.Lamb (Secretary to the Royal Academy 1913-195-) The Royal Academy, London 1951 PP IO5-IO6 . 5 x C.R.Leslie R.A. and Clarkson Stanfield R.A. the Royal Academy had also introduced the public to a range of work from British collec­ tions which foreshadowed the foreign art Winter Exhibitions which were to start in 1920, Both types of exhibition were seen as educ­ ative exercises intended to encourage public awareness of the arts. The Royal Academy Dinner at which the principal guest was a member of the Royal Family was still attended by diplomats, cabinet minis­ ters and important patrons of the arts. If the Royal Academy’s promotion of the arts was (and is) seen in the form of its exhibitions, the pedagogic role of the Royal Academy Schools, if less publicly evident, remained a most import­ ant part of the institution. The Schools, moreover, gave free tui­ tion to all students, being funded by the proceeds from exhibitions 2 and from various bequests. The Keeper of the Royal Academy is res­ ponsible for the direction of the Schools, and was originally assis­ ted by the holders of Professorships in Painting, Sculpture, Archi­ tecture, Perspective and Anatomy.