A DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE
OF THE
ETCHED WORK
OF
DONALD SHAW MacLAUGHLAN
WITH AN INTRODUCTION
BY
MARIE BRUETTE
ALBERT ROULLIER ART GALLERIES
CHICAGO
od
One hundred and six copies of this catalogue have been
printed, of which six are for presentation Each of these
one hundred and six copies contain an original print of
the etching ‘“‘Trees and Fields” signed by Donald Shaw
MacLaughlan. No proofs of this etching are for sale,
apart from the volume. Twenty additional copies with-
out the original etching and bearing no number have also
been issued.
The fifteen illustrations in this edition have been made
from original proofs, and are hand printed copperplate
reproductions.
This copy is Number 38.
A DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE OF THE
ETCHED WORK OF
DONALD SHAW MacLAUGHLAN
svotw eesiqvO oAT
The Cypress. Grove
A. Descriptive Catalogue of the
Etched Work of
DONALD SHAW MacLAUGHLAN
With an Introduction by
Marie Bruette
Jack
Chicago
Albert Roullier Art Galleries
1924
Copyright 1925
by
Albert Roullier Art Galleries
Ralph Fletcher Seymour
Designer and Printer
Fine Arts Building, Chicago
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
|) sisters SHAW MAcLAUGHLAN first studied painting. He had never thought
about prints except as one phase of the history of painting, he had examined
carefully the reproductions of Rembrandt’s etchings in the Boston Library, had
never attempted to use this medium, had never even seen a good original. He went to
Paris to study at the Beaux-Arts in Gérome’s class and there a fellow pupil showed
him some of his plates. His interest was immediately so awakened he left Gerome’s
class in order to begin experimenting with acids and copper.
Of his first prints, “Sand Boats on the Seine,” “St. Julien-le-Pauvre,” “L’Estacade”
and “St. Laurent,” all done in the early months of 1899, three, the “St. Julien-le-
Pauvre,” “L’Estacade” and “St. Laurent” were accepted and hung in the Salon of
that year.
After these initial essays MacLaughlan began to get the vision of a true etcher,
and the first advance in his etcher’s perception is evident in a series of six plates
made at Boulognesur-Mer. There followed a trip to Italy during which work was
put aside while MacLaughlan made his first exciting exploration of the churches
and galleries. In 1900 he returned to France and began a series of twenty plates of
Paris. Meanwhile he was studying constantly the great prints in the Bibliotheque
Nationale.
MacLaughlan has never made preliminary drawings of his subjects. He has always
worked directly on the copper. In his early work he first drew on the plate, then bit it in
the old manner of stopping out. After 1910 he substituted for this conventional tech-
nique his individual method of drawing and etching alternately so that the needle and
the acid are used together as one continuous medium. Thus when the design is drawn
it is etched. Then all parts relating to each level of the design are rendered in turn as
complements to the decoration, so that they are in effect a series of proof states each
complete in itself and all on the same ground. Since he has perfected his personal tech-
nique he has made it a rule not to touch the needle until he has in his mind the perfect
vision of his theme.
MacLaughlan has found that pure nitric acid is the most successful medium for
his method of working. When he first began he experimented with various acids, then
returned, first to diluted nitric then to pure nitric. The “Road Songs,” “Evening
[7]
Publisher's Note
Light” and “Treviso Waters” were all bitten entirely with pure nitric. The “Dutch
Mordant” used by Haden and many others he finds too unresponsive.
MacLaughlan has always done all of his own printing. He found it at first the
most difficult process in the art largely because there was so little codified information
on the subject available. In time, however, he worked out his own methods, first with
a very small press then with a larger one which he still uses.
Both ink and paper he considers of extreme importance and to both he has given
most careful attention. His ink he has always ground and prepared himself. He feels
that his results quite justify the long and arduous labor involved.
Three kinds of paper have been used for his impressions. Whenever possible he
has used old European paper, usually Italian of the Sixteenth or Seventeeth or occa
sionally of the Fifteenth Century. To get this paper he has searched constantly in all
corners of Europe, often finding only a few sheets at a time attached to old and other-
wise worthless manuscripts but occasionally coming across larger stores that have been
left unused through |the decades. Though it is difficult to get a sufficent number of
sheets of similar quality for an edition, MacLaughlan prefers it to any other paper both
because of its intrinsic beauty and because of its durability, It was made by hand, of
course, of pure linen rag, sometimes with bits of silk through it that strengthen it greatly
and was sized with parchment. A proof on this paper has the advantage not only of
beautiful texture and durability but also of mellowing with age without ever losing
its freshness.
Occasionally however this Italian paper, which was dried on felt cloths in the sun,
is too rough for a plate. Then MacLaughlan uses by preference a fine Japan made
long before the introduction of machines, an unusually fine quality of the type of
which he fortunately obtained a supply at the Paris Exposition in 1900. Practically
the entire edition of the “Lauterbrunnen,” for example, is printed on this. For some
of the proofs he has used the hand made vanGelder.
From 1899 to 1906 MacLaughlan usually printed an edition of each plate of
about thirty. From 1906 to 1908 his average edition was fifty. But this gave only ten
proofs each for England, France, Germany and the United States. He expanded
subsequent editions therefore to an average of sixty. Outstanding exceptions are the
‘Canal of the Little Saint” in 1909 of which only forty copies were made and “Low
Tide” in 1910 of which only twenty proofs were made.
All the plates described in this catalogue have been destroyed with the exception
of (No. 12) “Lion Column Venice,” (No. 50) “Ruelle du Pécheur,” (No. 92)
‘Draught Horses,” (No. 118) “The Dance of Spring.”
{8}
Publisher's Note
In 1901 approximately ten small plates, averaging 214x31¢ inches in length, of
Old and New Paris were made to illustrate a projected book of Monsieur Henri Bér-
aldi. Monsieur Beraldi’s death intervened before the book was prepared and it is not
known whether the plates are still in existence, or, if they are, where they may be. As
far as is known only one proof of one plate was ever printed and the history of this
proof is also unknown.
This catalogue includes only the plates etched before 1920. From that time to
the date of publication, 1924, additional plates have been made. These are: “San
Trovaso,” “The Canonica,” “Iden Roadside,” “Sussex Hedges,” “Trees and Fields,”
“Sussex Landscape,” “Landscape with Fisherman,’ “The Abandoned Farm,”
“Towers and Gardens,” “By the Salute,” “Midnight Venice,’ “The Piazzetta,”
“Under Formosa’s Bridge,” “Palazzo Doria,’ “The Ca D'Oro,” “Canal of the
Loggia,” “Garden Canal,” “Saint Mark’s,” “Young Girl Reading,” “Sunlight
Facade,” “On the Fondamenta,” “The Storm Canal” “The Enchanted Pool,” “Iden
Wood,” “Pastoral,” “Sussex Days.”
The descriptions of these plates have not been included because all of these are
still extant and are, therefore, subject to possible further states and subsequent
publication. It is the intention of the publishers to issue supplementary catalogues
from time to time when the plates have been destroyed and the descriptions can in
consequence be final.
Chicago, December, 1924.
[9]
Contents q
Page {
Publishers Note . . Artes, eer se ani)
Original etching “Trees and Fields" ane ee eee
Introduction . . Se oe ket ant ae oe ee men
@atalocue.” ah at Rat ee tee eee relat 37
illustrations “477 te eee foitutitha 91
Index:ofWitles™ ees ake Bh ee OS
Generalalndexs se ner er ad te OT
Illustrations
The Cypress Grove
Jack.
The Tenens
stheshoo nme
The White Palace .
Road Song Number One .
The Coppersmith .
Lynton, England
Draught Horses
Doorway of the Doges, Nene
Canal of the Little Saint... ;
Song from Venice Number One.
Venetian Noontide : :
Cornish Landscape Number Cre ;
Path in the Wood eee
Frontispiece
on title page
facing page 22
facing page 26
facing page 30
facing page 32
facing page 42
facing page 48
; page 91
I following page 91
. II following page 91
III following page 91
IV following page 91
. V following page 91
VI following page 91
TREES AND FIELDS
An original etching
by
Donald Shaw MacLaughlan
>
Le.
NSE. Bt A Sd
3
a
3
g
3
ey
th!
>
<
a
v
z
£
5
nN
ij ues
Mee I
INTRODUCTION
| q
DONALD SHAW MacLAUGHLAN
INTRODUCTION
DONALD SHAW MacLAUGHLAN
HE brilliant work of Donald Shaw MacLaughlan offers one of the
most interesting portfolios of his generation, its import largely
_ based upon its originality. The most individual etcher America
has produced since Whistler brought its etchers into cosmo-
politan range, Mr. MacLaughlan by conclusive achievements has
steadily advanced to a position among the foremost of his contemporaries, its
significance based upon the measure of his greatness.
Contemporary criticism takes on no definite weight until endorsed by a suc-
ceeding generation—a truism established by a series of disconcerting precedences.
Despite its warning note, it is with the utmost confidence that the enthusiast ap-
proaches the work of Mr. MacLaughlan, for so wide is the range of his accom-
plishment, his portfolio refutes all argument. To those who hesitate before new
methods and who cherish the restricted prerogatives of the “perfect line,” Mr.
MacLaughlan establishes his position by a series of distinguished plates, executed
within its strictly lineal character and the methods of those masters, who have
formulated its traditions. To those who demand that an executant gives evidence
of original mastery and who would extend its boundaries, his later work takes on
the color and fascination of the innovator, and offers technically the most con-
sistent application of impressionistic principles that the medium records.
As distinctive achievements, Mr. MacLaughlan has to his credit, a powerful
interpretation of mountain landscape produced in the medium of pure etching.
Turner, whose fame in black and white is closely identified with his passion for
mountain scenery, used the etching needle largely for the basis of his compositions,
but in his finished plates turned to the aid of mezzotint, a medium he found pre-
eminently adapted to the translation of those lofty emotions commonly aroused in
the presence of mountain landscape, and which strongly colored his vision. For
his interpretations, Mr. MacLaughlan relies solely on the needle, his initiative and
supremacy in this difficult attainment practically unassailed.
No less strongly individual is the spontaneous freshness he transmits to his
later version of Italian landscape. Manifesting a primary interest in the phenomena
of light, Mr. MacLaughlan has approached his subject matter in the mood and
[17]
Introduction
with the aims of the impressionist, and interprets with new vigor the lyricism of
Nature as induced by the exhilaration of the sun’s rays. Based on a close obser-
vation and analysis of the visible nuances of light and shade, the success of his
experiments depends upon the accurate distribution of the infinite values he per-
ceives. A high order of artistic sensitiveness governs the clarity of his vision, the
full and lucid tone that he attains, carrying us to a new, high note in the scale of
landscape etching.
-Possessed of creative vision, Mr. MacLaughlan has given convincing proof that
he has a definite message of hisown. The creative artist places upon his motives
an emphasis more insistent than the one that Nature bestows. Though the force
of a personal vision is often powerful enough to revitalize the obvious, it is the
hitherto unemphasized truth that he aims to put before us. The depth of his own
understanding gives him clear insight into the work of his confreres, a fact which
forbids him telling again those truths that have been perfectly set forth. It is this
insight which permits him to wander where he wills, now venturing into un-
known fields, now working over well worn territory, unhampered by the visions
of his predecessors, which dominate the imaginative qualities of less creative
minds. His recognition of their presence is made manifest in his complete respect
for their fulfillment.
Mr. MacLaughlan has given us a vision of the familiar Thames not heretofore
emphasized, and returning to the Venice of Whistler, dwells upon fresh truths
of atmosphere and sunlight that give no evidence of a repeating note.
Donald Shaw MacLaughlan
Of Scotch ancestry, Donald Shaw MacLaughlan was born in Charlottetown,
Canada, in 1876. His family later removed to the States, the city of Boston holding
prior claims upon him as a resident. His preliminary art training began at the
Massachusetts Normal Art School. In 1898 he went to Paris, ostensibly to study
painting, and for that purpose entered a course at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. In
1899, Mr. MacLaughlan etched his first plate. Endowed with the rare tempera-
ment inherent in the etcher, a fact which critical commentation was quick to
recognize and accord him, the difficult problems of etching offered the training of
which he was in search. Possessed of unusual powers of concentration, his work
gives evidence of immediate harmony with a medium whose ultimate aims proceed
on lines tending to further their development and control.
For a period of fifteen years, Mr. MacLaughlan confined his expression close-
ly to the etching needle. He has since divided his time with work in water-color
and in oil. The positive qualities which distinguish him as an etcher, the freedom
and directness of his line, have readily initiated him into the medium of water-
color, which makes it appeal to him in its stronger and more virile aspects. With
a natural aptitude for color, which he directs along lines that imply knowledge as
well as individuality, his pronounced success in this medium arouses much interest
in his work in oil, which while tentatively shown has not as yet been placed
on general exhibition.
The distinctly original achievements of Mr. MacLaughlan’s career asan etcher,
began with the publication of the Swiss plates in 1908. Interest centers in them
and in his subsequent production, but to the student of his work, who would
enter into the influences conducive to his development, the years ante-dating are
fully as significant. Between 1899 and 1907, Mr. MacLaughlan etched about one
hundred and fifty plates, which range from the serious efforts of the earnest student
to prints which rank with the best of his portfolio. The effort to distinguish in
them his natural qualifications as an etcher, as well as the contacts through which
he gained technical control, soon establishes the fact that the influences indicated
are mainly exerted along technical lines. His frank and courageous study of Rem-
brandt’s mastery, his earnest application to the genius of Meryon, show no close
affinity with the spirit of these masters. The one strong mental influence dis-
cernible seems to manifest itself in the intangible attribute known as style.
Not distinctly traceable to any one master, it identifies itself in a temperament
[19]
Introduction
akin in its studious sobriety to the master engravers of the 16th century,
whose patience was carried to such a fine austerity of purpose that it became in
itself a distinguishing trait of their genius.-The formal precision of Mr. Mac-
Laughlan’s handling, the restraint implied in the ordered symmetry of his designs,
are reminiscent of their sobriety in composition. In such plates as the English
Lynton and Meloncello of the Italian series, we come close to it, but even where
the outer analogy is less in evidence, it persists in intangible form to dignify all of
his early production. In view of this sincerity, it is pleasant to record that critical
commentation was early directed to Mr. MacLaughlan’s efforts. Hiskeen apprecia-
tion of the higher attributes of his medium, combined with the obvious tenacity
with which he approached his technical problems, brought him the consideration
of both critic and connoisseur.
Etching in France, in Italy and in England, his early motives are divided be-
tween architectural subjects and those of pure landscape interest. Many good
plates were done in Paris. Quai des Grands Augustins remains undoubtedly the
most ambitious plate of the Paris series. The large intention of its design is char-
acteristic of his artistic impulses. That the plate is comprehensive of much detail
rather than a mastery of synthesis is obvious. In selecting his essentials, Mr. Mac-
Laughlan has wavered before the arbitrary choice implied in their selection. From
a very fullness of observation, he has amplified his synthesis to a point that modi-
fies his purpose. Indicative of the mind of the etcher in the process of becoming
fully comprehensive, it makes interesting comparison with the Cypress Grove and
the Lauterbrunnen, two plates of corresponding compass, which in executive grasp
of subject matter and unity of design, have not been surpassed in Mr. MacLaugh-
lan’s generation.
Of the Paris plates, there is more complete fulfillment in the two drawings
of the Towers of St. Sulpice. These plates bear the early date of 1900 and are
fully representative. In them the fine austerity with which Mr. MacLaughlan
approaches his subject matter, is easily apparent. The certitude of their draughts-
manship is no less marked than the,cultivated understanding, he brings to his in-
terpretation of architectural structure. The medieval character which still spreads
its sombre shadow over the old quarters of Paris is evoked with genuine signifi-
cance. The smaller plate, La Petite Tour, combines a variety of interests. In the
foreground, a passing religious procession vividly animates the scene. Knowledge
of finished modeling enters into the drawing of the individual figure subjects;
energy of movement is conveyed in their groupings. To the right of the plate, a
[20]
Donald Shaw MacLaughlan
pair of sturdy draught horses is seen, which show close application and know!-
edge of animal form.
In a letter, made public in 1911, Mr. MacLaughlan records that at this period,
he made many drawings from life in order to gain knowledge of the characters
and movements he desired to portray. For the groups used in the Cypress Grove,
1904, large drawings from life were made before the figures were drawn upon the
copper. It is interesting to stress this point, the intimate knowledge of detail
deemed essential to his purpose, in view of its ruthless sacrifice, when later the
visible world assumed for him the form of rhythmic pattern.
In addition to the Paris plates, there are interesting etchings made in Rouen
and Boulonge-sur-Mer, while a journey to Devonshire, England, produced among
other coppers, the rare and beautiful Lynton.
In his series of early landscapes, Mr. MacLaughlan clearly emphasizes his nat-
ural qualifications as an etcher. Poigny, the Certosa, Tivoli, Emelia, culminate in
the splendid plate knownasthe CypressGrove. Of the latter, the informed French
critic, Octave Uzanne, wrote: “The Cypress Grove is as seriously established,
executed and rendered, bit by bit, to the last delicate detail of the foliage as one of
those etchings of the heroic period of the 16th century, when the patience of the
engravers was a virtue equal to their passion for the finished work.”
In the practice of a deliberate restraint, in the ability to sustain the spontaneity,
of his impressions with cumulative force, while the hand proceeds calmly, even
slowly, to their translation, Mr. MacLaughlan’s work as a young etcher, reveals
a subdued intensity of ardor, which in itself exerts a compelling fascination and
does much to heighten the wide scope which his portfolio presents in its emo-
tional quality, no less than in its technical range.
The superb effort of the Cypress Grove established his convincing mastery of
synthesis. To the master of concentration, few motives are powerful enough to
justify the extremes of summary expression. Applied to lesser themes, the con-
centrated essence runs too thin; simplification without detail implies a paucity in
subject matter. The master of concentration seeks as he goes to give the sum of
many truths. Simplification with him manifests itself in unity of design. The
unity of the Cypress Grove is apparent. The fine perfection of leaf and branch
so unobtrusively set forth in all their intricate beauty; the finished modeling of
the figure subjects, the natural grace of their groupings, are held in strict correla-
tion to the dignified simplicity of the central theme; the whole conception one
of great serenity, its classic purity far removed from coldness.
[21]
i)
i
fi
Introduction
Through'the succeeding years, Mr. MacLaughlan has turned but rarely to the
moods and methods of these early plates. Few will regret his preferences for the
adventures of the open highway, but such beautiful plates as the Canal of the
Little Saint, 1909, and. the two distinctive coppers known as the Cornish Land-
scapes, 1913, indicate the contents of his portfolio had his individual vision fol-
lowed more closely the beaten paths.
The Lauterbrunnen
asanuidistust. odT
17
iF
i
y
|
:
;
q
iif
4
if
ee
Donald Shaw MacLaughlan
In attempting to analyze the qualities which mark Mr. MacLaughlan for high
consideration in the ranks of modern etchers, the Swiss plates, the greater num
ber of which were produced in 1908, warrant the highest consideration. So com-
manding a motive as mountain landscape has been seldom attempted in the medium
of pure etching. Its magnitude calls into action the highest faculties of the com-
prehensive mind and renders it correspondingly frank in its pitfalls for self reve-
lation.
Technically, the Swiss plates conform to the higher lineal traditions of the art.
The free, explanatory line, boldly applied, is constantly resorted to. In their men-
tal grasp, they are strongly individual, revealing an outlook, original and creative,
that stamps them indelibly with the force of a personal vision. The work of an
artist, suddenly, it would seem, awakened to the full realization of his creative
power, their freshness removes them definitely from the seriously established
plates, he has hitherto executed along traditional lines.
Comprehensiveness is accounted the supreme essential of the great etcher. In
the art of suggestion, the etcher’s needle leads all other instruments. But while
the medium permits expressions of the utmost power, its limitations are propor-
tionately rigid and exacting. The expression, of necessity, must be brief and sum-
mary. The etcher is permitted to speak only in essentials. To select them, his
sense of scale must be unerring, as it involves their gradation in the line of their
relative importance. Primarily, he must possess and hold until completion, an ex-
ecutive grasp of the subject in its entirety. So run the traditions of the art.
The technical problems of the Swiss plates are of a nature to temper the en-
thusiasm of the most dauntless of temperaments. To express broad range of vision,
to give the full realization of austere heights and profound immensities of space,
to suggest an infinitive variety of life and color by aid of the needle alone, presup-
pose a vast accumulation of relative knowledge and call forth a supreme éifort in
the synthesis. It is a synthesis that implies the most powerful forces of concen: °
tration brought under complete control; a COS that could only emanate from
the broadly comprehensive mind.
In examining the Swiss plates, it is dificult to avoid immediate discussion of
the Lauterbrunnen. The penetrating integrity of Mr. MacLaughlan’s observa-
tions, the wealth of devoted interest and analysis, that to the most casual of
observers, enter into his study of mountain landscape, seem to culminate in this
{23}
|
|
|
A
Introduction
heroic conception of the Lauterbrunnen valley. In its comprehensive grasp of a
motive, than which there can be none more all embracing; in its mastery of com-
position based on a true instinct for proportion, it has been acclaimed a master-
piece.
The perfect placing of the composition in relation to the copper, alone marks
the plate for distinction, The two great heights which frame the entrance to the
valley are simply and directly given; the knowledge which enters into the plac-
ing of the few, decisive shadows, indicative of the wisest economy in selective
power. The eye leaves the well defined rendering of the foreground to find im-
mediate interest in the distant, snow clad peaks. The sense of powerful perspec-
tive isadmirably sustained. To attain it, all the detail of the middle distance is sub-
served, in contrast to the finished modeling of the mountain heights, the intimate
rendering of the fertile valley.
By high authorities, the Lauterbrunnen was accorded immediate recognition.
Sir Frederick W edmore, foremost among the English critics, was quick to recognize
its elements of greatness. In 1908, he spoke as follows: “It interests me, first, to be
informed that Lauterbrunnen was the outcome of a sudden sense, upon the part
of its author, of the Alps’ impressiveness. Mere snow heights and inaccessible
pine woods had been a bore to him—they were a something with which humanity
had little to do. Suddenly there came to Mr. MacLaughlan—and perhaps one
reason why I enjoyed the plate so profoundly is that I have felt in quite that way
myself—suddenly there came to him a sense of the amazing and thought inspiring
contrast between the austere heights, the vast stone masses, and the companion-
ableness and fertility of the peopled plain. And that is what he has interpreted—
made clear to us. With high imagination and with masculine art, with a hold
upon reality, the firmer and more intense because of all he has received in his
poetic vision, he has brought the two together. The Lauterbrunnen is a record
and it isa creation.” High praise fora young etcher and from an authoritative
source; parise which its author did not hesitate to repeat in even stronger terms,
whenever he had occasion to speak of Mr. MacLaughlan’s work.
While Mr. MacLaughlan draws directly on the plate in the presence of his
motive, the following extract from a letter made public in 1908, descriptive of the
Lauterbrunnen, is indicative of the informed knowledge with which he ap-
proaches his subject matter, the numberless impressions he gathers day by day and
which enter into the ultimate precision of his mental concepts. The vision be-
comes ineffaceable, before the hand begins the work of translation. “I spent several
[24]
Donald Shaw MacLaughlan
days drawing this plate, climbing up the mountain side at gray dawn, returning
only at the day’send. At the close of the first day, a heavy fog gathered upon the
higher snow fields. Fortunately, in the meantime, I had completed the upper por-
tion of the plate. The fog continued to settle slowly, so that at the end of the
third day, it had completely enveloped the mountain and the higher part of the
valley, and so when the last line was drawn, I was unable to see beyond the fore-
ground. Had my plate depended then upon seeing all the design before me in
Nature, I could never have accomplished it.”
The power of expressing infinite space with the greatest economy of line is
again exemplified in the Bernese Oberland, a view of the Alps from the Rochers
de Naye, published in 1910. The success of this fine plate has been somewhat
overshadowed by the more popular Lauterbrunnen. Lacking the human interest
of the fertile valley, which to many brings the latter into more intimate under-
standing, the Bernese Oberland makes strong appeal to those whose passion for
mountain scenery delights in the unconfined freedom of vast solitudes. Necessarily
topographical in its panoramic survey of rolling mountain peaks, it admirably
suggests as well the sense of mental uplift associated with the clear, cold atmosphere
of high altitudes and wide areas which have escaped the confining hand of man.
Though richly imaginative in their powers of suggestion, the force of Mr.
MacLaughlan’s artistic vision is rooted in his grasp of material fact. The truths he
has to tell he finds direct in Nature. Her fundamental verities inspire him to
utterance; her changing moods prove a constant source of revelation. In them
he finds poetic vision, and makes no excursion into the distinct realms of the
imagination which color the image of the great visionary. The dramatic rendering
of the Grimsel Pass, would, at a cursory glance, tend to prove it an exception.
Grimly forbidding in its intensity, the inaccessible peaks portrayed, the uttermost
recesses of the earth where tempests breed and avalanche and desolation follow
quickly in their wake, in reality are known to few, and might well be attributed
to some vivid conception of the imagination. But a closer study assures us that
Mr. MacLaughlan is again giving us a faithful transcription of Nature, illumined
by a mind acutely sensitive to profound impressions. Mr. MacLaughlan must
have penetrated close to these very fastnesses and sensed the impending danger of
icy isolation, to have so effectually visualized the symbol of Nature, where she is
pitiless. Technically a triumph in its harsh clash of black with white, the cycle
of the Swiss plates would be incomplete without the Grimsel, a powerful trans-
cription of Nature in terrifying mood.
[25]
eee
Introduction
In the equipment of an artist, originality proves a strong determining factor.
It is the high prerogative of the great artist to permanently widen our outlook, to
increase our capacity of appreciation and understanding by enforcing the light of
his personal vision. In the measure of this capacity, we speak of his originality.
To say that an artist is original does not imply his presentation of that which is
new and unknown. It in no way implies the presentation of the eccentric or the
bizarre. Originality in art consists in the placing of an individual emphasis on the
motive the artist selects, an emphasis more insistent than the one that Nature
bestows. This emphasis lifts the motive from its fellows and vivifies it so intensely
that the impression remains indelibly intensified in the mind of the spectator. Its
effect upon the latter is to quicken the play of his imaginative powers, and he
continues to recognize with a like degree of emphasis, the same and kindred sub-
jects, whenever he encounters them in their natural surroundings. A thousand
inarticulate poets must have felt the beauties of night, before Whistler visualized
them for universal recognition. Perhaps only a score had consciously sensed the
grace of gesture, the beauty of many a bent head until Joe’s Bent Head came to
remain with us.
W ith the production of the Thames Set, Mr. MacLaughlan makes further and
distinct claims of originality. ~The force of his individual emphasis throws into bold
relief a version of the river’s life not heretofore accentuated. Wéith the restraint
in selection, which one learns to associate with his choice of subject matter, in the
Thames plates, he confines himself to the surging activity, the pulse of the com-
mercial life which animates the river. A difficult motive, its realization calls into
play every resource of his art. Resolutely turning aside from the ineffaceable
vision of W histler’s which dominates the Thames, he as resolutely subordinates
the familiar amenities of composition which the architectural background of the
river readily affords. Uncompromising is the necessity which drives the com-
mercial life of the great city. It is apparent that the unusual rhythms which Mr.
MacLaughlan employs in his syntheses make no attempt to hide the obvious
difficulties which confront him. So unfamiliar an attitude appears alike uncompro-
mising, although in harmony with the projection of its abrupt and vivid truths.
The result is anew version of the familiar Thames, irrevocably linked with his
needle alone.
In several notable instances, the highest critical commendation was given to
the Thames plates. That the warmth of enthusiasm which popular approval
{26}
The Pool
jood.,sAF
ai lla eieaeemmaats
ee eee
Donald Shaw MacLaughlan
supplies has been accorded slowly, is added indication of their originality. Enlarg-
ment of vision is warmly approved by a grateful posterity. The process which
calls for immediate mental readjustment is an exercise, it has been proven, most
willingly deferred.
To those who enter into the difficulties which encompass the etching medium
and who delight in its technical processes, the Thames plates offer an interesting
field for comtemplation. Here Mr. MacLaughlan follows closely the prescribed
paths, but apparently he seeks problems equivalent to those of his predecessors,
and in solving them, raises himself gradually to their level.
The dominant characteristic of the Thames plates lies in the vigor of their
expression, the decision implied in the choice of their rapid commentary. Removed
from all tendency toward purely pictorial ends, they appear singularly honest in
their intention. The choice of their difficult compositions implies both individu-
ality and confidence. The certitude of their draughtsmanship is, in itself, worthy
of enthusiastic comment. For freedom in the drawing, they have seldom been
surpassed. There isa buoyancy, a veritable suggestion of motion in such plates as
the Rushing Tide and the Little Pool, achieved solely by use of the free, explana-
tory line. That the obvious difficulty of Mr. MacLaughlan’s problems does at
times obtrude, should detract but slightly in the ultimate appraisal of what he has
achieved.
Such plates as the Entanglement call for a mastery of technicalities. Confident
draughtsmanship permits the etcher to place a hugh river barge in his immediate
foreground and bring the rest of an exacting composition into unity of design.
The feeling of wood and stone, the weighty bulk of barge and cargo are given with
an accurate and manly perception of material values. The intricate problems which
the biting of this plate imply are plainly indicated. Wariety of movement on the
water and the bridges which compass it call for careful handling, while plane after
plane is given in the long vista of bridge beyond bridge, the clear gradations of
the biting under absolute control. This plate and the rarer Low Tide argue a
mastery of the acid seldom brought to the test.
The fine plate known as Wind and Rain is in similar key. Wéith more har-
mony in its decorative design, the rich blacks which record the symmetrical lines of
the bridge, the simplicity which enters into the treatment of the water and the
sensitive shore line of the middle distance, bring it within the closer range of con-
ventional beauty. The atmospheric conditions, which give the plate its name,
are fully realized; its storm sky, full of portent. The sense of motion in the barge
[27]
Introduction
of certain draughtsmanship.
portfolio.
[28 }
} of the middle distance isadmirably conveyed, while the treatment of the foreground
4 and the relation ofits huge barge to the composition asa whole, again give evidence
\ While the technical achievements of the Entanglement and Wind and Rain
are so obvious as to preempt immediate discussion, the significance of Mr. Mac-
a Laughlan’s version of the river’s life takes on a wider manifestation in the plates
i known as the Pool and Life of the Thames. In them, the exacting technical test
If again presents itself, but it sinks into proper subordination and is lost in the gen-
: uine creative outlook, the broad scope of the artist’s vision.
, Life of the Thames is rightly accorded one of the most satisfying plates the
! river has inspired. Across the broad reach of the water the Custom House is set
down in its accustomed symmetry, the repose of its handling accentuated by the
world of activity which goes on before its walls. The unusual amount of detail
which the foreground comprehends is brought into unbroken continuity of
rhythm. The deeper vision of the artist under whose touch the scene of every-day
commercialism takes on the very spirit of modernity, exerts a powerful fascination.
if Even more creative is the version which the Pool affords. In the background,
the long lines of Tower Bridge are beautifully etched. Before it spreads a bewil-
dering maze of river life. From the ocean going steamer seen beyond the bridge,
from the picturesque rigging of the sailing vessels which occupy the middle distance,
the eye centers on the unwieldy craft of the river bargemen which hold the im-
mediate foreground. The crude bulks of these barges obtrude only to lose them-
selves again in unexpected rhythms, which combine in an intricate pattern of
original design. Broad as is the scope of this plate, it infinitely repays the most
minute inspection. The closest observation governs the delicate details of the
drawing and enters into the modeling of the figures which animate the barges.
In a published letter, Mr MacLaughlan records that these plates were etched
entirely on the spot, the figures selected and drawn on the immediate scene.
The composition of the Pool offers a marked departure. Mr. MacLaughlan
has forced the eye to a longer focus than our force of habit readily admits.
I, Though the rhythms of the long vista are unbroken in their continuity, our
training seeks a closer range and would stop short with the clustered groupings
: of the middle distance. This acceptance would imply no doubts; an established
| standard would support our judgment. One of the most individual plates this
generation has produced, the wise collector has long since slipped it into his
Donald Shaw MacLaughlan
The great exponent of etching has almost, without exception, imprinted his
originality forcibly upon its technical side. In applying the test it is essential that
manual dexterity be commensurate with mental gifts. The benefits conferred by
the master are twofold. He gives in his completed works, and further enriches
the medium he employs, by developing its resources in the measure of his capac-
ity. Rembrandt brought a neglected medium to a state of perfection that estab-
lished it as the greatest of the linear arts. Endowed with the true passion of the
great etcher, Meryon imposed upon it the cool and tempered hand of the engrav-
er. Whistler, in his Venice Set, broke the lineal quality of decisive outline and
expanded definitely the linear confines which tradition then prescribed. Lepére’s
brilliant experiments with the handling of light are, by the number of his follow-
ers, proven the outstanding influence of his generation. Zorn, the individualist,
introduced a master’s stroke, and established a point of new contention.
On leaving Mr. MacLaughlan’s series on the Thames, we come to a phase of
his work which bears directly upon his technical contribution. In the ultimate
appraisal of his work it assumes the utmost significance. The majority of the
Thames plates bear the date of 1910; a few of the important ones were pub-
lished in 1913. Etching through long intervals in Italy, Mr. MacLaughlan pro-
duced during the same period, the series of original coppers which are generally
referred to as his later Italian plates. For unconventional freedom in their
handling, for unfamiliar flexibility of line, they establish a precedent which
brings him close to the role of the innovator. In a restricted medium, Mr.
MacLaughlan has essayed the full aims and methods of the impressionist.
Upon the part of the spectator this innovation imposes a drastic readjustment,
for many of the principles involved appear violently opposed to the traditions
which define its lineal character. In compliance with the methods instigated
by the painters of the movement, Mr. MacLaughlan becomes analytic in his
vision. The established order of synthesis, based on the accurate gradations
of detail, cumulative in ascending, scale, is radically reversed. Objects are no
longer emphasized according to the importance they assume in relation to
the needs of man. Emphasis takes on the less insistent aspect that Nature
imposes. The phenomena of light which animates the surface of the world, su-
percedes interest in the objects it reveals. Our interest is quickened in the beauty
of the arabesque, which exists wherever there is play of light. Individual emo-
129]
Introduction
tion in the presence of subject matter is merged in the passionate pursuit for clar-
ity of vision.
Establishing a residence in Asolo, in the Province of Venetia, Mr. MacLaugh-
lan has wandered freely through the Italian countryside. The full radiance of Ital-
ian sunlight, the magic touch of animation, becomes the dominant motive of his
themes. Brilliant interpretations of both cities and landscape follow. On its
technical merits alone, the White Palace of 1911, aroused unwonted enthusiasm.
The clear light of the Italian sun is reflected from the white walls of the marble
palace, the intensity of pitch sustained by shadows scarcely less luminous in qual-
ity. The beauty of its arabesque is marked by unusual flexibility in the use of
line; sharp definitions of form are modulated to blend into the intricacies of pat-
tern. It recreates for us a Venice not unfamiliar, but in adding the lyric intoxi-
cation of the sun’s rays, Mr. MacLaughlan imprints an individual stamp in terms
so lucid as to bear the aspect of familiar truth. Beauty of pattern of more con-
ventional design distinguishes the Song from Venice (1); but interest in atmos-
phere again dominates, its lyric note rising steadily above the variety of incident
which the plate records. The full radiance of the Venetian Noontide, luminous
in the heat of the summer’s day, the open stretches of sunny countryside so richly
conveyed in Fields of Asolo and Giorgione’s Land, carry us to the point where
the exhilaration of the sun’s rays merges close to melody.
Artistic sensitiveness of the highest order enters into the interpretation of such
plates as the Song from Venice (3). In Treviso Waters, the hand becomes even
lighter in its touch. The expanse of sunlit waters, bordered by the reflected trees,
is scarcely broken by the tremor ofa passing breeze. With the slightest indication
of line, Mr. MacLaughlan has given its limpid brilliance. The light circulates
throughout with lyric rhythm. It is easily apparent that this plate depends upon
the added subtleties of the printer’s art. Path in the W oods with its interplay of
light through heavy foliage, is equally dependent upon the printer’s hand. W here
these two plates exist in fine impressions, they carry us to the most creative experi-
ments of Mr. MacLaughlan’s portfolio.
Technically, these Italian plates register as consistent an application of impres-
sionistic principles as the medium apparently permits. The search for luminosity
and the feeling for color which it implies, soon establishes the fact that shadow
weakens its suggestion. Discarding the full depths of shade in which the medium
is rich, Mr. MacLaughlan restricts his range to the definite values of the purely
bitten line, and on this narrow keyboard, he improvises a wealth of harmony,
[30]
The White Palace
sosled ssid Wood F
ig Ads essere mee nar ees
Passageway
Rue dus@hasscur = == 50
Ruelle des Pigeons... 50
St..Ouen + 2 ee ee ee 50
4
General Index
Page
France continued:
Mowie ele [Breuinte ee See m3
Mout. Oteuleanrent=e ee oo
See also Paris:
Brelauta: eat: onthalt. seers 67
(Bley), (Demers Ye ee 57, 58
Iconographic Society of Boston.......... = (2)
Impressionisinyses ees ee see CO GE
[rgker 9 Sie ote I ee) ie Ee ee ee 8
Introductione eet ea eae ily
Italy
IEG}, IEICE Ose 30, 78
JAC ONS LGN Oe Fy.
BaSSanlOle con tes esatt to ieee 82
Bologiids ees eae rs Pets a2
Bologna, Via San Vitale... 51
Brenta, On the
Page
Italy continued
Sail Gio allo ene eee 69
San Gimignano, Fields of... 68
San Gimignano, Fountains of... 68
San Gimignano, The Hill City... 69
San Gimignano, Towers of... 68
San Gimignano, Sketch from the
Walls of tis i272 feat Bement 69
Stream, Willow
PIV OLE