300 



NATURE 



[May 6, 1920 



The Royal Academy. 



EVERY critic of the Royal Academy finds 

 material for praise or for condemnation 

 from whatever point of view he regards the works 

 exhibited, and the scientific visitor is no exception 

 to this rule. Indeed, it is impossible that among 

 so large a number of works all should be of the 

 same high order of merit as are the few produced 

 by master hands. From the scientific point of 

 view it is not difficult to divide the sheep from the 

 goats — the true representations of Nature from 

 the grotesquely unreal. It may be presumed that 

 the perpetrators of the latter type of work visit 

 the Academy and there study the pictures of their 

 fellow-artists. If this be so, it is astonishing that 

 they should continue from year to year to produce 

 unreal caricatures of natural objects, when often 

 in close contiguity to their pictures are to be seen 

 beautiful representations of the same type of 

 scenes, truthful to life in every particular, and 

 gaining immeasurably thereby. The fact that 

 both obtain admittance to Burlington House must 

 be taken to demonstrate that both are of artistic 

 merit, but there the similarity ends. 



An example of this contrast in methods of 

 dealing with a subject may be found in this year's 

 exhibition by comparing " Off the Land " (38) 

 with " Sunset at Sea " (347). Both show sea and 

 sky scenes. The former gives a perfectly natural 

 representation of light from the sky reflected in 

 the sea, while in the latter an intensely red sunset 

 sky meets at the horizon an intensely blue sea, 

 a condition unlikely to obtain while water pos- 

 sesses its normal powers of reflection. The* effect 

 is so entirely unnatural that it is difficult to 

 believe, without reference to the title, that the 

 lower part of the picture is meant to represent 

 water at all. In Gallery No. III., on either side 

 of the chief centre piece, with which the scientific 

 critic is not concerned, are two pictures of yacht 



racing which form an interesting contrast. When 

 looked at from near-by the one is wholly delight- 

 ful, while the other is spoilt by its crude sky. 

 When, however, a view is taken from a consider- 

 able distance, the two pictures appear of more 

 equal merit. The contrast between the two 

 methods of treatment is brought out strikingly 

 by the juxtaposition of the pictures, be it 

 accidental or otherwise. 



A feature of the present exhibition which will 

 strike the visitor is the extraordinary sea-colour- 

 ing in several of the works, though examination 

 of the catalogue shows that for this a single artist 

 is largely responsible. One case has already been 

 cited. To mention one other from among several 

 examples, it would be very surprising to meet in 

 Nature with the contrasts in colouring depicted 

 in "The Sunken Reef " (177). The writer has not 

 had any opportunity of studying dazzle-painted 

 ships in their natural surroundings, but if in 

 the work " In the Narrow Seas " {200) Mr. 

 Norman Wilkinson has given a correct representa- 

 tion of the effect produced — and there seems no 

 reason to doubt that this is the case — it is well 

 brought home to the landsman how baffling the 

 effect must have been to the commanders of 

 enemy submarines. In "The Forerunner" 

 Leonardo da Vinci is seen showing a model of his 

 flying machine to Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan^ 

 and his Court. Some of the spectators look 

 amused, and for this the modern airman will find 

 little difficulty in forgiving them. Several of 

 Leader's beautiful scenes are exhibited. In study- 

 ing "An Autumn Evening" (139) one wonders 

 what object outside the picture casts a shadow 

 over the lower part of the trees, while the upper 

 part is illuminated with an evening glow ; but 

 there is no temptation to doubt the truthfulness 

 of the portrayal. J. S. D. 



Obit 



Capt. E. W. Creak, C.B., F.R.S. 



r-'APT ETTRICK WILLIAM CREAK, who 

 ^'-^ died in his sleep on April 3, was the 

 son of the late Commander William Creak, 

 of Norfolk, and a nephew of Sir H. Have- 

 lock, of Lucknow fame. He joined the Navy 

 in the navigating branch of that Service 

 about the year 1849, and served in various ships 

 afloat until he was selected in 1868 to serve as an 

 assistant in the compass department of the Admir- 

 alty. His service afloat was distinguished not 

 only by his nautical acquirements and the remarks 

 he sent from time to time to the Hydrographer, 

 for which he was specially thanked in 1866, but 

 also by his knowledge of French and music, 

 rather rare acquirements in those days. He was 

 able to add to our knowledge of some unsurveyed 



NO. 2636, VOL. 105] 



uary. 



I localities by his study of surveying operations, 

 j particularly by a plan of Ngaloa Bay, in the Fiji 

 I Islands, when serving in H.M.S. Esk about 1866. 

 i About this time Capt. Creak turned his attention 

 to the errors of the compass on board certain 

 ships which had traversed a great range of rnag- 

 netic latitude, which inquiry was embodied in a 

 report to the Admiralty and published by the 

 { Board of Trade. This marked him out as a suit- 

 able officer to be employed in the investigation of 

 i compass errors in H.M. ships, which were being 

 I increasingly constructed of iron and steel. For 

 I his services in the compass department and 

 ! his magnetic reports he was made a fellow of the 

 \ Royal Society in 1885, and he became superintend- 

 ent of the Admiralty compass department in 1887. 

 j Capt. Creak took an active part in the deter- 

 mination and control of the constants required for 



