LEIGHTON HOUSE 
But, although Post Impressionism and Futurism were as yet un- 
born, a certain unrest in artistic circles—chiefly outside the Royal 
Academy—unmistakably existed. It was an unrest bequeathed 
by the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood ; an unrest of spirit, method, 
and outlook, that was all to the good, and in which some dis- 
tinguished members of the Royal Academy as well as the President, 
deeming any sort of movement to be better than stagnation— 
must have rejoiced. It expressed itself in a profound discontent 
with Victorian art in all its manifold forms. 
In the last chapter we saw its awakening in the realms of the 
decorative and industrial arts, in William Morris’s various activities. 
In the fine arts it worked by means of an attempt to destroy, or 
at least to weaken, the supremacy of the Academy, by means of 
a counter attraction. The Grosvenor Gallery was opened! Here 
Sir Edward Burne-Jones and his followers, and other innovators, 
came to their own; here even Watts the idealist, also a few more 
of the Academicians who disliked the conventionalism and much 
of the meaningless prettinesses to be met with at Burlington 
House—elected to exhibit. 
It was a praiseworthy effort ; but in the long run it failed, though 
supported by society and fashion—as any such attempt to reform 
from outside an institution so firmly established in popular 
favour as the Royal Academy was foredoomed to fail; and there- 
fore the shillings of the public continued to drop chiefly into the 
cash receptacles in the Piccadilly turnstiles! Nevertheless, it was 
followed by the New Gallery ; and with a broad-minded President 
at Burlington House, its results were far-reaching. Closely in 
touch with the Continent as Leighton was, and cognizant of all 
new movements there—it was during his reign that, throwing over 
the hide-bound traditions of the Maclise, Redgrave, and Creswick 
period, the Royal Academy became gradually less conservative, 
until, at the present moment it includes in its membership the 
best men from every school; but as yet no woman. Short of 
Post Impressionism and Futurism, I think all modern groups are 
represented and receive fair play. Indeed, the swing of the 
pendulum is now to the other side, and it is rather the exponents 
of the older methods and aims in art, who now complain and with 
good reason—not of the Royal Academy, but of the unfair attitude 
of the Press towards them. Art criticism has passed almost 
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