Modern painting, then, is little concerned with craftsmanship, in the sense of beauty of surface. Moreover, the modern land scapist is, unlike the Impressionist, not particularly interested in the registration of the ephemeral, passing phases of nature, concerning himself rather with what he believes to be the organ ized statement of her fundamental, structural qualities. This rather general statement would seem to be applicable, with few exceptions, to the landscape painting of the world in this loth century. From the severe naturalism of the Scandinavian product to the frankly experimental and daring work of the Germans, from the austere landscape of the Spaniards to the brittle virtu osity of the modern Italians, the prevailing note is the search for the essential, the fundamental.
But landscape is not the preferred field of endeavour of the painters of Germany, of Spain or of Italy, notwithstanding the brilliant work of certain artists in each country. It is more in evidence in the profoundly racial work of the Russians as exem plified by Rorich, Anisfeld, Gorbatoff and Grigoriv. In Czecho slovakia and in Poland groups of young painters are producing original and sometimes daring landscape, and, in possibly a less degree, this is true of Holland and Belgium.
In France, notwithstanding the landscape tradition of the Bar bizon men and the Impressionists, one sees to-day less important work in this field than in that of figure painting or even of still life. But landscape is by no means neglected and the artistic catholicity of the French is demonstrated by the interest that is shown in work that differs so radically in its intention as does the daring product of Vlaminck, Utrillo and Othon Friez, to cite names almost at random, from the poetic realism of Bonnard and Bernard or from the pure impressionism of Le Sidaner.
But it is in the Anglo-Saxon countries that the art of land scape is most followed. In England, while there is little, in this field, of acute modernism, excellent work is being done by a number of artists. Definitely English are the landscapes of
Alfred East, James Pryde, D. Y. Cameron and of many others. There is little of the experimental in this handsome work. Its dominant quality is an intense, poetic appreciation of the beauties of nature. Distinguished landscape, much in the English tradi tion, is also being produced in Canada.
If the United States may be said to have produced a definitely national art, it is in the field of the out-of-doors. Far less modern in its character than is most of the continental painting now in evidence, its dominant note would seem to be an organized real ism, a realism which makes use of the facts of nature but so em ploys them as to increase their artistic potency. This was the message of Winslow Homer and it is that of a multitude of dis tinguished painters of to-day. While between the slightly con trolled naturalism of Redfield or Davis or Metcalf, for example, and the formalized patterns of Kroll, Dasburg, McFee or Rock well Kent there is an enormous difference in emphasis, there is not so much divergence in intention as appears at first sight. All are more or less successfully shaping landscape to their ends as are also Gardner Symonds, Garber, Gifford Beal, Lawson, Hib bard and Emil Carlsen, none of whom find it necessary to distort but merely to organize truth. There are many others, notably the important group of painters of the West : Blumenschein, Reiffel, Groll, Hennings, to name only a few, the art of all of whom goes far beyond mere imitation of facts.
Landscape is, perhaps, in transition, as are probably all the arts. It is futile for one to attempt to enter the field of prophecy, but it would seem to be reasonably probable that the landscape of the future will make full use of the technical knowledge of the past and, while not in the least concerning itself with photographic statement, will also avoid grotesque distortion and will continue to make the fullest use of the facts of nature as material to be organized toward the production of truth. (See PAINTING,