ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS.
VISITOR’S REPORT.
Painting SCHOOL.

THE VISITOR for the time being is MASTER of the SCHOOL. His duty is to
set the Models, to examine and correct the performances of the Students, to give
them Advice and Instruction, and to maintain due Order and Discipline.

NAME OF VISITOR Geo. Clausen Esq. A.R.A.
PERIOD OF DUTY From Feb. 5 To March 3. 1906

SUGGESTIONS AND REMARKS.
Instruction see note.

Discipline Excellent

General see note.

Signature of Visitor George Clausen.
Date March 4^th. 06

Note.
The students work hard; the ladies are intelligent;
and I think quite justify the increased facilities given
them under the new rules. The men, on the whole,
are not strong; they lack initiative and artistic
insight; and I fear that we do not get the ablest
men students of the country in the schools, as we should do.
This is possibly due to two things; the nature of the
admission tests, and the system of visitors. In every
art school, when a student wishes to qualify for the R.A.
schools, he is “prepared” for it, so that it becomes to
some extent a special thing, apart from his ordinary work _
_ even a matter of “cramming” _ and it is not always
the ablest students who will, or can, do this
successfully. (There are in the schools now, students who
have passed the tests, but yet cannot set up a head or
a figure intelligently). I venture to think that better
students would be chosen, if some test could be im-
posed which did not lend itself to cramming, for
example, that they should submit a number of
their works; something done in the ordinary course of
study.
I trust I may be excused if in criticising the
system of visitors, I am exceeding my privilege_ It is
a system not followed in any other school: one which
no one would impose in any other art or profession_ It is
illogical. The student does not assimilate all the

over

excellencies of his visitors (who are more or less engaged
in correcting the results of each others’ teaching). He
gets a vague residuum, which lacks the thoroughness
that any one master’s teaching would give. _ Is not the
energy expended, out of proportion to the results obtained?
If the students had a thorough grounding under a
first-rate master, it might be good to finish under
a succession of visitors. but the class of men we get
are not sufficiently advanced to profit by what they
are told.
Students are now attracted to other schools,
where continuous personal instruction is given; and
it would, I think be to the advantage of the Royal
Academy if it could institute a similar system
in its schools.
George Clausen