Welsh Journals

order imposed from outside, which was to a serious extent inappropriate to its needs. In spite of some reservations about the design which has shaped this collection of essays, I am impressed by their quality and hope that they will become widely known to those with an interest in the history of the church. COLIN MORRIS Southampton ARTISTS EXIBITED IN WALES, 1945-74. Compiled by Kirstine Brader Dunthorne. The Welsh Arts Council, 1976. Pp. 344. £ 9.75 hard cover; £ 6.50 paper cover. This is a reference work of use to anyone wishing to obtain biographical material on artists active in Wales during this period. The material is of use to the social historian who is interested in the migration between Wales and the rest of Britain of people involved in cultural activities and, particularly, in art education. It is of little real use to the art historian. The most important aspect of the book is its contribution to the documentation of the development of patronage through exhibitions, purchasing bodies and commissions. Presumably its material will already have been drawn on for the pending publication on 'Art in Wales', and this book will be a useful appendix to the latter. On the other hand, this publication does not tell us anything about the character of the work produced by the artists included and thus does not really fulfil the claim made in the foreword that it provides the facts de- noting the emergence of a Welsh contribution to the mainstream of modern movements. A compilation of this sort inevitably raises questions about the criteria for the inclusion of artists and the kind of picture of artists exhibiting in Wales that is given. One of the general characteristics of cultural life in Wales has been the lack of definition between the status of amateur and professional. This book makes clear that this is very true of the visual art world. As the introduction does not provide any qualitative basis for selection, other than inclusion in certain national art events, one is led to question the status of these events. The Royal Cambrian Academy and its position as an exhibiting arena in a modern context raises the most obvious problem. A number of the artists included seem to have a minimal connection with Wales other than through a fleeting showing at The Royal Cambrian Academy. The inclusion of Kenneth Jamesone, George Wallace Jardine and Geoffrey Jenkinson is of this nature and one wonders what they contribute to art in Wales. The brief of 'artists who have exhibited in Wales' has obviously forced Kirstine Dunthorne into these surprising entries. It is indeed questionable whether the Arts Council should have produced a book which will be used by relatively few people and, as the introduction indicates, must constantly be up-dated. A filed index, with copies available in libraries, would seem adequate. Although the book does not entirely justify its sponsorship by the Welsh Arts Council in this form, a reviewer must show some consideration for the problems involved in making such a