Diary & Memoir extracts for June 1925

2nd Jun 1925:

Began carving of a cellist, got in rather a muddle but hope to pull it off.

3rd Jun 1925:

Began carving a little dancing torso from the base I cut off the male walking torso. This has been done with a peg in the bottom so as to fix it into an alabaster conical base.

8th Jun 1925:

Found a vein of pith running through the wood so had to modify the design considerably. Otherwise it is going quite well.

11th Jun 1925:

Life class in morning, made some sheets of paper dirty!

12th Jun 1925:

Slade school said goodbye to John Wheatley today. He goes to South Africa. He was asked to criticize the Sketch Club so as to make the presentation. I was fortunate enough to get a prize for my comp. of the old man and the “coloured gentleman”.

Memoir • [unknown date]:

The Sketch Club prizes

A criticism was given by Professor Tonks or another instructor and about three prizes of a guinea each were awarded, I contributed regularly to these showings and usually attempted to do one of the compositions set, such as “The Flood”, The Last Supper” etc. I was very astonished when I was awarded first prize for a figure composition. I sent in a landscape or two and one of these called forth the only memorable saying by Professor Tonks “This student is being influenced by painters who have not been dead long enough to be respectable”. I had found Cezanne. Tonks could not understand Cezanne.

17th Jun 1925:

Received £1 for prize in Sketch Club. Bought a fine book on Donatello also one on Indian sculpture, an eye-opener.

18th Jun 1925:

Went with Bick to the Indian section of the V&A specially to look at the red stone Torso a perfectly amazing thing that seems to be unappreciated, standing on no base right down on the floor, no label, and in fact we had to examine it on hands and knees. [Now elevated and labeled “The Sanchi Torso”!]

Memoir • 1925:

During my last term I was awarded a prize every month which was very gratifying,