Artists

Thursday, April 22nd., Cadogan Square, London.

Headache all day, chiefly owing I think to the one and a half glasses of Pomeroy and Grenot 1906 champagne that Beaverbrook gave me. At first I thought that I could think (novel), but I couldn't. I meant to go out for an aimless walk, and then I saw that it was the Private View of the Seurat pictures at the Lefebre Galleries, so I went there. The Seurat pictures want a lot of seeing to appreciate. In the big picture "Poseuses", one thing that strikes you is the loving patience of the execution - equalling Memlin's, e.g., the pictures were badly framed but according to Seurat's own ideas. Then I walked down Piccadilly, criticising new architecture, to the Yacht Club, where Eric Pinker lunched with me, and gave me news about myself and my market. He had hopes of a play or so being sold.


Then I went to the New Gallery to see the new Jannings film, "Vaudeville". It is very fine despite a simple and rather crude story. All the pictures make 'designed pictures'. I should say the prisoners' exercise was inspired by Van Gogh. Even the empty interiors are like Cezanne. The close-ups are wonderful in design. This is where Charlie Chaplin is utterly beaten by the German film. Jannings is an exceedingly fine actor too, and puts Jack Barrymore right under. The film lasted 90 minutes without a break. I should have liked a break.