THE SOCIETY OF ARTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 121, 22 May 1909, Page 7

THE SOCIETY OF ARTS.

WATERCOLOURS OX" EXHIBITION,

The watercolours at tie Auckland Society of Arts exhibitions are not an extensive class. The majority of the subjects emanate chiefly from amateur artists, but what they may lack is more than compensated toy the few individual brilliant examples that adorn the section. The collection is necessarily very diverse. It might be supposed that New Zealand, with its strong light, would tend itself readily to the art of the water-colour painter. But it is not so. The effects in our landscape, which often hold one spellbound, are too transitory. A passing cloud, and all the rich prospect of mountain and river, or bush hovering , majestically above some silent, sunlit flood, turns grey and indefinite. The shortness of our twilights in comparison with England render the material the painter is eager to seize upon all the more elusive. The lack of old stone towers or z-ed-roofed villages nestling in the valleys also leaves a limited field. There is, however, a very pictorial element to be had in the wonderful stretches of shining waters that indent the coast line of the North, Island, more particularly around Auckland. Their inaccessibility at present accounts, in some measure, for the few subjects that every year appear concerning our ocean shores. But, for some inexplicable reason, there is highly picturesque material for treatment in the number of scows that hover around local shores, which is not often utilised. They are quaint, slow craft, these old-time coasters, with their rich -broivn sails and tangled cordage. When they go drifting like a fleet of wings into the mists that soften the harbour shore, it is a wonder that some artist soul lias not been caught by their dreamy beauty. Out of the collection which distinguishes the water-colour eection this year, the- works of Messrs. C X. Woraley, F. Wright, Kennett Watkins, and Mis 3 Maud Williams command immediate attention. Mr. Worsley's big subject, "Life in a Spanish Street," is a vivid pourtrayal of the environment tha-t is common to tho life of the sunny and passionate South. That it is a work of liigh excellence is, perhaps, to be doubted. Mr. Worsley i.s unquestionably very familiar with tiie material he is handling, but in the particular treatment of tho distance, the exhibit appears «> k a little out, of harmony with the rest of the picture. In curious contrast to the Spanish subject he hangs a study of a Yorkshire moor, rippling with the purple of the heather. It is a charming piece of work, free in treatment, and effective beyond criticism. "A Picturesque Fruit Murket iv .Lisbon" is a gay, sunny representation of Portuguese life. Apart from the fact that the composition is too scattered, and does not flow together, the exhibit is a fairly characteristic specimen of tiie artist's work. Mr. Frank Wright treats his water colour subjects in his usual picturesque fashion. His work is thorough, elastic, and of even quality throughout. There are lew painters in the Dominion who have had his experience or possess his understanding of the subtle and delicate tints which adorn our varied fields of splendour and beauty. Tho alpine works of Mr. Kennett Watkins are bold in treatment and colouring. In two cases he tackles diflicult aud unusual subjects for artists. It may be incorrect to speak of either as being hard or at fault in colouring. The tints of alpine heights are extremely diflicult to determine. Two artiste seldom see the same scene alike, and the rapidity with which effect upon effect movfs across the snows adds to the difficulty. Mr. Watkins' works, which exhibit i>oth care and experienced treatment, must therefore stand on their merits. He hangs a very picturesque peep of Mount Cook. The painting shows atmosphere and a certain freshness o£ colour that gives it a distinctive charm. Miss Maud Williams shows four small impressionist studies. To those whose artistic leanings are inclined towards her free methods, there is high quality in her work. Tho grouping, for instance, in "Venice from the Lido" (Xo. 162), which appears a mistake in title, and the market scenes she delighU in, are worthy of observation and study. "The Archway, Algiers," is the least intelligible of the four, although it possesses certain felicities of colour that are not to be denied, Mr. J. H. Nicholson shows a pretty field scene, with cloud effects, which whilst gay in colour is picturesque. A number of small paintings nrc hung by Mr. W. Menzies-Gibb. They are all simple in composition, fairly well balanced, and, on the whole, show good passable work. Xo. 173, "Sunset on the Waimakariri," is an attractive little study, which should not be missed. "Cloud-clogged Sunlight" is the title to an ambitious study of sea and sky emanating from Mr. R. Pheney. He has handled the subject effectively, and though it might be enhanced by a greater depth, the subject is full of pleasing colour. Mrs. J. E. ]). Spicor has a decorative piece of work in "On the Edge of the Wood," which seems to be rather strong in values. A gloomy peep of the Lion Rock, Piha Bay, relieved by effective treatment of the sea, is the. subject of a pastel by Mr. M. Trenwith. The exhibits of Mr. Harry Rountree have naturally attracted a good deal of attention from Auckland people, and it is no disparagement of the artist's original and vigorous work to say that they are unpleasing. "The Sere and the Yellow" strikes one as being the finest of the water colour group. It has tho virtues of simplicity of composition, freedom in rendering, and a fine conception. There is something quite pathetic in the bent and aged figure of the solitary peasant woman who takes her lonely way across the grey, bleak beach. In altogether different vein is "Man's Supremacy Over the Beasts," a humoresque evidently intended for illustration. There are numerous small paintings in the section, including several excellent flower studies, which perhaps are better seen than described. It is, on the whole, a good show, despite some obvious defects. The selection committee of the Society, as legitimately as they can, however, have followed the sound policy of encouraging as many artists to exhibit. Water colour painting in New Zealand has many fields to discover, many incursions to make. That it will ever be a widely popular medium with artists is doubtful: It has, on the other hand, a very promising outlook, and deserves to be developed in every possible way.