AUCKLAND ART SOCIETY.

Auckland Star, Volume XLII, Issue 124, 26 May 1911, Page 6

AUCKLAND ART SOCIETY.

OPENING OF THE EXHIBITION.

APPEAL BY THE GOVERNOR. The Auckland Society of Arts gallery in Coburg-street was crowded with members of the Society and friends last evening on the occasion of the conversazione in connection with the opening of the annual exhibition. His Excellency Lord Islington and Lady Islington were present. SUGGESTIONS BY THE PRESIDENT. The president (Mr. George George), in his address, referred to the sudden and untimely death of Mr. E. W. Rathbone, and ia appraising his disinterested efforts on behalf of the Society and artists, stated that it was generally recognised that it was entirely due to him the picture purchase fund was initiated here, and that the Government last year decided to vote a sum of £500 for each of the four chief centres for the purchase of pictures for local galleries, and it was believed that the Government intended to make similar votes annually. The decision of the Council to place in the vestibule of the gallery a tablet to the memory of the late president would meet with the cordial approval of all members. Mr. George stated that the efforts to initiate reforms were being cordially supported, and referred to the improvements to the gallery, making for greater efficiency and convenience. He went on to condemn the tendency towards the school of impressionist painters, and indicated that Whistler, Turner, and Sargent, who had hern successful in that class, showed careful draughtsmanship and attention to detail, later acquiring technical skill and experience to draw upon. There were no short cuts to art, and success could only be achieved by hard work and prolonged study. Rather than purchasing a number of low-priced pictures for the public art gallery. Mr. Georgo suggested that it would be better to purchase once in two years a good picture for £1000. Ho also recommended a system of "loaning" between Australasian galleries, so that the best pictures would be circulated from town to town. Mr. George also suggested that two art scholarships should be provided annually to ena.ble the most promising artists to visit Europe. One condition of the scholarship should be that tho holder f- opy in his second vcar a selected world's masterpiece, and execute in his third year an original work, both to be presented to a gallery in the Dominion. The council hoped that some tirao towards the end of the year an arts and crafts exhibition would be held by the Society, and thus help to cultivate an artistic tasto among the public in the direction of both home and industry. ENCOURAGING LOCAL TALENT.

In the course of an address formally declaring the exhibition open, his Excellency congratulated the society and the artists who had contributed pictures upon the admirable display made, and complimented Mr Wallace, who had hung the pictures, upon the way he had carried out a somewhat invidious and difficult task. He mentioned that I.ady Islington and himself had that morning had a, private view of the exhibition, and they had admired much of the work shown. The display was above and beyond a purely local one, but was representative of the efforts of artists throughout Ne.w Zealand and of artists resident in the Old Country who had either received their early training in the Dominion, or had at some time visited these islands and become associated with them. It could be classed as a Dominion exhibition, and afforded an opportunity to the public to see the artistic work that could be produced by devotees of the brush and palette within New Zealand. The largo attendance that night was an acknowledgment by the public of Auckland of the value of such an exhibition. While not desiring to give a lecture on the merits of art, the Governor remarked that he had listened with great interest to the suggestive observations by the president, and he would watch with equal interest if any of the proposals were carried out in the years to come in furtherance of art in the

Dominion. His Excellency specially emphasised the necessity for a strong effort being made to intluenco the public generally to realise and appreciate the value of such an exhibition, which, besides giring an opportunity of studying what could be produced locally, gave inestimable opportunity of cultivating the faculty of artistic appreciation. In a busy city like Auckland, where mind and limb were occupied from day to day in professional effort, an exhibition of pictures was a great boon, and calculated to be farreaching in its issue. Nothing took a man out of himself so much and helped him to forget the wear and tear imposed on life with relentless persistency than studying good pictures, and nothing had a more humanising and refining influence on men.

Dealing more with the utilitarian side of the exhibition, hia Excellency expressed the opinion that it was only through such displaye that artistic talent was encouraged and developed, and as most artists Telied on their paintings as a means of livelihood, it was essentialHhat their works should be brought under the notice of the public. Nothing excited the admiration and sympathy so much as the young and striking artist working hard to gain the approbation of the public. Artists were dependent upon the art patron, and in virtue of such a gallery the art patron should be encouraged to come forward- Without patrons they could not expect a high standard of art maintained- The Governor urged upon all who could to encourage, as art patrons, the artists working , in their midst and producing pictures such as those, on the walls of the gallery. The talented artists should not be allowed to drift away, but they should he retained in New Zealand, and encouraged to expand the scope for art in the Dominion. They were surrounded by rugged and wild beauty, and endowed with, a natural prodigality of grandeur which was gradually being swept away by the hard hand of "utility anil progress, and to preserve this inimitable scenery for posterity it was necessary to have it perpetuated and immortalised on canvas by the best artistic talent. Art was comparatively in its infancy in New Zealand, but the Governor said he was sure New Zealanders could infuse into it the same enterprise and zeal that had distinguished them in other branches of human activity, and he looked forward to the addition of art to the diadem of the many other accomplishments. He declared tne exhibition open. (Applause.)

During the evening a pleasant musical programme was submitted. Songs were contributed by Miss Mary Cooper, Mr. Ernest Parkes, and Mr. O. E. Farrow; Herr Louis Blitz a 'cello solo, and Mr. L. Abraham a musical monologue. During an interval refreshments were provided, and visitors also had an opportunity of viewing the pictures.