SKETCH CLUB LUNCHEON.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 106, 7 May 1931, Page 13

SKETCH CLUB LUNCHEON.

The first of an interesting luncheon talk series was held yesterday in the sketch club rooms in Victoria Arcade, when the members were gathered together to listen to the president of the Auckland Art Society, Dr. E. B. Gunson, who spoke on "Modern Art and its History." The speaker explained that to understand the trend of modern art some knowledge of the history of art was essential, for there must be some standard by which to judge and this could only be gained by a knowledge of what had been done in the past. The speaker then gave a brief resume of art as it has existed from the fifteenth century, when some very brilliant artists lived and worked, such as Titian and Tintoretto, and spoke of the influence wielded by such men as Raphael, Rubens and Vandyke, who, said the speaker, stood out alone amongst the great masters. There were a great number of outstanding artists who influenced their century. Rembrandt was working j alone, and after his death in Holland, in Europe his influence almost died out. Later Velasquez appeared and a new and vital art was born in him, which descended to us through Goya to Whistler, who was his lineal descendant. Velasquez was the greatest of all impressionists, said the speaker, who then traced the classical movement through the French painters from David to Legros, who was. at the head of the Slade school, and to whom much of the modern movement for pure draughtsmanship can be traced. Dr. Gunson touched on Reynolds and Gainsborough, who, he stated, traced back to Rubens. Hogarth was influenced by the Dutch school. Constable, said the speaker, traced back to previous landscape painters, and because he had no Ruskin to praise him like Turner had, did not become famous in his lifetime. The French impressionists about 18C0, of whom Manet and Monet were the leaders, had influenced certain artists who were alive to-day, one of whom was Clausen, who had a fine picture in the local gallery. The speaker concluded by saying that when discussing modern art the older fundamental qualities in art had to be used as a standard to judge by. If these applied it was good, if they did not it was bad. This was the first of these gatherings for luncheon, and Dr. Gunson hoped that others would be held at which interesting addresses would be given on art subjects. A vote of thanks was passed by Mr. Kohn, on behalf of those presdnt, to the speaker.