CANTERBURY ART SOCIETY.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17103, 26 March 1921, Page 10

CANTERBURY ART SOCIETY.

ANNUAL EXHIBITION.

An exhibition that did not include some works by Mi - C. N. Worsley is unimaginable. It would bo equally unthinkable that a proportion of them should not be representations of Italian lake scenery and streets. This year, for some reason, seven out of Mr Worsley's eight pictures are hung together in one block. The result is not altogether satisfactory, the largest painting rather overpowering the others. The most pleasing is "Under the Villa Cardonale" (No. 1), a scene on Lake Como, which very soon found a purchaser, while "The Ceriosa, Fiosole" (No. 5), with us contrasting shadows and sunset reflections, is also a striking piece of work, and "The Market Place, Brescia" (No. 4), is thoroughly characteristic of the artist's style. Mr A. F. Nicoll's mo3t noteworthy contribution to the exhibition after the portraits referred to in a previous article, is his "Valley in Badcnock" (No. P3), showing ft wide stretch of country rising in the distance to high hills. It' is painted with great freedom and harmony of colour. The foreground, in which, great slalbs of rock are prominent, strikes ono as being a little stiff. The distance carries the eye back well, but the atmospheric eftVct which is conveyed owes something »to the artist's having painted thinly on very rough canvas.

The- best that can be said of Mr W. Welch's large "Messines Ridge" (No. IS2), is that it possesses-a certain amount of interest to all who know anything of tho fighting that made the spot famous, and that tho cloud forms are well painted. Apart from the clouds and the shattered buildings on the skyline, the picture really contains nothing of which tho eye can take hold, the foreground, which occupies a largo proportion of the space, consisting of rough torn-up earth, and apoarently a shattered trench, handled" in a slap-dash manner. Fortunately Mr Welch also shows a number of water-colours, which indicate his real quajjty. Of these, though it is not easy to choose among them, wo prefer "The Coastline, Sunrise" (No. 365), very deftly painted, with -fine atmosphere, and next to it "Night's Approach" (No. 374), in which the artist has caught very truly the evening effect he sought. Mr J. M. Madden, now resident in Auckland, is represented in the large room bv three mountain scenes, of which }< An Early Snowstorm" (No. 180) deßorvedTy attracts a good deal of attention. Mr Madden has attempted a difficult subject, and has managed, with considerable success, to convey a certain amount of picturesque weirdness jn his representation of the gloom of the storm. The foreground shows too "little variation, and would be improved by some more colour. In another of his pictures the artist gets very well the effect of showers . and clouds passing over the hills, and in the permanent gallery, hung there bocause of their late arrival, are several of Mr Madden's works, which will repay inspection. Mr C. H. Howorth's work has benefited by his v visit Home. His paintings of Cornish coast scenes ; (Nos, 69 and 70) are excellent, alike as regards 'the colour and movement of the sea, end the steep ruggedness of the heathery cliffs. Particularly noticeable is the faithfulness with which the skyline is shown half hidden in haze. Stdl more out of Mr Howorth's usual line is No. 72, showing fishing boats in harbour at St. Ives, a crowded canvas," marked by pleasing composition and good drawing. Among several water-colours of English pastoral scenes, "Harvesting in the Cotswolds" (No. ,106), should not be overlooked.

Once chief among our flower painters, Miss M. 0. Stoddart showa in "Tie Iris Garden" (No. 117) a bold mass of purple irises' that .her hand has not, in this respect, lost its cunning. Her admirable work in this class of painting makes one regret that of several other of her exhibits all that can be said is that they are characteristic of her newer style. "Autumn" (No. 105) pleases more by its truth and freedom of handling.' Miss Mabel Hill's landscapes are distinguished by good atmospherio effect, two heads of children (Nos 330 and 354) are well painted. Mr Herdman Smith haa forsaken Whitby and sends a number of pictures of Newlyn and its neighbourhood, of a very uniform degree of excellence. "Cornish Cottage" (No. 114) is a particularly .charming presentation of an Old Country landscape. Mr G. tihernff's most noteworthy picture is a well-drawn English river scene (No. 78), -which, however, shqws all the unfortunate overelaboration that marks most •of this artist's work. It is a mistake to leave nothing to the imagination. We have referred to most of the bet-ter-known artists; brief space may now be given to some of the young people We do not recall any previous Work beino- exhibited by Miss P. Drummond Sharpe, but it is obvious 'from one or two pictures she shows this year that she is an artist of much promise.- The Old Cowshed" (No. 38) shows confident, handling and good drawing and colour, in "Sunlit Headlands" (No. 68) she gees a fine effect of clear strong sunlight, and "Sea Breezes" (No. 238) is full of bright air. We shall look with interest for°further work from Miss DTummond SharpoXbrajh- Mr C. S. Lovell-Smitii will do well to avoid a tendency to hardness. In "The Red Cushion" • (No. 41) the result of so much •very bright red is somewhat glaring, and the effect, of contrast that he aimed at could have been secured by rather lower tones. The composition is good and the brushwork is free and effective. Miss Bhona. Haszard, on the other hand, has something to learn of the valife of colour. Her Wanganui street scenes (Nos. 32 and 284), good though they are in other respecits, lose by their uniform drabness. The colouring is harmonious, but it is not New Zealand colouring. The same must be said of '"Grey Day," a river scene painted in tones which suggest the Tyne rather than the Wanganui. Miss Haszard has a nice free touch and no little ability; all that .she needs is a clearer perception of colour. Mr Ronald McKenzie is fairly successful in his water-colours. Nos. 326 and 323 show nice*feeling, and the latter can fairly be described as cleVer. He has ambition, and with practice should achieve a larger measure of success than is seen in some of his other work.