THE ART SOCIETY

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20198, 28 March 1931, Page 17

THE ART SOCIETY

■ ANNUAL EXHIBIIjIQN. , jIoTES ON THE PICTURES. W: * ■ * 1 { ' H«i" v L% G. M. L. Lestbr.H f- . > Wm ...... ~ . exhibition of pictures now hang;;ing in the Art Gallery seems to mo ifyiiinnauaHy good one. Not. only does SpwHitain many fine paintings in all different branches of th<S painters' ijffi-biit in addition the average stanof work is higher than in former 1; i 'jhe standard by which pictures aru yedg«d for admission to (the gallery jjjf admittedly lower than it he, but every year in the direction of laminating work which can havo :*jio other effect than that of lowering tho standard of the exhibition'aa %% whole. It is with great regret that iWnits from our walls, this year ex[jpSjpiea of tbe art of Mr Weeks. The y«Tent number of "Art in New Zeaakl/" which gives a full account of air Weeks and his work, led many of to hope that he would send an ol' liia most recent method of s&inttug. ®,Mn» lripe, too, whose work is always ;Jja sound, and often so effective, has Veiled us this year Nor have we anv I I and distinctive work of fiardson. On the other Mrs Kelly, who sent in L>an are admirably reW. R. Johnson, too, inorable group of pirto quality from Austral r Boxall we welcome a f unusual merit. Portraits. to the portraits and i, which it is conveni- • together. Mr ArchiNo. 50 exhibits a por»e first rank. ' Not only jnt likeness of a wellfull of ■ character and also a remarkably fine g. MrNicoll has chosen of his subject clothes id almost uniformly s a most difGcult colour in combination with es used by the painter is flesh. The supreme ;uro lies in the choice tone in the tie, which tones so successfully er grey setting. In a ject picture, No. 183, uaJly successful. Each ly painted details js rt the idea, "debatable is suggested by the face. r Nicoll uses blue with te cool blue of the rpg a chair, faintly repeated birt, gives added value js in which the central J. shows a charming por.ll boy, No. 192. The 7, the subdued colour, ork make this a most sfying picture. No. 44, exhibits the best have seen of hers 'Since memorable portrait of' tich attracted so much our annual Exhibitions ). In this picture she iful and pleasing poritinguished sitter, and die decorative possibilirt Artillery Mess unie <has .wisely elected to ere i«va-dash and elan., ling Qf the details of , whieh almost suggests »bed something of thp »/ her soldierly sitter, gether a slighter work., artistic intuition . the tilities of a smart 1 young • a lighter touch, than' mperativo in painting a» tlped to make history, picture of yet another il model, a delicate colinks, greys, and bines, icity of treatment build, jicture, w&ich takes as wheii Bousseau and the "fair (fney .of: Century for a brief yranny of their absurd* ticipated so much that the setting of the fair this year is painting in ss to jnissing much - of i i she can so "deftly cents her skilful' use of is a brilliant study in i wange, suggesting y hearted Fiammetta Jim maiden who/, rises he golden glory of her is. "■ feasant lightly-painted 1 in cojoiir and form the tie and backgrofipd are be emphasis of the ad and* masses of dark • work is always 'inie does not disappoint i. 189, is, I think, her ;ive model with a face--1 posed against t a deep is admirably painted, i painted broadly " and s rather than conceals wing of the figure 'and, >er red In the rieckfcce y attractive painting, austere, I had almost aire. JV>r all that, perthat, it is a very fine painting. Tho subdued at colour scheme, the «t brushwork, combine a in keeping with -the, sitter. It is a picture in and' again both tot il, and for the implicajehind remarkable perils fine-portrait reveals, by Miss Caroy, is a volumjM&s cream coldainty floral ornament rreen background. " the chair cushion comrmouious colour schema cry clever water-colour of a girl in a large_ hat nlight. This, as an e*t ng in watercolour the Ding on figures P"®*"! may be compared with oup of water-colptus avage. No. 180 £ , , of male figures on simple and jeeessful in its.sugg j and- atmosphere of i ; beachcombers |bonnd. I Iso by Mr Savage* satisfying, pot because aintedf but Realise Mr ipted the vety difflc^t ag in water-colour the Hindoos.' ct Pictures. 'subject pictures muss irresting work of Colm Smith. Their methoa year is that of the implification of form, ;less detail, daring fP * coloub, combined with ig and clean brwb pictures g«at decora tgards. their subjects 1 d to rail them symbolnot that the term nowadays an eaO ™[i 0 rh is not W • >. 860. by Colm Lovell very deep sysnboM

meaning. From the colour point of view it exhibits a violent .contrast or blues and whites, hardly relieved by the little notes of other topes m the landscape. For the rest, it is just £ playful suggestion of the myth wfucn fingered as a legacy from a classjcaJ education, in. the mind of the pioneer who pamed Pegasus Bay. . No. 361 is a much more serious picture, full of good drawing and P»» n r. ing, and evidently embodying a dehr nite idea. * What that idea may be w not for me to say, though I must enter my protest against giving to death so inevitable and often so .beautiful toe i added horror, of this portentous 1 Mother-. : . . . " ... Rata Lovell Smith's two pictures. No. 349 and No. 360. are admirable I examples ot the Btyle which she at Pr it^.givt« e me great pleasure to conclude my notice of this se ctlo nofthe 1 exhibition bv-a hearty appreciatio of Miss Evelyn Polsoijs fine picture, No. 6. • Two nude figures.. welll_P< osed and" 'painted; are seen subject -to the changing lights of bright sunlight apd SEd shade. The picture is, full of life and 1 sparkle, and' should be inspiration to the many P°, ,n^® rs t hem' if their pictures- do have neithet the courage to face difficult' problem, nor the U)dU r. acquire a sound technique. f .