NEW ZEALAND ARTISTS

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21863, 17 August 1936, Page 14

NEW ZEALAND ARTISTS

♦ V. . CRITICISM BY LOMBQH 1 DEALER DEFICIENCIES OF DOMfNIQg GALLERIES '1 Strong criticism of the work of Zealand artists for painting with * haze of paint in a technique thatmeaak . nothing but blocking in spaces between !l and of New Zealand art leries for their restriction to the worik T " l | of local artists, was expressed yeste*. I day by Mr S. Barnett, an art dealer ; from the Haymarket, London, who is J visiting Christchurch. He considered x that the art galleries would fulfil their 7 purpose better if people were able to J go to them and see some of the wade,-i of the old masters. | “When I was in Auckland, I saw the- v work of all the most popular New Zealand artists, and I have come to the conclusion that they are all working on the wrong lines,” said Mr' Barnett "This view is supported bar my experience in art dealings in all parts of the world. The public demand is for pictures painted with meticuloat care, and not for pictures of the mo£f f ernistic- or the Barbizon trend, .fi there was a demand for these type* of picture, I would gladly handle them. “I strongly urge New Zealand artiste - to paint with fuU detail, which I coo* * sider they would' find more remuneretive, and not to go on as at preset putting on a haze of paint. If flef were even to follow the Barbmm school, of which the famous Carat 1 Dubigny, Diaz, and Dupre were the forerunners, it would be better than ■ adopting a technique which means n*» thing but lines blocked in-’’ Behind the Best of the World Both New Zealand and Australia were very far behind in their appr»> ciation of art. Mr Barnett was certain that this was because of the ence of a duty on works of art coming into the country, so that dealers haft considerable obstacles to overcome la bringing out really good pictures. Ha could not see why there should be a duty on pictures, as good works were really not in competition with the local artists. It would be just as logical to charge a duty on books, on the ground that they competed with the work oft local authors. “In Wellington, I was greatly sue* prised and disgusted at the content* of Wellington’s own art collection—not to be confused, of course, with national collection in the fine new building,” he added. “There was not one picture that, to my mind, was worthy of being in the collection, if it had not been for the Empire loaa collection of paintings being shown in the new national art gallery, I should have been very disappointed with my visit to Wellington. Need for Old Masters "What the Wellington and the Cfatbtchurch art galleries need very badly are some really important paintings by old masters. The public does not want to go to the galleries and see ft* work of local artists, which they can always find about them. Of the art galleries in New Zealand and Ana* tralia, the Melbourne gallery is tor ahead of all others. This is probably because of the Felton bequest, which has madq it passible to buy watts fay the masters. That gallery has, tor example, a very fine Reynolds, a . Gainsborough portrait, a Hoppner. and a Raeburn.” The last few years had had a good > effect in one way, because they bad I** made it passible far England to re- ’ txieve most of the important works by English masters. There were now only ' seven or eight really important English pictures in the United States. Gainsborough’s famous “Blue Boy” and his “Harvest Waggon,” and Sir Thomas , Lawrence’s “Pinkie” were in the Huntingdon collection In San Marino, California, and George Romney’s "Dnrhea of Sutherland” was in the coOeetun oft Mr Laurence Fisher, of Detroit. He important Turners or. Constables went left in America. Considering all toe-' tors, the galleries that seemed to bdU more of interest than any others, because of their miscellaneous coflee-

tions, were the British. National Geliery and the Tate Gallery. There was a great demand in America for the work of leaning artists, and particularly of portrait painters. Philip de lastly Frank Shisbury and Sir John Lavery went4a America nearly every yean SS9T-. each had a large number of ■'"■"iy * sions, and they received from 1500 guineas for a portrait.