AN ART EXHIBITION

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27050, 27 May 1953, Page 12

AN ART EXHIBITION

Sir, —For interested persons, could someone explain why, in a current art exhibition, the 8-11, 12-14 year groups Were - not judged on the same basis as the 15-17 year class? Everyone is surprised at the awards in these sections. It is disheartening to children in these groups, where concentration and sustained effort are tedious, to have their painstakingly-prepared entries entirely overlooked. If “uninhibited art” was wanted, why did the schedule not say so. No-one will convince me that we should encourage children to be other than neat and tidy and to take a pride in a task well done. Why not model the exhibition on the London one, in that the. children actually go to the centre and do their competition entry; then we would have a children’s art exhibition that all "would enjoy, as all competitors would have equal chances of expressing their ideas spontaneously.—Yours, etc., INTERESTED. May 20, 1953. [“lt is quite impossible to compare the 15-17 year age class, comprising fashion drawing and Christmas card design, which have, to a certain extent, a commercial aspect, with the free interpretative work of the younger age groups. In the former, elegance of line and fine lettering are two of the essential qualities, whilst in the latter the spontaneous rendering of the child’s emotions is more important than careful copying of adult conceptions. If ‘lnterested’ would care to call at the store in which this competition was held a list of books dealing with the subject of child art will be readily supplied, also data and information relating to the London Festival Exhibition.” This comment was received when the above letter was referred to the firm which sponsored the competition.]