N.Z. Women Artists Give Impressions Of China

Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27989, 8 June 1956, Page 2

N.Z. Women Artists Give Impressions Of China

VFIFS FOR ROMEN

Two Wellington women artists —Mrs Margaret Garland, a sculptor, and Mrs Evelyn Page, a painter—returned from China yesterday “tremendously impressed by the thoroughness of Chinese art, but just a little disappointed to find that traditional national forms are being forsaken for Western patterns.”

Both noticed a sense of dedication in everything done by the Chinese, and they were surprised at the advances being made in educational and cultural activities. Housing alone (which had to cater for millions’ seemed to lag beh nd the progress evident everywhere, they said on their arrival in Christchurch.

This first visit was a “really enlightening experience,” said Mrs Page. She remarked particularly on the intense thoroughness of work in arl which she had not seen eclipsed anywhere. One painter she met had studied under Matisse and then returned to China. The assimilation of two styles gave results which were interesting and very beautiful, she said. Mrs Page said shd3 had found time to complete a number of landscapes and a lot of quick sketches. The Chinese were very interested because of their own contemporary work in Western forms. * “The Chinese are full of enthusiasm for the ideals given by their Government, and women are becoming more and more emancipated.” Mrs Page said. The common dress for women in Peking was now blue denim trousers with a matching jacket. Housing generallv had not reached Western standards, but this was understandable when so manv had to be provided for and when there were such advances in public works and in the attack on illiteracy.

Mrs Garland had been in China in 1952. She found that some of the ex-

citement about the new regime had died down, and that .the people were; now more concerned with “getting on with the job” than pointing out their achievements.

She said she had inquired about many friends of her former visit, and had been able to meet them all again. Most were English-speaking,- and she was thus able to get direct impressions of everything that had been occurring.

Although she agreed that much had still to be done in housing. Mrs Garland said she had inspected many fine new bloc! s of flats and other accommodation arranged on a villa pattern. They were Western in style, but modified to meet the wishes of the occupants. The Government called people in off the streets to give their views on plans, with results which were sometimes startling to a New Zealander.

In one big block of flats, each fla' was planned with its own kitchen, bu with communal conveniences. Mrs Gar land said. The Chinese requested theii own conveniences, but expressed a lik ing for communal kitchens. So tha was the way each floor of the' flatwas built.

Mrs Gariano worked fur a fortnighi in the Peking Institute of Fine Arts, modelling a Chinese boy and a Chinese girl. The original casts would be kept in China, but copies would' be sent to New Zealand. Mrs Garland said. She had worked in art schools in London. Paris, and Cape Town, and felt’ quite at home in Peking. All the schools were run on similar lines, the only advantage in China being the greater supplies of manpower for mixing clay, casting, and other manual work, she said. This was very pleasant and speeded work. All the instructors whom she met in the Peking institute had trained in London—two of them under het own former teacher.