Vander Velden Show Marks Anniversary

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30289, 15 November 1963, Page 27

Vander Velden Show Marks Anniversary

work o: ' «^t van der Velden at the McDougal Art Gallery untu December 10 martTthe fiftieth anniversary of the pxnter’a death on November 10.1913, at the age of 76. It consists entirely of v •*» lent by Christchurch c - nern and only one wort was shown in Oe exhibition of van der Velden’s Bantings by the Auck.ar.d City Art Gallery in 1959 c--«SS”“ 6 ' ■ h ~" “>

Th* present exhibition inc.'jdes drawings and water- <? ■' ■«* and fXs an appSdjx or series of footnotes to the Auckland show, which consisted entirely of the oil oa .nUncs that are the most part of van der Leiden's output. Not a* Best Apart from some atrnosspheric and spacious charcoal drawings, van der Velden’s careful drawings show none “ the freedom and vitality that distinguish his best paintings and the exhibition's main effect is to present him as a very variable and often medicore artist An exhibition that is confined to works from Christchurch and contains many inconsequential pages from sketch books and other trivia obviously cannot show him at his best and the director of the McDougall Gallery <Mr W. S. Baverstock) says in the catalogue that it W'as not intended to do so. It may

be questioned. however, whether there is any point in Stowing him otherwise. Very few of the works are dated, but most of the paintings are in van der Velden’s rather sentimental realist style—both scenes of Dutch life and works done in New Zealand. The exhibition only includes one of the bag Otira gorge oils on which his claim to respect rests. It is a powerful, romantic wort, but it is in a bad state of deterioration and if the Canterbury Society of Arts, which owns it, is mindful of its reputation it will place the painting in the hands of an expert professional restorer as soon as this show ends. Some restoration has already been carried out, as some holes have obviously been patched, but the severe cracking should be restored. Van der Velden himself is to blame for this cracking because he painted the work on top of another, “The Convalescent.” when he was short of a big canvas—but judging by an oil sketch for “The Convalescent.” the gain was greater than the loss.

In good condition is a small Otira gorge oil belonging to Mr Baverstock. It is less dramatic than some of the big ones, but the colour has a fine glow and it is painted with bravura. Many other works in the exhibition are in need of cleaning and restoration, and the benefits of cleaning are quite vividly demonstrated by the gallery’s well-known “The Dutch Funeral,” which has regained its original lustre. Much more imaginative and expressive treatment of funerary subjects, however, is shown in a very atmospheric watercolour, “ Dutch Funeral Barge,” and an oil of the same title. —J.N.K.