Manawatu Prize For Contemporary Art

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32308, 28 May 1970, Page 16

Manawatu Prize For Contemporary Art

The 1969 Manawatu Prize for Contemporary Art at present being displayed at the Canterbury Society of Arts contains a varied standard of entry. The prize-winning work by Ray Thorburn is a painstaking affair in the op-art manner. Painted in blues, reds and magenta lines that intersect across sixteen basic square units it becomes a work of colour harmonies

rather than the eye-wrenching experience one might expect it to be at first glance. Ted Bracey’s “Winter Horizon 10” is similar in style to his entry seen recently in the Benson and Hedges award. There is an easiness about this painting which suggests that continued repetition of this horizontal formula of composition could easily become boring. Patrick Hanly’s “Sky. Earth, Sea—Molecular Aspect,” founders on the use of some loose red paint that does not convincingly marry with the more tightly controlled areas of the rest of the work. Brent Wong's “Tide of Change,” is another example of his superb technical skill; the barren landscape, colonial house and floating geometrical form are familiar elements in his work.

The only entry from a Christchurch painter is “Contour 5" by Gavin Bishop which is a lineal style figure painting similar in theme to the figure paintings he exhibited earlier this year in the C.S.A. Gallery. In “Contour 5” most of the interest is confined to the top half of the work making for some compositional imbalance. All the above paintings despite any shortcomings, are of a standard apart from the remainder of entries.

lan Scott’s emotionless, synthetic rubber doll world is hard to take as a serious statement on the human condition. Richard Killeen is represented by a seated woman who if she was capable of standing up would be about twelve feet tall, which may account for the decidedly unhappy look she is wearing and the two empty seats on either side of her. Frank Davis in “Acculturation II” makes a self-consci-ous statement on the two worlds of the Maori, and Para Matchett rehashes yet again some Maori symbols into patterns that have no obvious significance. The work in the remainder of the exhibition does nothing to enhance the reputations of those responsible for its execution. The exhibition will remain open until June 3.—G.T.M.