Leading painters exhibit

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32634, 16 June 1971, Page 18

Leading painters exhibit

Twenty-four paintings from the 1970 Manawatu Centepnial Prize for Contemporary Art are being exhibited at the Robert McDougall Art Gallery.

The Manawatu Prize for Contemporary Art has been an annual event since 1965 and this year many of New Zealand’s foremost painters, including Patrick Hanley,

Michael Illingworth, Michael Smither, Quentin Macfarlane, Ralph Hotere, Ray Thorbum and Philip Trusttum are represented in the exhibition.

The entries of Hanly and Trusttem are particularly impressive; both are expressionistic painters and both have developed painting styles that are highly individual and equally powerful in differing ways. Hanley makes reference to

the landscape and uses strongly contrasting areas of colour and sharp divisions of dark and light.

Trusttum creates more subtle passages of finely painted complimentary colours and against these derives infinite variety by contrasting plain flowing movements.

The minimal painting . of Ralph Hotere has changed direction slightly with the in-

traduction of a word “Malady” which is used as a repeating element in both his paintings. The pneumatic qualities of lan Scott’s two works "Sky Leays" and “Table Baby” and the sentimental overtones of Michael Smither’s “Sarah Feeding Ducks” make them among the least convincing entries.

Quentin Macfarlane’s shimmering blue “Marine 1970” and Brent Wong’s unpeopled, surreal waterfront and buildings in "The Bequest” (see illustration) are two outstanding references to different aspects of landscape. Natalie Woodham’s green and mauve strips on a red ground is the most eyewrenching painting in the exhibition. With its pulsating use of the spacial properties of colour it is most accurately titled “Beat.” Also in the ‘op’ style though less vibrant is Ray Thorbum’s skillfully executed cellulose laquer painting from his ‘Modular Series.’ The exhibition will remain open until the end of the month. —G.T.M.